For those who just moved here and started working on Ramadan campaigns in the MENA region and who don’t live here too (and work on MENA clients)

What is Ramadan?

If you search for it on the internet, you’ll find out that:

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim year, during which strict fasting is observed from dawn to sunset.

But, that is just “bland” – the real thing is thatfor the world’s 1.6b Muslims:

Ramadan is the annual period of fasting, prayer and giving to charity that is at the heart of the observance of Islam.

Its impact on politics, economics and everyday life across the world is incalculable.Muslims mark this, the holiest monthof the year, with a period of self-denial and purification. They believe that the Prophet Mohammed received the final partof a series of revelations from God “Allah” which became the holy book “Koran” during this month.

Ramadanshifts closerevery year!Starts June 6th in 2016, May 27th in 2017, May 16th in 2018 and so on…

This means a sizzling hot summerWhere you can’t eat, drink or dress immodest in public as this is disrespecting Islam

For more about Ramadan and Islam:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11682139/What-is-Ramadan-and-why-does-it-matter.htmlhttp://www.whatisramadan.com http://islam.about.com/od/ramadan/f/ramadanintro.htm

However, there are many misconceptions about Ramadan

Ramadan is about fasting, It is not about food When hunger strikes, one cannot think of anything but food. And especially when one had a full day of not eating, no quantity seems to be enough. Research shows that 50%--70% of the food prepared in Ramadan is wasted and thrown, 1.3 billion tons are wasted food during Ramadan, 2.8 billion Saudi riyals are spent on food and 45% of the waste bin in Ramadan consists of food.

And they’re all WRONG

Not keeping up the good deeds after Ramadan The common misperception is that seeking forgiveness and doing good in Ramadan will erase the bad deeds a person commits throughout the entire year. Accordingly, people do good only in Ramadan and then go back to their bad habits immediately after Ramadan. Instead, Ramadan is about a period of worship and doing good so that one can start a habit of doing good and get rid of any bad habit.

Idleness, hunger & killing time until Iftar Hunger can get one tired and even sleepy. However, it should never be an excuse to sit idle and kill the time. People have made it a habit to find activities that kill the time. While history shows us that major events in the history of Islam have taken place while Muslims were fasting like Conquest of Mecca and Battle of Badr.

Ramadan is when TV content is at its best Naturally people get together more often in Ramadan and stay at home. Therefore, TV broadcasters invest the most in content during Ramadan. However, with so many Satellite TV channels, this has gone out of control. In 2015, an excess of 70 TV programs have been produced only for Ramadan.

Fasting is deprivation from eating and drinking Fasting is about seeking forgiveness, and staying away not only from food and drinks, but from swearing at people, from getting angry at people, from seeing/watching obscene views and generally only doing what is good and decent. Fasting and being hungry has become some kind of an excuse for people to drive recklessly, become impatient and actually be mean to people.

TV playsan essential role

in Ramadan entertainment

Families across the Arab world watch dramas on television in Ramadan every night

Most TV shows/series are bundled into about 30 episodes, Yes, that’s 1 episode every night of Ramadan

These series are an integral part of the Ramadan tradition, the same way the storyteller* was a part of Ramadan nights in the past.*storyteller or Al-hakawati is an Arabic term that means the storyteller. to tell a story; he implies expertise in a popular street-art, where he accompanies his tales on a musical instrument, a simple stringed instrument.

These activities happen in Ramadan too.Mawaed Al Rahman It is basically inviting those in need to have free food for Iftar (fast breaking meal).

It is more of community work, many rich celebrities and even brands use it as a CSR activity – you should do it and not brag about it, as it’s against Islam to brag about good deeds.

Girrgeean Is an Arab gulf countries related celebration time. It is a tradition from the past, happens between 13-15 nights of Ramadan, children wander through the neighbourhood in groups dressed in traditional outfits. They keep singing and praying to Allah to protect the children of the houses they visit. The mothers give them candies and nuts in celebration. It's kind of like Halloween in the states minus the pumpkins.

Musaharati This is one of the oldest, most deep-rooted traditions found during Ramadan. Happens mostly in the Levant & North Africa. El Misaharaty is the name given to the person who walks and beats a drum in residential areas to wake people up to eat their sohor (meal eaten before the beginning of the fast) before morning prayers.

Bazaar During last days of Ramadan and before Eid, in most of Arab countries you have the Bazaars where you can buy food and sweets to serve during Eid, outfits and giveaways to give in Eid as well and it is more of a Goodbye to Ramadan.

These newer habits happen in Ramadan too.Ghabgha Ghabga is a GCC-related tradition, it is a meal between Taraweeh prayer (extra prayers after 5 prayer on ramadan nights) and it is where families & friends gather over dessert and coffee and talk about life, think of it as a social club gathering.

More about Ghabga in Arabic here.

Mosque hopping A new social habit has emerged where men gather and do a tour of visiting a different mosque every day for prayers and try to visit as many as they can and meet others, get to know people and make new friends after prayers and talk about life in general

Ramadan Tents This is where people gather under one roof to attend an iftar buffet, dessert, see Sofi dancers or listen to religious music and maybe hear stories told by a hakawati over nargileh and meet other families and friends and spend the night hanging out together, it is the most commercial gathering you’ll ever see during the month of Ramadan

Mall Sports This is new. It’s been happening in the GCC mostly, where people use big mall spaces as running tracks before Iftar time where most shops are closed. They gather and make Facebook groups/social pages and call themselves Ramadan runners.

(you can metaphorically call this The Muslim Christmas)

There are two official holidays in Islam:Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha.

Eid Al-Fitr is celebrated at the end of Ramadan and Muslims usually give charity on the occasion. It lasts for 3 days.

Eid Al-Adha is celebrated almost a month after and lasts for 4 days, during which Muslims usually sacrifice a sheep and distribute its meat in 3 parts: among family, friends, and the poor.

Eid happens right after Ramadan

Muslims must also harvest the healthy benefits of fasting(Self-Enlightenment, Immune System Boost, brain function and Insulin Sensitivity Improvement).

Contrary to the false idea that fasting is done so people feel what the poor and the hungry go through, the needy also fast for Ramadan, as prescribed by Muslim scholars.

Muslims fast by denying themselves food, water and all related sexual activity with their spouses, but also many things religiously forbidden but socially forgotten can void the person's fast, such as backbiting deceiving others. However, people with chronic diseases or unhealthy conditions such as diabetes for example, and those who haven't reached the age of puberty are exempt from fasting.

Travellers, and women who are menstruating or nursing a baby, are exempt from fasting as well during their special situation but are required to fast later.

Ramadan is not only about not eating food in daylight

Work starts

Normal Day Vs. Ramadan Day

Work ends

Lunch Break

Free time

Day ends

9:00 am

6:00 pm

1:00 pm

6:05 pm

Midnight

Work starts

Work ends

Break-fast time

Free time

10:00 am

4:00 pm

6:30 pm

7:00 pm

Free time4:05 pm

Last meal time3:00 amDay ends with morning prayer

5:00 am

Work hours in Ramadan are often down by 30% going from 8 hours to 5-6 hours, depending on industry/job type.

No lunch breaks and no public eating before sunset, so if you’re a non-practising Muslim or from another faith, you shouldn’t eat in front of those fasting.

Offices/companies usually offer a space/room for those who need it or exceptionally allow them to have lunch breaks.

Nights in Ramadan are longer, waaaay longer and social gatherings, family meetings, prayers, shopping and going online are the top things to do.

Normal Day Ramadan Day

Beautiful!Now, what does this mean to us marketers with our campaigns targeting consumers in MENA?

First we need to look at the bad, good & ugly…

Discounts

What Ramadan looks like for brands…

What Ramadan looks like for brands…Donations

Puck Arabia Nesquik Arabia Meals with Kraft

What Ramadan looks like for brands…Food Recipes

What Ramadan looks like for brands…Clichés

And all of that is boring…

Zain Telecom in Kuwait focused on humanitarianism, aimed at bringing joy to children who have been robbed of their happiness and childhood due to their dire situation.

Through this, the headline themes of the print campaign, “If you’re happy, we are happy”, “Dream so I can achieve”, and “Have a place in our hearts” came to life.

The 3 minute-long song/commercial was unveiled on social media at the beginning of Ramadan, and received over 600,000 views in two days of its posting.

In preparation of and in shooting the TVC, the production took almost two months and included Zain building permanent playgrounds and swimming pools in the refugee camp.

- See more at: http://www.zain.com/en/media-center/press-releases/zain-group-unveils-2015-ramadan-television-commercial-600000-views-on-youtube-in-first-two-days/#sthash.29zVlhUo.dpuf

But this was interesting last year…

Click image to play video (external link)

Coca-Cola Egypt surprised the whole industry by NOT airing their much anticipated Ramadan adverts on TV. Instead, they released a statement saying they'll air them only on Facebook and YouTube. while the money saved from purchasing airtime will go into developing 100 of the poorest villages.

The 4 ads they've released online are beautifully produced and follow the same global approach of inviting people to take an extra second to get to know others before judging them. Because without prejudice, we make a happier world.

In the UAE, Coca-Cola has released the first-ever “No Labels” limited edition cans as part of an activation during Ramadan. These Coca-Cola cans send a powerful and timeless message that a world without labels is a world without differences. And that we are all basically just the same - human. and a social video as well.

- See more at: http://adbasha.blogspot.ae/2015/07/coca-cola-surprise-and-copy.html#sthash.I6OGyPbR.dpuf

And this was interesting last year too…

Click image to play video (external link)

Let’s focusThe following slides are heavy, but they will give you social media and digital insights that will help you understand the market better and know how to do things properly.

The impact of Ramadan on consumers’ internet habits According to

Across the Arab world, Ramadan is treated as a time to reconnect with one’s faith and spend time with family and friends, which generally entails working less and resting more. This combination of free time and a celebratory atmosphere in turn means that time spent online and consumer spending is higher during Ramadan than any other period.

Users watch more video than any other time of the year, perform more searches for offers, promotions and gifts, spend more time on mobile/tablets than ever, search for food recipes before and during Ramadan and search for perfumes and clothes before Eid. Ramadan is an “unmissable” opportunity

to connect with consumers People in MENA are now online more than ever before, and Ramadan sees this trend escalate even further. Digital offers a compelling alternative to the shortcomings of traditional media. Vast opportunities exist to reach and shape the perceptions of target audiences, as well as influence the decision-making process, using the efficient and cost-effective formats that only digital can provide.

What Ramadan looks like on ?

And the great-one is from

Take outs from the past slides

Avoid cliches. Avoid it all, from lanterns, crescents to discounts and stars. Look at this document as an indictor of the benefits of communicating properly throughout Ramadan, do not think of it as a religious holiday only.

The volume of shared posts, images and videos increases significantly during Ramadan everywhere on social media indicating that there are more opportunities to connect with consumers during the Holy Month.

Take advantage of the increased volume of share-ability to launch specific communication/campaigns for Ramadan then.

The Muslim Arab appreciates the fact that brands do not share content that offends them in Ramadan, such as food clicks before the break-fast meal “Iftar” time or indecent or properly edited/covered body imagery as a distraction.

In a nutshell;Ramadan is a month-long Super Bowlin the Arab world's consumer market.

– Said by Ali Amarsy in Dubai Lynx 2016

Thanks for reading.Hoping this helped youunderstand Ramadan.

Moey ShawashDigital Creative Strategy, Leo Burnett MENA moey.shawash@leoburnett.com

Thanks to Ahmad Abu Zannad, Sally Ballout, Mark Haycock, Ali Amarsy for the great help and insights, guidance and support.Sandra Merhi, Hana Kawalit, friends at AdBasha + Google + YouTube + Twitter + Facebook + Wikipedia for the feedback and data help.