Tweeters and bloggers tend to write about the cars they wished they owned, rather than those they actually drive

With Dubai roads bursting at the seams during rush hour, it is easy to recognise the importance of a car in the eyes of the Emirate's growing population. With the cost of fuel at a relatively low level, the upkeep and running of a car in the UAE makes owning one an economical and desirable choice. However, with 4x4s a common site in the region, are they really the popular choice of automobile, and what are people saying about the brand of car that they own or dream of owning?

In the UAE, top search volumes involving car manufacturers and brands show that the term ‘mini' is in fact the most popular search query, achieving more search queries than ‘Toyota' and ‘Honda' put together. This indicates the rising popularity for the British Premium Car brand in the region and is perhaps testament to the brand's growing presence in the region with the launch of its All-Wheel drive, the Mini Countryman.

In terms of social media buzz and online conversation, Mercedes lead the way in terms of mentions in the social media sphere. However, the sentiment recorded here is zero, with the brand generating neutral conversations on the whole. BMW and Ferrari follow closely behind with brand mentions in September nearly reaching 350 each. However, Ferrari leads the whole group by far in terms of positive sentiment scoring. With mentions referring to happenings in the world of F1 or the tourist attraction Ferrari World, it's clear to see this kind of conversation creates a highly positive stir across the social media platforms.

Honda and Toyota trail the group with the most negative sentiment scoring of the group. Honda failed to rouse a positive response about its servicing capabilities, with a negative buzz also generated around the terms of ‘faulty' and ‘recalls'. Toyota's problem mainly originates from global corporation news, as opposed to general feelings about its car models and their performance.

What is clear is the failure of tweets and blogs to refer positively to the experience of their own car that is used day in, day out. Social media adopters tend to tweet about the cars they aspire to own or the sporting interest that the brand represents. Those brands generating such a positive buzz online successfully affiliate themselves with sponsorship opportunities that generate their very own community offline, whilst bringing the brand alive online in a positive conversational tone.

Social Media - Volume Vs Sentiment Graph