Ramadan, the most important holiday in the Islamic calendar, is an important time for brands to connect with audiences in Muslim-majority markets. With the appearance of a new crescent moon in mid-March, a month-long celebration begins, creating an opportunity for marketers to reach consumers looking to find the products they need and love during the festive period.
Benjamin Joe, Meta's Vice President of Southeast Asia and Emerging Markets, said: As people continue to prepare homes, meals, and gifts for their loved ones, they search for the best deals before and during the season. ” Based on the Meta Ramadan Moments survey by YouGov, 71% of Indonesian shoppers and observers surveyed and 68% of Malaysians prefer different product categories during Ramadan and Eid than at other times. I answered that I look for it often.1
“Advertisers need to plan ahead to stay relevant and prepared for these shopping peaks and tap into people's preferences to remind them of what they like. Video content, especially Investing in Reels could help advertisers do that,” Joe continued. Providing advertisers with an effective and efficient way to deliver bite-sized content, Meta's short-form video format has proven to be a powerful tool for discovery. A key feature of both Facebook and Instagram feeds is that Reels has been reshared 3.5 billion times in a single day around the world, as well as reshared across all video formats across the Meta ecosystem. Play time per day increased by 25% compared to the previous year.2
YouGov research reveals that 70% of Malaysian shoppers spend more time watching videos during Ramadan and Eid, highlighting the potential for Reelz to further increase its campaign funding during the festive period. I am.3 Mobile-first Indonesia is no different, with 9 out of 10 people spending more time watching videos during Ramadan, with 98% of them watching videos on their mobile phones.Four
Given the importance of video-driven discovery during Ramadan, how can marketers leverage Reels to get the most out of their campaigns?
Build cultural connections through collaboration with creators
Joe explained that Ramadan is all about connection and community, and the holiday season is “an important time for brand storytelling, especially through engaging formats like video and creator partnerships.” Reels' down-to-earth, candid, and relatable style makes it an extremely well-suited marketing tool for building and deepening authentic connections between consumers and brands. Collaboration with creators also plays an important role in this meaningful relationship. Across his nine markets celebrating Ramadan, his 59% of shoppers and observers are more likely to trust brands that partner with trusted creators during Ramadan and Eid.Five
“Interestingly, the top creators we followed during Ramadan highlighted a wide range of categories,” Joe added. These include food bloggers, health influencers, entertainment celebrities, athletes, and more. Additionally, meta-platforms, especially Instagram and Facebook, outperform their competitors as places for users to follow creators, according to a study by CrowdDNA into the role of creators in their marketing by meta-commissioning.6 Built-in music, audio, and visual effects are key features that creators can take advantage of when customizing Reels and promoting their content to an audience that is interested in their brand.
Consider the example of Watsons Malaysia. Reels has had great success in expanding reach, increasing video completion rates, and reducing campaign costs. The company takes a media-savvy approach and connects with Malaysian creators by incorporating ReelsFirst content into regular ad campaigns on Facebook and Instagram, resulting in 20% lower CPA and video completion rates compared to the company. 48% higher and 22% higher reach. normal strategy. In addition to using the platform to actively engage its community of new and old followers, Watsons Malaysia used Reels as an opportunity to promote talented creators among its customers.
Finish the celebration delivery
Once you've chosen your format and created your assets, it's time to talk strategy. This Ramadan, marketers can benefit from Meta's growing suite of AI-powered solutions to deliver relevant messages more efficiently. New features for Advantage+ Shopping campaigns include individual ad scheduling and budget scheduling. Advantage+ Suite also provides a single-step solution powered by AI and ML that automatically optimizes audiences, creatives, and placement.
All of the above allows marketers to prioritize bigger-picture tasks, such as designing campaign strategies. Joe relies on understanding the different periods of Ramadan and how they impact consumer behavior in order to build a media strategy that addresses different consumer needs during the festive period. emphasized the importance of
Joe recommends laying the foundation with an always-on strategy to build your audience and drive baseline purchases, then ramping up four weeks before Ramadan to build anticipation through awareness and consideration campaigns. . During sale periods, focus on increasing conversions and sales volume and avoid campaign changes. Use the post-holiday period to evaluate, experiment, and iterate your strategy to retarget engaged customers and maintain momentum from increased viewership.
According to Joe, one thing that should be consistent throughout your campaign is the use of AI to reach new and unexpected audiences. “Customers during Ramadan are not the same as target customers at other times, as shoppers during Ramadan are active in exploring new brands and categories,” he said. “There is power in relying on AI to drive discovery and discovering where people are, not where we expect them to be.”
In the lead-up to Ramadan 2024, marketers have a great opportunity to influence consumer shopping habits during the joyful festive period through the broad appeal of Reels, made easier than ever by the power of AI can do.
[1] YouGov's Meta Ramadan Moments Survey, a meta-commissioned online survey of 13,232 people aged 18 and over across nine markets: AE, BD, EG, ID, MY, NG, PK, SA and TR. Minimum N=1500 per market, May 2022. Analysis based on respondents who shop during or observe Ramadan.
[2] Meta Internal Data, Q4 2023
[3] YouGov's Meta Ramadan Moments Survey, May 2022
[4] TGM Global Ramadan Insight 2023
[5] YouGov's Meta Ramadan Moments Survey, May 2022
[6] “Creator Role Marketing Study” by Crowd DNA (a meta-commissioned online survey of adults 18 years and older in Australia, Brazil, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, UK, and US in March 2022)
