Ramadan is one of the most popular seasons in the media and entertainment industry. However, the market hasn’t been experiencing pivotal shifts when it comes to communication.
Brands sometimes tend to forget factoring in new consumer behaviour, as people’s preferences of how content is packaged changes with time and technology.
When it comes to the Egyptian market; Egyptian celebrities are great – they’re close to every household.
Ultimately, brands still use jingles and a line-up of celebrities as a winning formula and it has been the case for years now – even though it was actually discovered through studies that there are higher engagements and rankings in ads that do not use celebrities.
While some Egyptians love seeing celebrities explode from screens, at the end of the day they’re only admired for a very short period of time.
Consumers are shifting to authentic moments and how they relate to those moments from their own lens. Today, brands cannot afford anything but meaningful authenticity; and if you’re even 1 per cent superficial you’re out of the game.
‘‘GIVEN THE FORESEEN MARATHON OF ADS… IT’S BECOMING TOO EASY TO GET LOST IN THE SEA OF SAMENESS”
LONG-HAUL RIDE
Knowing Ramadan is the month when consumers spend most of their time online and glued to their TV screens; you cannot afford anything but being ahead of the game.
It takes months to find the golden opportunity to re-shape strategies, and a timeframe of 6 months is usually the case. From clarifying the vision, gathering and analysing data, understanding consumer behaviour and cultural changes to formulating and implementing the strategic development.
Given the foreseen marathon of ads; finding a fresh creative angle is another time- consuming milestone in the process as it’s becoming too easy to get lost in the sea of sameness. Once an angle is cracked, the art of storytelling comes in to build an engaging story and upon completion of the creative development. Then you’re only left with one month to get the ball rolling on execution.
Ramadan in Egypt is the most anticipated ad season. Egyptians are watching TV and on their phones. This is when the Ramadan race begins and the debate of who has the best ad this year becomes the topic of the month.
Ramadan trends over the years are somewhat evolving and digital consumption is on the rise, yet TV viewership remains heavy. Today, it’s crucial to be able to think consumer first, while staying relevant, and ensuring that regardless of heavy advertising across the month, we don’t lose interest, and avoid creative fatigue that leaves our viewers tired of seeing the same ad, over and over again.
Ramadan is just one month, yet the work behind our campaign spans far beyond that – the planning, finding the right insight, finding ways to bring the idea to life and of course, the execution. We didn’t just think of one medium, or one project, we thought of it all from the smallest detail, to the overarching brand promise we aim to deliver to our people.
This year for Ora Developers, we wanted to bring something different to life, stand out of the clutter by taking on a different angle; an angle that is more authentic without losing what Egyptians love most during Ramadan.
To not get lost in translation, we made sure we stuck to clear objectives, and took it from there; raise awareness on Ora’s offering, educate potential buyers on what Ora has to offer, hammer on credibility, and bringing our brand essence to life.
Ora is a relatively new developer in the market, and in the span of just 5 years, they have managed to establish their presence in the market, being one of the top 3 developers in Egypt today.
Celebrities have always been a major aspect of our campaigns. And the real estate ad world is complemented by celebrities that endorse luxury living and the dream life – we’ve always had a huge line-up.
We wanted to mix it up – so we’re bringing a surprise element to our Ramadan campaign this year, featuring something we haven’t seen before, and keeping things real. We’re a few weeks away and the anticipation is exciting.
Who are we going to see this year? Will it be a song? What celebrities are we featuring, if any? We’re about to find out very soon.
By Ola Rizk, Business Director of VML Cairo
