How can brands make an impact during Ramadan?

Ramadan is one of the biggest religious moments on the planet, but one rarely recognized by advertisers. The Drum asked the global industry for their advice for brands looking to reach out during Ramadan. The full article is available here.

How do you solve a problem like... reaching out during Ramadan?

Tom Ollerton, founder, Automated Creative

We ran a Ramadan campaign for a global consumer FMCG brand in MEA.

We ran hundreds of ads over a series of human- and machine-created ‘sprints’ that allowed us to dig deep into the cultural triggers that were right for the brand.

It was fascinating to see that the Suhur meal drove the best performance alongside the watching of popular TV shows, both bookending the fasting period, and from an image perspective families outperformed individual visual triggers.

The advice here is not to make assumptions or guess, but test a huge range of visual and written triggers based on an understanding of the unique moment that Ramadan is for your audience.

Arvinder Gujral, managing director, SEA, Twitter

Though perhaps better known around the world as a month of fasting and abstinence, Ramadan is a celebration characterized by kindness, hope and generosity – and gifting is a huge part of this. In fact, conversations around shopping during Ramadan increased by 22% on Twitter in 2020 compared to the previous year.

The challenge is ensuring sensitivity around the nuances of the holy month, so it’s important for brands to be on the pulse of conversations. For example, on Twitter, the focus is often around sharing information, inspiration and positivity – with that in mind, the most successful Ramadan campaigns typically incorporate an educational element (how to better follow guidelines) and emphasize the spirit of giving and positivity.

Akanksha Goel, founder and managing director, Socialize

Brand owners should question their place in any religious observance. But if you think about what Ramadan means to Muslims around the world, with its emphasis on family, community and eating together, you realize it has cultural importance as well as religious, which creates space for brands. We’re working on a campaign for Old El Paso in the UAE, for example, built around reducing iftar food waste via an app that gives you recipes using your leftovers and tortillas. Every time a recipe is shared they donate to a local food bank, giving this Mexican-inspired brand a culturally appropriate, purposeful place in Ramadan.

Vaishali Sarkar, chief executive officer, Wunderman Thompson Indonesia

In a Muslim majority market like Indonesia, where Ramadhan carries an even bigger significance than Christmas globally, brands need to understand the human sentiment associated with the celebrations. And find not just one but multiple intersection points, be it struggling with hunger pangs while staying committed to fasting for 30 full days (food and beverage brands) or visiting your aging parents in their hometown via Zoom as they struggle with their phones to allow a video call from you (telco brand) or providing food/new clothes for the needy across the nation (food/retail/financial service/delivery service brands).

It’s only when a brand can immerse itself seamlessly within the human experience and essence of Ramadhan that it can truly connect with Indonesian hearts.

Sufia Parkar, regional director of diversity and engagement, Europe and UK, McCann Worldgroup

Don’t picture an elephant! Are you not picturing an elephant? The impossibility of this tells us how brands currently think about Ramadhan. A month of fasting from food becomes a food shopping extravaganza. Isolated ‘Ramadhan Kareem’ displays in food aisles come across as ham-fisted (pun intended) attempts to reach the Muslim pound without understanding the lived experience for Muslims. Many of the 3.5 million Muslims in the UK with purchasing power exceeding £20bn choose this month to really connect with what matters to them. That includes over £130m in charitable donations, much of it given in daily small increments.

Many stay awake till late praying and many wake up in the middle of the night to eat. When coffee came to the UK in the 17th century it was known as the Muslim drink. It would be great for coffee brands to be confident enough to engage with wakeful Muslims. Where is the recognition that with over one million under-25s, many tens of thousands mark a significant rite of passage every year by fasting for their first time? Are brands aware that Prophet Muhammed told Muslims to wear nice clothes for Eid? So yes, there is an elephant in the room after all – the elephant is the missed opportunity to engage with Muslims more purposefully and authentically.

Carol Tay, senior director sales South East Asia, Verizon Media

In South East Asia, where Ramadan and Hari Raya are celebrated by many, the challenge isn’t getting brands to activate but instead to do so meaningfully in a way that is tasteful and sincere.

Brands need to understand the nuances of the season and cater to consumer behavior and schedules during this period – and in every touchpoint ensure that they provide utility and value to the customer that is meaningful. In Singapore, we have worked with brands big and small to help them do so successfully, reaching audiences at optimal times through trusted, diverse channels. This includes campaigns with a ready-to-assemble furnishing brand on home tips to get ready for the festive celebration, and a consumer electronics and furnishing retailer running Ramadan special promotions.

Shelina Janmohamed, vice-president, Ogilvy Islamic Marketing

What if you could have access to an audience that contributes £31bn to the UK economy? And what if I told you that according to research at Ogilvy, 62% of this audience is feeling disappointed in the brand engagement – but 78% would welcome brands?

These numbers should be making brands sit up and take notice. It's simple, isn’t it: it’s a huge business growth opportunity and it is a chance to practice meaningful inclusivity. That is to say, it’s a way to grow your brand at the same time as making an actual difference to the lives of under-represented consumers – in this case Muslim consumers – because Ramadan is as important to them as we consider Christmas, Easter and Valentine’s Day to the mainstream. So rather than thinking of Muslim audiences as a ’diversity’ tick box, it's time to think about how this is part of annual planning. The most important thing is to not do it as an afterthought. Ask experts who can guide engagement and campaigns.

Komal Tariq, media network manager, Brand Advance

Food plays a vital role in during Ramadan. Each day families come together to celebrate breaking their fast with huge meals before dawn and after sunset. As a Muslim woman living in the UK, I thought it was crazy that brands don't take advantage of this event by pushing FMCG products. I have always used Ramadan to try new foods and many of my friends and family do the same.

Mainstream brands do not target us during this period in the same way they do with other religious events such as Christmas or Easter, but with 2.6 million Muslims in the UK, that reach alone should be enough for brands to care.

The full article is available here.

You can see some Automated Creative case studies here.