Consumers look to businesses to feel more positively about how these brands support society. A recent global study by Kantar on Twitter shows that, in fact, only 8% of people believe that brands should stop advertising during the global pandemic. This has been especially evident in the month leading up to Ramadan, when there has been a 70% increase in conversations globally. During the holy month, brands used Twitter to connect to levity or uplifting moments, and to launch purpose-driven campaigns.

Staying connected

In this challenging time, brands in the region have been navigating new opportunities to help stay top of mind by connecting with Ramadan. Cultural relevance has continued to be critical during the global pandemic. Leaning into key moments such as Ramadan with a creative strategy that resonates is key. Here are some examples of how brands have connected with Ramadan on Twitter.

  • Riyad Bank (@RiyadBank) brought levity to audiences throughout the holy month by pairing its brand with Tash ma Tash, a popular Saudi comedy series, through a partnership with Thikrayat TV. With Twitter being the exclusive digital platform for the campaign, Riyad Bank leveraged the platform’s Amplify Pre-roll solution by placing pre-roll ads across a series of ‘Best of’ clips on Twitter. These showcased some of Tash ma Tash’s most memorable clips, bringing a sense of nostalgia to viewers across Saudi Arabia. The campaign generated a pre-roll view rate of 60.66%, and more than seven million pre-roll views.

  • Omantel (@Omantel) partnered with Kuwaiti singer Humood Al Khuder (@HumoodAlKhudher) and musicians from across the region to wish Omanis an Eid Mubarak. Using Twitter’s Promoted Trend and First View solution – that places the brand video at the top of the Twitter timeline for 24 hours – during the two days of Eid, the campaign generated more than one million impressions that outperformed the market benchmark by 80%.

Purpose-driven marketing

As a challenging moment for brand communication, consumers are feeling afraid and uncertain, and are looking to brands to step up and show up. During Ramadan, many businesses articulated their brand’s mission and purpose, and, most importantly, acted on that purpose. Here are some examples of how brands have identified their place during Ramadan by identifying their purpose and giving back to the community.

  • Multinational dairy company Almarai (@almarai) chose to spread a message of optimism to their audiences this Ramadan during April. Almarai’s message to be optimistic in this month of positivity was shared through an emotive video that highlighted the light at the end of every tunnel using the hashtags (All is good) أمرنا_كله_خير# and (Ramadan Mubarak) #رمضان_مبارك. The video generated a total of six million views to date.

  • In Egypt, Telecom Egypt (@TelecomEgypt) took a similar approach, focusing their campaign on the importance of coming together during hard times and investing time in the people we love. The campaign leveraged a well-known Tamer Hosny song and music video, to highlight the messaging of being on the same boat, utilizing Twitter’s Promoted Video format. To date, the campaign has generated almost three million video views.

  • Healthcare group Bupa Arabia (@BupaArabia) celebrated the resilience of the spirit of Ramadan through a video highlighting the ways communities were celebrating in spite of the global circumstances. The video highlighted family connections, encouraging their audiences to share how they were celebrating Ramadan. The campaign, that took place between 28 April and 18 May in Saudi Arabia, generated more than 16 million impressions and more than eight million views.

  • Bank Al Jazira (@BankAlJazira) focused on the spirit of giving, educating audiences on the ways in which they can donate to charitable organizations throughout Ramadan. Through a Promoted Video on Twitter, the bank emphasized the ease in which people can donate through its digital channels. The one-week campaign in Saudi Arabia generated more than one million video views.