Advertising and marketing Throughout Ramadan and How an Engagement Platform Helps

Editor’s be aware: Ramadan advertising/vacation season, a time of sharing, caring, and constructing group, is only a month away. Whereas the final couple of years has been restricted to digital interplay, this 12 months guarantees to be a trendsetter. 

For sure, this brings a superbly opportune second for entrepreneurs to drive engagement however with care and empathy. To emphasize extra on these factors and what could be anticipated on this particular season of Ramadan when it comes to developments and methods, we caught up with Rohan Kapoor, Head of Digital Advertising and marketing at Careem.

Please share a short introduction about your self, your background, and your position at Careem.

Rohan: 12+ years of expertise throughout Retail, Journey, Classifieds & Leisure within the area. Labored for some prime manufacturers in management roles, comparable to Emirates, Souq (Amazon), Property Finder, OSN+, and presently, I head the Digital Advertising and marketing staff at Careem. I’m commissioned to arrange your complete digital infrastructure, construct a staff from the bottom up and personal the whole digital P&L of multi-million {dollars}. I’m actively main digital branding, efficiency advertising (Activation and Retention), content material, and partnership methods at Careem to develop the super-app within the area together with the a number of companies the App presents.

How do you anticipate this 12 months’s Ramadan Season to be? Do you suppose there can be some new developments noticed in comparison with 2022?

Rohan: This 12 months, Ramadan is predicted to be related and totally different on the identical time. Whereas a few of the developments which have been noticed within the final couple of years will stay, there could be some new developments being shaped, both as a result of seasonality or simply pure demand.

1. Elevated Advert Spend: This 12 months Ramadan being in March and April coupled with standard seasonality, it’s anticipated that many advertisers will enhance their advert spending to interact their target market successfully.
2. CTV Platforms: As shoppers spend extra time in consuming content material through the interval, video content material is predicted to play a major position in Ramadan promoting. Manufacturers are prone to spend money on creating visually interesting and fascinating video content material to seize the eye of shoppers on CTV platforms.
3. Personalization and AI:  Many manufacturers are anticipated to make use of AI to personalize their content material and make their campaigns extra impactful. Through the use of information and insights, manufacturers will create extra tailor-made messages and presents that resonate with Ramadan.

Ramadan is a interval of prayers, reflection, and group. How do you see manufacturers together with empathy of their campaigns? Is there any marketing campaign that you can imagine for instance of this?

Rohan: Sure, Ramadan is a major time for many individuals world wide, marked by non secular reflection, elevated devotion, and acts of charity. Manufacturers can present empathy and sensitivity in the direction of their viewers throughout this time by creating campaigns that replicate the values and traditions related to Ramadan.

For instance, a brilliant app comparable to Careem might create a marketing campaign that focuses on selling their supply companies to assist shoppers who’re busy with their Ramadan preparations. The marketing campaign might spotlight how Careem companies make it simpler for folks to arrange meals and break their quick with their family members, with out having to fret about going to the shop or cooking.

One other instance could possibly be a monetary companies firm comparable to a financial institution or an insurance coverage firm, making a marketing campaign that promotes their services and products that assist households throughout Ramadan, comparable to financial savings accounts or insurance coverage insurance policies. Whatever the particular marketing campaign, the important thing to making a profitable Ramadan-themed marketing campaign is to indicate empathy and understanding of the cultural and spiritual significance of the vacation and to concentrate on how the model can assist and enhance the lives of individuals throughout this time.

One other essential facet we have now noticed is that prospects favor buying after a sure time frame or gross sales witness a spike at a sure time of the day. Much like these, what are some insights that you simply take a look at whereas constructing a Ramadan Marketing campaign?

Rohan: Completely, throughout Ramadan, prospects have totally different buying habits and behaviors, comparable to elevated spending on meals supply or a shift of their buying conduct from brick-and-mortar shops to on-line platforms. Careem understands these modifications to make sure our campaigns are efficient. 

When constructing a Ramadan marketing campaign, Careem additionally considers a variety of different insights to make sure the success of campaigns. Among the key insights embody:

1. Timing: as everyone knows, Ramadan is a time-bound occasion, and we want to concentrate on the precise dates and occasions of the vacation to plan our campaigns successfully. For instance, the timing of Iftar can differ by market, and we want to concentrate on this to make sure we’re selling our companies on the proper time.
2. Demographics: Understanding the target market is essential for any advertising marketing campaign, and that is very true throughout Ramadan. Careem understands the age, gender, faith, and cultural background of our viewers to create related and efficient campaigns.
3. Knowledge evaluation: As a brilliant app we might additionally use information evaluation to know buyer conduct and preferences throughout Ramadan. This might embody information on the preferred companies throughout this time, in addition to developments in buyer spending patterns.

An extension to the earlier query – the position performed by a buyer engagement platform to supply you the insights?

Rohan: A buyer engagement platform performs a vital position in offering us with insights that inform our Ramadan campaigns. The platform permits us to gather and analyze information on buyer conduct, preferences, and engagement, offering beneficial insights and is used to form our campaigns. For e.g –

1. Surveys and suggestions: we conduct surveys and collect suggestions from prospects on their experiences and preferences throughout Ramadan. This data is then used to tell marketing campaign methods and guarantee they’re related to our target market.
2. Knowledge evaluation: we acquire and analyze information on buyer conduct, comparable to buy historical past, preferences, and demographics. This data can also be used to know developments and patterns in buyer conduct throughout Ramadan, and to tailor campaigns to the wants of the target market.
3. Personalization: Buyer engagement instruments are used to create customized experiences for purchasers, comparable to focused promotions and presents primarily based on their earlier purchases or preferences. This helps Careem construct a deeper reference to prospects and enhance engagement with their Ramadan campaigns.
4. Buyer segmentation: Buyer engagement instruments are used to section prospects primarily based on their conduct and preferences, permitting us to tailor our campaigns to particular teams. 

In brief, by utilizing a buyer engagement platform, it helps us to construct buyer loyalty, enhance engagement, and drive gross sales throughout Ramadan.

What are some methods manufacturers ought to develop to make sure that there may be not a serious drop in engagement metrics submit the vacation season?

Rohan: To make sure that there may be not a serious drop in engagement metrics submit the Ramadan vacation season, manufacturers ought to develop the next methods:

1. Constantly have interaction with prospects: Manufacturers ought to proceed to interact with prospects and supply them with beneficial content material and experiences even after Ramadan has ended. This might embody creating new promotions and presents, in addition to common communication by channels comparable to e-mail, social media, and SMS.
2. Preserve relevance: Manufacturers ought to ensure that their campaigns and choices stay related to prospects even after Ramadan has ended. For instance, they may concentrate on creating promotions which are aligned with different necessary cultural occasions or holidays, comparable to Eid al-Fitr.
3. Put money into expertise: Manufacturers ought to spend money on expertise and instruments, comparable to buyer engagement platforms, that may assist them join with prospects and supply customized experiences. This may also help to extend engagement and construct buyer loyalty, even after Ramadan has ended.

Thanks a lot Rohan for connecting with us and sharing your ideas on how manufacturers can have interaction with prospects throughout such a particular time.

Readers, you may join with Rohan for extra ideas and recommendation on buyer engagement throughout Ramadan.