Navigating the Crowded Ramadan Ad Landscape: Strategies for Distinctive Brand Engagement

Ramadan provides a unique opportunity for brands to forge meaningful connections with consumers, tapping into both emotional and cultural dimensions. This sacred period of spiritual reflection and communal solidarity marks a profound shift in societal behaviours and dynamics, offering fertile ground for brands to engage with their audience on a deeper level. ArabNews reports that smartphone usage during Ramadan is steadily increasing in the past few years, with spikes in searches for fashion, beauty, food, online deals, gifting and spirituality. Also consumption of entertainment on social platforms increases as well. TGM also shares in their 2024 research that 68% of people spend time using social media.

However, amidst the commercial fervour of Ramadan, the advertising landscape often becomes inundated with brands vying for attention, leading to a cluttered atmosphere. This saturation inevitably results in what can be termed as a "paralysis of analysis" for consumers, wherein the abundance of choices makes decision-making a challenge. Many brands, in their pursuit of short-term tactics to drive sales, neglect the power of storytelling and fail to resonate emotionally with their audience.

To truly leverage the creative opportunities that Ramadan presents, brands must transcend conventional advertising approaches and authentically connect with their audiences. This involves weaving narratives that resonate with Ramadan's core values of compassion, generosity, and community. By doing so, brands can establish genuine connections that go beyond mere transactions, fostering loyalty and trust among consumers.

It's imperative for brands to delve deep into understanding audience sentiment, conducting thorough competitive analyses, and striving for distinctiveness to stand out in a crowded marketplace. What I see, for example, is that in addition to narrative-driven content, audio plays a pivotal role in capturing audience attention during Ramadan. Music ads, especially those featuring original compositions in partnership with renowned artists, have the potential to enhance brand recognition and recall significantly. Audience insights from Think with Google show that audiences prefer watching ads with music, with many brands opting to have a celebrity perform a song or create an original melody. Moreover, audiences genuinely enjoy the music, spiritual connection and celebrity cameos that Ramadan ads are known for.

Also, be strategic in your channel selection as a brand, recognizing that video consumption surges during Ramadan, particularly in genres like entertainment and drama. Close to 90% of users surveyed in the UAE and 86% in the Kingdom used social media both to learn new things and to send greetings during Ramadan, while 84% in in Saudi Arabia and 77% in the UAE also watched online videos, either for educational or entertainment purposes, according to a the Statista study referenced in the ArabNews article above. 

Ramadan offers brands a unique canvas to paint compelling narratives and foster lasting connections with consumers. By leveraging the art of storytelling and combining it with a compelling music and audio approach, enhanced by iconic figures that resonate with the essence and vibes of Ramadan, you can connect on a deep emotional level with your audience. This can lead to increased ad recall for your brand, even in a crowded advertising landscape.