Business & Money | Friday 5 July, 2019 12:00 am |

The Animalis edition of the prestigious World Branding Awards saw 114 brands from 38 countries named “Brand of the Year” in a glittering ceremony held at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna today. The Animalis edition of the Awards focused on pet and animal brands.

Animal Planet, BuddyRest, FRONTLINE, FURminator, KONG, ORIJEN, Pedigree, Petplan, PURINA Friskies, Tetra and Whiskas were announced as global winners.

Regional winners were Exo-Terra and Fluval (Canada), Vitakraft (Germany), husse (Sweden), Kit Cat (Singapore), and PetSmart (United States).

Dubai Kennels & Cattery (Animal Travel Services – Relocation) and Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo (Public Aquarium) were amongst the National tier winners from United Arab Emirates to achieve the ‘Brand of the Year’ status, both celebrating their second award wins in their respective categories.

Four Animal Welfare organisations – The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, FOUR PAWS International, The Jane Goodall Institute and Humane Society International – were also recognised for their hard work and dedication to conserving and protecting animals and their habitats.

The Awards celebrate the achievements of some of the greatest brands around the globe. Uniquely, winners are judged through three streams: brand valuation, consumer market research, and public online voting. Each brand was named “Brand of the Year” in their respective categories.

“The Animalis Edition of the Awards are an acknowledgement to the tireless effort of the teams that build and maintain their brand presence in an ever-changing market in the pet and animal industry,” said Richard Rowles, Chairman of the World Branding Forum.

“Over 95,000 pet and animal lovers from around the world voted for more than 1,000 brands. Competition was tough. A good brand needs to offer a meaningful experience to their customers, while remaining relevant and distinctive,” said Julian Andersen, Managing Director of the Forum.

The awards are organised by the World Branding Forum, a global non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing branding standards worldwide. It organises and sponsors a range of educational programmes, and has joint collaborations with leading universities and museums. The Forum look forward to celebrating its tenth Awards Ceremony, due to take place this winter at Kensington Palace, home of the World Branding Awards.