Five Ingredients for Meaningful Marketing in Ramadan

During Ramadan, a time of spiritual reflection and devotion for Muslims around the world, shopping becomes commonplace as people prepare their homes, cook iftar and suhoor meals, and share gifts with loved ones.

For brands looking to connect with their audience during this special time, here are five key ingredients for creating meaningful Ramadan campaigns.

1. Think Bigger

Ramadan is not just a local event, but a global moment with observers across all regions. To truly make an impact, brands should think beyond borders and localize their content.

By leveraging features like multi-country lookalike audiences, brands can find similar audiences domestically or internationally.

Dynamic language optimization can automate language selection across a multilingual audience, while worldwide/regional targeting helps identify cost-effective new markets.

Multi-language and country dynamic ads show local currency, language, and landing pages to engage local customers.

Thinking bigger also means considering the entire marketing funnel. Campaigns that increase awareness, drive consideration, and prompt action have a larger impact.

Research shows a 55% correlation between efficient brand awareness outcomes and online sales.

Lastly, brands should explore opportunities beyond TV alone.

By combining TV with Facebook, brands can reach audiences like the 34% of millennials who don’t watch TV during Ramadan.

2. Be Where It Matters—and Start Early

During Ramadan, people spend a significant amount of time on mobile and Facebook.

In fact, 86% of Ramadan observers surveyed across key markets use mobile, while 94% use at least one Facebook platform.

Messaging has become an increasingly popular way for people to connect with businesses.

Timing is also crucial. People start planning their Ramadan purchases earlier than expected, with 83% of global Ramadan observers planning their purchases at least one week in advance, and 50% planning at least three weeks in advance.

To ensure success, brands should focus on frictionless shopping experiences.

Immersive shopping features like collection ads make it easier for people to discover, browse, and purchase visually.

Instant experiences can grab attention and convey brand stories effectively.

Brands can also bridge the gap between online and in-store experiences to reduce friction.

Store traffic objectives reach shoppers around stores with locally relevant messages, while store sales optimization helps drive in-store purchases.

Collaborative ads enable brands to run performance campaigns that drive high-intent traffic to a retailer’s site or app.

3. Master Mobile Storytelling

Facebook platforms are a hub for Ramadan observers to connect with loved ones, find entertainment, pass the time while fasting, and share religious content.

During this time, people are often more receptive to engaging with similar content from brands that feature themes of connection, entertainment, and discovery.

Brands can use Facebook and Instagram to offer ideas for lightening the load for those shouldering additional work during Ramadan.

For example, with 66% of Facebook and Instagram users surveyed responsible for cooking iftar and suhoor meals, brands can offer new ideas for family dishes or meal prep shortcuts.

Authentic campaigns that explicitly reference Ramadan customs and evoke positive emotions like humor, joy, and connection are more likely to resonate with audiences.

Stories are front and center across the Facebook family of apps, allowing people to interact with each other creatively.

Stories ads across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger provide brands with an opportunity to meet people where they spend their time sharing and consuming content.

These ads are full-screen, immersive, and offer exciting features like interactivity.

4. Let Technology Do the Work

Automated solutions and machine learning can help marketing teams save time, build media efficiencies, and stand out in a crowded space.

Facebook platforms offer several automation options.

Campaign budget optimization optimizes spending across ad sets, while automatic placements optimize ad placement for maximum return.

Dynamic ads provide creative automation by showing the right product ads to people who have shown interest in them.

Automated audiences feature finds the right people for products or services based on their actions.

By leveraging these automated solutions, marketing teams can focus on other activities while still achieving their goals.

5. Mature Your Measurement

Measurement is crucial for understanding the success of Ramadan campaigns.

Start by focusing on incrementality, which allows you to see who purchased as a direct result of seeing your ad, who would have made the purchase anyway, and who purchased without being exposed to your strategy.

Setting the right key performance indicators (KPIs) is also essential.

KPIs can include sales volume, new purchaser acquisition, and brand perception.

The importance of these KPIs may vary depending on the sector.

For example, brand awareness is especially important for financial services organizations where product offerings may be similar.

Lastly, testing and scaling multiple strategies ensures that brands can quickly adapt and move toward success.

By incorporating these five ingredients into their Ramadan marketing campaigns, brands can create meaningful connections with their audience and make a lasting impact during this special time of year.

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