“We consider it to be the Super Bowl of the region,” said Mitin Chakraborty, Head of Marketing, Babyshop, part of the Landmark Group. He was talking about the subject of Ramadan during a Campaign Middle East event.
“It’s an opportunity for the brand to really tell a story. We see an over-index of people spending more time with content.”
Chakraborty explained at Babyshop, it considers Ramadan to be a 60-day event, given the lead-up and post event gatherings. “We have tried to create long format brand content as so much content is required.”
Ramzi Atat, Head of Marketing & PR, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa at Lotus Cars, agreed on the need for long-form content during Ramadan. He was a fellow panelist at the recent Campaign Middle East Breakfast Briefing .
“Consumers are looking at anything and everything. They want to use content to pass time, and most might be passive. But the intent to buy a car will be back on the table. And people want a detailed deep-dive into cars as long as it’s engaging, ” he said.
For the automotive sector, Atat believes there will be a return of car offers and promotions during the Ramadan period, following a lull during Covid-19 when the sector faced supply issues. But the content must not be too promotional.
“So many people are now creating entertaining content and taking different angles. People will take time to watch longer versions of content during Ramadan.”
Marketers from leading brands such as Babyshop, Lotus Cars, L’Oreal and Emirates NBD gave plenty of insights ahead of Ramadan, based on their years of experience working in the region.
Timing
Creating good content, often in long-form, is paramount. But timing plays a critical role too in the success of a Ramadan campaign.
Aref Yehia, Head of Business Partnerships for Retail & E-Commerce, Global Business Solutions, MENA – TikTok, spoke about all-day visibility and everyday impact.
“It’s about choosing the right moment and right content,” added Olfa Messaoudi, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, at L’Oréal Middle East. “Ramadan is a huge moment of discovery, and an opportunity to recruit new consumers. 80 per cent of consumers are buying a new product during Ramadan.”
Messaoudi and her fellow marketers have noticed how consumer behaviour changes during Ramadan, not just in terms of increased time spent online and social media.
“They are looking for more tutorials and routines. You will need to adapt your content.”
Understated
For this year, Ramadan may be a bit more understated, marketing experts predicted. The main factor being the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Laura Gleadhill, Head of Performance at Keyade, said: “What we might see is a less celebratory vibe, and more focus on togetherness and charity and giving.
“In this region we are acclimatised to a ‘never normal’ dynamic. We are just good at adapting.”
Mai Cheblak,Head of Corporate Marketing, Events and Sponsorships at Emirates NBD, agreed: “This year, I probably think that it will be a little bit of conservation, keeping in mind what is happening in the region.”
Last year, Emirates NBD “connected with consumer at different emotive level” and shied away from commercialisation.
The banking group created a campaign using Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, reflecting on how he was fasting in space during Ramadan, and dealing with being away from his family.
