Etisalat wins branding award

Etisalat today received ‘The Most Valuable Telecoms Brand’ in the Middle East and North Africa Region presented by Brand Finance, marking the company’s increase in brand value by 40 percent to US$7.7billion, higher than any other telecom brand in the region and the only telecom provider to break the US$7bn brand value mark in the region.

Etisalat is the only telecom provider from the region to feature in the top 15 most powerful telecom brands globally and boast of an impressive AAA brand rating. On a portfolio basis, the brand value inclusive of non-branded subsidiaries - Mobily in KSA, Maroc Telecom Operations, Ufone/PTCL in Pakistan - has jumped by 25 percent to US$9.6bn.

Saleh Abdullah Al Abdooli, CEO of the Etisalat Group received the awards from David Haigh, Founder and CEO, Brand Finance, a leading London-based branded business valuation firm, at the Mobile World Congress, currently being held in Barcelona. The world’s largest telecom gathering, it opened on 26th February and ends tomorrow, 1st March.

"We are proud to be recognised as the most valuable brand in the MENA region, a significant milestone as we have risen from the third rank to the first in only one year by surpassing some of the renowned regional brands. This can be attributed to our efforts in digital transformation whereby we have amplified our reach and presence in a highly competitive marketplace by investing in new digital platforms and global brand building initiatives. Etisalat’s success as a brand was also reinforced by the synergy of our family across our footprint, creating brand loyalty and enhanced engagement with our customers," Al Abdooli said.

Etisalat’s brand value has grown due to innovative customer service driven strategy, adapting well to a digital savvy marketplace, its leadership position in the 5G revolution and the successful launch of global brand building initiatives.

The company has been in the forefront of enabling the UAE’s focus on digital innovation with its overall strategy focused on ‘Driving the Digital Future’. It is working on several digital initiatives in the space of digital infrastructure, entertainment and smart cities.

As the premier digital and telecommunications partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, Etisalat is set to deliver the event's anticipated 25 million visitors and participants with a cutting edge, immersive digital experience.

The brand is behind the infrastructure digitisation of the Dubai Parks and Resorts project, while Etisalat has also maintained the roll out of its smart stores in UAE.

To commemorate Etisalat’s history, Etisalat launched the ‘Together as One’ campaign, its first-ever group brand campaign. In addition to appealing to the nostalgia of Emiratis and expatriates alike who grew up with Etisalat in the UAE, the campaign also speaks a more international language of togetherness by highlighting Etisalat’s footprint across 16 countries.

For global branding initiatives, sports has played a major role, while Etisalat's sponsorship of Manchester City Football Club has helped to engage with fans across its markets.

Brand Finance compiled its Telecom 300 rankings by evaluating a company’s ‘brand strength’ based on key factors which are mainly marketing investment and methods used by marketers to create brand loyalty and market share; stakeholder equity.

Brand Finance is the organisation behind the Global 500 Brands and Telecom 300 league table of the world’s biggest brands ranked by their brand value.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.