Latest news with #AnupOommen
Campaign ME
15-05-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Campaign to host senior marketers at Marketing Strategies 2025 briefing
Tickets are now on sale for the Campaign Breakfast Briefing: Marketing Strategies 2025 on Thursday, May 29, at Grand Plaza Movenpick, Media City, Dubai at 8 a.m. With a morning packed with the latest from senior agency and brand marketers on the seismic shifts reshaping brand strategies across the Middle East, the event promises top learnings from the industry. Hear from top brand marketers at Porsche Middle East, Hilton, Colgate and more on critically important subject matters such as navigating the region's fragmented media landscape, balancing creative ambition, business objectives, and community-driven demand for relevance and incorporating new technologies to better understand consumer segments. Your tickets to the Campaign Breakfast Briefing: Marketing Strategies 2025 also includes high-quality networking and insight-sharing – with unlimited coffee and a breakfast spread generous enough to justify the event's name. Join us to sharpen your strategy, spark new conversations, and step confidently into marketing's next chapter. Don't miss out on the last event from Campaign for this quarter, and get your tickets now. Check out the following for a brief overview of the event agenda: 8:00am: Registration & Breakfast 9:00am: Welcome Address by Nadeem Quraishi, Publishing Director, Campaign Middle East 9:05am: Chair's Opening Remarks by Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East 9:15am: Keynote presentation: Marketing's great reset: How 2025 will redefine consumer loyalty forever This keynote explores how loyalty is being reshaped by values, community, and new definitions of trust. How can brands build lasting relationships in a time of constant change? What will loyalty even look like in five years? Expect bold ideas, real-world examples and a new blueprint for marketers who want to stay ahead — and stay chosen. 9:30am: Panel 1: Investments and insights: What are marketers prioritising in the Middle East – and how agencies must respond? This panel will explore how brands and agencies can invest into the right insights and tools to create culturally resonant and impactful marketing strategies, setting new standards for success in the region. 10:00am: Panel 2: Fragmented media landscape: A boon or a bane for marketing in the Middle East? This panel will view both sides of the coin and dissect the viewpoints of respected stakeholders within the media and marketing market. 10:30am: Panel 3: Balancing creative ambition, business objectives, and community-driven demand for relevance This panel will explore the delicate balance between creative ambition, strategic business objectives, and the critical demand for cultural authenticity, offering insights into how brands can successfully navigate this complex landscape. 11:00am: Closing comments by Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East 11:05am: Networking session
Campaign ME
30-04-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Campaign Breakfast Briefing: Marketing Strategies 2025
The rules of engagement are changing. At the Campaign Breakfast Briefing: Marketing Strategies 2025, we'll unpack the seismic shifts reshaping brand strategies across the Middle East — from smarter investments and deeper human insights, to AI-enhanced personalisation and culturally resonant storytelling. Through a series of panels, industry leaders will tackle marketing's most pressing questions: how to harmonise creative ambition with business goals and community expectations; how to build loyalty in an era of algorithmic influence and audience fatigue; and how to make sense of a media landscape that's never been more fragmented. We'll explore what it really takes to create standout campaigns that do more than win awards — they win hearts, minds, and long-term value. Join us to sharpen your strategy, spark new conversations, and step confidently into marketing's next chapter. Click on the button below to register your interest now! See you at the event! When: 29/05/2025 8:00 AM Where: Grand Plaza Movenpick, Media City (location map) THE AGENDA 8:00am: Registration & Breakfast 9:00am: Welcome Address by Nadeem Quraishi, Publishing Director, Campaign Middle East 9:05am: Chair's Opening Remarks by Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East 9:15am: Keynote presentation: Marketing's great reset: How 2025 will redefine consumer loyalty forever Consumer loyalty is shifting fast — and 2025 will be a tipping point. In an age of endless choice, algorithmic influence and economic uncertainty, old rules no longer apply. This keynote explores how loyalty is being reshaped by values, community, and new definitions of trust. How can brands build lasting relationships in a time of constant change? What will loyalty even look like in five years? Expect bold ideas, real-world examples and a new blueprint for marketers who want to stay ahead — and stay chosen. 9:30am: Panel 1: Investments and insights: What are marketers prioritising in the Middle East – and how agencies must respond? As the Middle East evolves into a dynamic hub for innovation and consumer engagement, top brands are re-evaluating their marketing investment priorities, emphasising advanced data analytics, AI-driven personalisation and culturally resonant storytelling. Agencies must evolve, employing cutting-edge technologies and deep market insights to align with these shifts. This panel will explore how brands and agencies can invest into the right insights and tools to create culturally resonant and impactful marketing strategies, setting new standards for success in the region. 10:00am: Panel 2: Pitch and the project: Balancing creative ambition, business objectives, and community-driven demand for relevance In an era where creativity must intertwine seamlessly with business goals and cultural relevance, the challenge for brands in the Middle East is clear: how to craft pitches and projects that not only inspire but also drive tangible results and resonate deeply with diverse communities. This panel will explore the delicate balance between creative ambition, strategic business objectives, and the critical demand for cultural authenticity, offering insights into how brands can successfully navigate this complex landscape. 10:30am: Panel 3: Fragmented media landscape: A boon or a bane for marketing in the Middle East? The media landscape is growing increasingly fragmented. While some marketers say that we have moved from sledgehammers to surgical instruments within media that offer precision in targeting, timing and tasteful messaging, others say that the varied choice and the abundance of media formats, channels and platforms is causing constant headaches for media planners. This panel will view both sides of the coin and dissect the viewpoints of respected stakeholders within the media and marketing market. 11:00am: Closing comments by Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East 11:05am: Networking session For sponsorship opportunities and for event tickets details, please email Tarun Gangwani at [email protected] or call 052 1466150
Campaign ME
11-04-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Campaign Talent & Tech event addresses critical industry concerns
Campaign Middle East's stellar second event of the year, Campaign Breakfast Briefing: Talent and Technology 2025 witnessed a room full of industry experts – including client-side marketers, and agency and adtech leaders (photo gallery linked) – gather at The Metropolitan Hotel in Dubai Media City on Friday, 11 April 2025, to address critical concerns within the industry. Apart from addressing very real challenges, including consumers experiencing ad fatigue; leaders trying to break siloes that exist between marketing, sales, product and finance; marketers embracing more sophisticated approaches to data analytics that go beyond these vanity metrics; the event also shed light on two key themes: the evolving role of artificial intelligence and emotional intelligence within marketing. Discussions delved into how modern multi-touch attribution and marketing mix modelling solutions provide a comprehensive view, allowing us to give credit where it is due and tap into deeper metrics that offer real value. Leaders also spoke about the need to embed advertising in relevant contexts, personalise it to people who would benefit from that advertising, offer it to people in a meaningful manner, and place it in places where people are actually engaging with it organically. Leaders also discussed the growing need to prioritise empathy, positive attitudes, agility, flexibility and address cultural and skills challenges within the current workforce, which is seeing technologies outpace capabilities in an era where dependencies on AI are as normal as dependencies on electricity and the Internet. The event organised by Motivate Media Group's Campaign Middle East, was held in partnership with EternityX, Fusion5 and Seedtag. Welcome speech The event began with a welcome speech by Nadeem Quraishi, Publisher, Campaign Middle East, who briefed the attendees about the brand's latest developments. He introduced the latest print edition: Campaign Middle East's Faces to Watch 2025, and briefed attendees about Campaign's Editorial and Events calendar for 2025, which includes four breakfast briefings events, new industry roundtables, as well as the highly anticipated Annual Agency of the Year Awards in December. Chair's opening remarks Campaign Middle East Editor Anup Oommen then took the stage to deliver the chair's opening remarks, setting the scene for what turned out to be an incredible event filled with actionable insights and interesting takeaways. Oommen explained how the industry is moving past B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) messaging, narratives and storytelling approaches and is increasingly focusing on AI to AI connections in the form of agentic AI, as well as about H2H (human-to-human) connections – in short, the ability to connect with cohorts of hyper-local communities and individuals – based on deep insights that we now have about each individual's behavioural patterns, preferences and purchase intent. He called out the parallels between the advancement of artificial intelligence and the rising focus of emotional intelligence within the brand and marketing landscape. He also warned of a subtle and unseen shift from a digital-first world driven by a scarcity in time and attention to an AI-first future driven by a scarcity in trust, transparency and empathy. Oommen raised some critical questions about the distribution of weighted credit, gaps in the implementation of contextual advertising, skills gaps within the industry, recruitment and retention strategies, as well as the need to move from vanity metrics to deeper brand metrics that result in meaningful brand and business outcomes. Keynote speech To begin proceedings, Deric Wong, Chief Business Officer, EternityX, took delegates on a journey beyond borders, delving into ways Middle East marketers can capture Chinese opportunities by driving growth with cultural intelligence intelligence and innovation. During this keynote Wong shared a deep dive into a largely untapped consumer segment, which accounts for a third of the world's luxury market, and their behavioural patterns – showcasing how brands can connect meaningfully with 1.4 billion micro-segments within the global Chinese consumer segment. Through numerous videos and interesting examples, Wong showcased how Chinese consumers are searching and looking for experiences in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the rest of the region, but shared how brands in the MENA region remain largely invisible of content platforms. 'MENA brands or cultural narratives are still unknown to the Chinese consumers. MENA brands are not active on platforms such as WeChat, Baidu, Douyin, Mafengwo, Xiaohongshu and Bilibili, where these consumers spend a majority of their time. These are people who want to spend money in the Middle East. Investors are knocking – but the welcome mat has not been rolled out,' Wong said. He went on to explain exactly what Chinese consumers want, how brands can resonate culturally and emotionally with these consumers, and offered examples of brand authenticity and safety come under fire when brands get their marketing wrong. Wong shared access to EternityX's Global Knowledge Hub after this deep dive into personalisation, cultural fluency, storytelling and the tech ease that Chinese consumers demand. Panel 1: Harnessing advanced analytics and multi-touch attribution to maximise marketing ROI The first panel discussion of the day witnessed multiple advertisers and industry leaders taking the stage, including: Alka Winter , Vice President ‑ Destination Marketing and Communications, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) Vice President ‑ Destination Marketing and Communications, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority Tina Chikhani Nader, Head of Digital Marketing, Media and Ecommerce, Unilever Head of Digital Marketing, Media and Ecommerce, Sourav Dey, Vice President of Growth for Wego Vice President of Growth for Matt Nelson, Senior Director – Marketing Performance, Miral Destinations The panel, moderated by Natale Panella, Head of Digital, Fusion5, discussed the fundamentals of audience-centric campaigns and the need to leverage data analytics and the right performance metrics to deliver tangible business growth. The panel discussed ways to optimise campaigns and budgets, reduce waste, and deliver customised, efficient solutions tailored to each brand's unique goals. Panelists also discussed going beyond vanity metrics and implementing modern alternatives to last-click attribution that enables the distribution of weighted credit and tracking of real-time consumer engagement. Unilever's Tina Chikhani Nader said, 'Today, marketers' biggest struggle is: how can we make our brands be an organic part of the community seamlessly without it coming across as advertising, while solving a problem or bridging a gap for the relevant consumers that need us.' She added, 'We've utilised our social listening data from the platforms themselves to target very specific people with very relevant and specific, personalised messaging based on their scrolling habits and their consumption preferences. We've seen the benefits of telling them what to unfollow and what to follow in order for them to have better experiences and more positive voices around them rather than negative ones, and we couldn't have done this without combining our expertise with the data that the platforms provide.' RAKTDA's Alka Winter explained that the 'nice, clean flow' through the marketing funnel from awareness to consideration to purchase doesn't exist in its traditional form anymore because there are so many different touchpoints to take into consideration. She said, 'With our media strategy team, we're constantly looking at that and at ways to optimise constantly, using AI, because we have so many different audiences and segments of people who need different things – and the content we create must speak to each of them.' Wego's Sourav Dey added, 'We need to define what we're trying to do and what we're looking for. We know everyone loves to talk about engagements, but there are times we need to talk about click throughs and then dive deeper into metrics that matter. Based on the objectives of each campaign, we need to go beyond vanity metrics to assess the success in ways that matter.' Miral's Matt Nelson summed it up, saying, 'Ultimately, going beyond vanity metrics means that measuring success is not going to be about a single number on a page anymore. It's about a set of indicators that constantly guide what we're doing. It's not about one measurement framework, but about different ones working together. It's going to be more of a weather report than a report card.' Panel 2: Contextual advertising: Making marketing meaningful The second panel, conducted in partnership with Seedtag, and moderated by Nader Bitar, Director of Digital Solutions, SRMG, welcomed to the stage, Hussain Al-Nabi, Executive Director – Marketing & Digital, Alat Executive Director – Marketing & Digital, Yasmine Al-Turk, Advanced DOOH & Digital Supply Lead at GroupM MENA Advanced DOOH & Digital Supply Lead at Sherry Mansour, Managing Director – MENA, Seedtag, and Managing Director – MENA, Abdelnabi Alaeddine, Regional Director – Digital & Partnership, UM MENAT Panelists discuss how brands can foster more meaningful interactions, enhance brand perception, and drive higher conversion rates without the need for intrusive data practices by aligning advertising content with the context of what users are actively engaging with. Unlike traditional ad targeting methods that rely heavily on user data, contextual advertising places ads based on the content of the webpage the user is viewing. This approach enhances user experience by ensuring that ads are relevant to the immediate interests of the audience, thereby increasing engagement and reducing ad fatigue. Seedtag's Sherry Mansour set the tone saying, 'Contextual advertising is right and it's here to stay. We need to not only focus on the brand's narrative but also need to understand the consumer's mindset and tap into what people are interested in at a given moment of time, at a specific minute – that's what is important. Looking at the context, powered by AI, and looking at how we analyse and understand the context of where and how the ad is being served – this is what ensures brand safety and suitability. Also, the creative itself plays a huge part in this conversation, which we should focus on alongside the technology.' GroupM MENA's Yasmine Al-Turk said, 'A lot of people are trying a one-size-fits-all approach, which isn't right. It's really about finding what is suitable and safe for each brand. What are the brand's values? What audiences are they looking to reach and how? What perception of they want to maintain and how can we suppport them with this?' Alat's Hussain Al-Nabi built on this concept stating that while data is very important, marketers need to also focus on ensuring that values that resonate with relevant audiences. He explained, 'Brand values really need to be on point and placed on the right platform in the right way in a manner that speaks to Gen Z audiences, whose trust can be gained and lost very quickly if marketers are not on point or are tone deaf to their values and expectations.' UM MENAT's Abdelnabi Alaeddine concluded, 'A brand has to set its own benchmarks; it's not the platform that should set the benchmarks. While every platform must have its exclusion lists – all of which are necessary for brand-safe content – at the end of the day, each brand must set its own benchmarks rather than have a platform or a tech player or even another brand set a benchmark.' Panel 3: Shaping talent and teams in a tech-leaning landscape The third and final panel of the day explored how the industry needs to upskill its current talent pool, ensure succession planning, improve company culture and create avenues for upskilling and training to meet the needs of the market. The panel, moderated by Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East, welcomed on stage three client-side marketers, including, Mariam Farag , VP – Corporate Communications at DAMAC , VP – Corporate Communications at Ashfaq Bandey , Executive Vice President and Global Head of Talent Acquisition, Mashreq , Executive Vice President and Global Head of Talent Acquisition, Wassim Derbi, Head of Marketing, Communication & Training, Hyundai UAE Ahmed El Gamal, Senior Director – Marketing Discussing ways to overcome difficulties in attracting and recruiting the right talent, Mashreq's Ashfaq Bandey began the conversation, saying: 'It starts with creating a nourishing a culture that adapts quickly to change and focuses meaningfully on values, diversity, inclusion, and anticipates future needs. This requires a paradigm shift from the traditional role-based hiring to capabilities or skills-based acquisition. This means looking far beyond educational qualifications to the skill sets that allow for continuous learning and adaptability in a market that is constantly evolving.' DAMAC's Mariam Farag added, 'We need to hire based on the right attitude, agility and flexibility rather than inflated CVs or skills on paper. This includes an attitude to learn, the attitude to solve problems and come up with solutions, the ability to manage crisis, plan proactively and think critically. This is what differentiates people with similar technical skill sets. At the end of the day, it's not only about what you've achieved in the past and what's on a piece of paper.' Building on this discussion, Hyundai UAE's Wassim Derbi said, 'Open any job posting today, there's always that very disturbing statement of a minimum requirement of five to 10 years industry experience. This needs to change because marketers can be trained. Also, we're misusing the word 'talent'. There are two types of people: one is a group of people who decided to develop and work on a skill set, and then others who decide that they have it and never work on it.' He explained that people can't claim to be social media expert, if they're not passionate about it from a personal perspective and active on it. Ahmed El Gamal added, 'I think upskilling at speed in this day and age is inevitable. But the culture of the organisation needs to support learning fast and failing fast. If you're not allowing people to test and learn, I think that is where there is a bit of gap, a bit of a flaw, because you're expecting them to be far ahead, but you're holding them back. It's important to focus on transferable skills and enable micro learning within organisations so that people on our teams are learning as they are working, and thus growing in their roles and capabilities constantly – at the same speed that technology is growing and evolving.' All in all, the panelists at the Campaign Breakfast Briefing: Talent and Technology event concluded that the industry needs a greater focus on: Artificial intelligence and emotional intelligence in equal parts Psychology and technology in equal parts Metrics and meaning in equal parts Context and creativity in equal parts Building a brand while meeting sales objectives Hussain Al-Nabi, Executive Director – Marketing & Digital, Alat, concluded. 'We need to bring back the magic to the industry.' After the keynotes and panels at the Campaign Breakfast Briefing event, delegates stayed back for a time of networking. For those of you who were unable to attend this stellar gathering of like-minded leaders shaping the top trends and addressing the top challenges in the industry, keep an eye out for the YouTube video of the entire event. Mark you calendars. Campaign Middle East's next event, Saudi Breakfast Briefing: Strategy & Technology will be held on 15 May 2025 at the Sheraton Riyadh Hotel & Towers in Riyadh.
Campaign ME
09-04-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Campaign Saudi Briefing 2025: Strategy and Technology
Campaign Middle East will be hosting its annual Campaign Saudi Briefing: Strategy and Technology, gathering key stakeholders across governmental entities, brands and agencies for a morning of networking and in-depth discussions at Sheraton Riyadh Hotel and Towers in Riyadh on 15 May 2025. Join us for an insightful event focused on the changing landscape of Saudi Arabia's brand and marketing industry. With the nation's burgeoning cultural and entertainment scene attracting significant investment, businesses are increasingly focusing on experiential marketing to craft memorable campaigns that resonate deeply with audiences. These strategies signify a pivotal shift from traditional marketing approaches to those that prioritise dynamic, digital engagement and influencer partnerships, reshaping media buying and consumer interaction. The anticipated FIFA World Cup 2035 and the Esports Olympics also positions Saudi Arabia as a forthcoming titan in sports marketing, and esports and gaming realm, presenting unique opportunities and challenges for brands aiming to engage local and global audiences. As Saudi Arabia's economy thrives and disposable incomes increase, the demand that PIF-led gigaprojects, including The Red Sea Project, Diriyah, NEOM, and ROSHN, have witnessed is considerable. This boom necessitates innovative marketing strategies for B2B markets and opens avenues for technology-driven advancements in CRM and data analytics. Furthermore, the proliferation of internet and social media usage in Saudi Arabia underscores the critical role of digital marketing services tailored to local cultural nuances. As nearly the entire population accesses the internet and engages with social platforms, there is an increasing demand for Arabic-language content, performance evaluation through data analytics, and hyper-personalised consumer experiences. Marketers who have the tools to exploit digital transformations effectively, must also focus on personalisation aligned with ethical data practices and Saudi Arabia's Personal Data Protection Law. Discussions would address the balance between technological innovation and cultural sensitivity, a necessary equilibrium for successful campaign development in the Kingdom's rapidly evolving digital landscape. When: 15/05/2025 9:00 am Where: Sheraton Riyadh Hotel and Towers (location map) THE AGENDA 09:00am: Registration & Breakfast 10:00am: Welcome Address by Nadeem Quraishi, Publisher, Campaign Middle East 10:05am: Chair's Opening Remarks by Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East 10:15am: Keynote presentation 10:30am: Panel 11:00am: Panel 11:30am: Networking power break 12:00pm: Fireside chat 12:20pm: Panel 12:50pm: Closing comments by Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East 1:00pm: Lunch and networking For sponsorship opportunities and for event tickets details, please email Tarun Gangwani at [email protected] or call 052 1466150
Campaign ME
18-02-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Localisation: From preaching to living for Ramadan and beyond
On February 7, Campaign Middle East hosted our Breakfast Briefing: Ramadan Advertising and the Year Ahead for Media & Marketing 2025 featuring three engaging panels. The event organised by Motivate Media Group's Campaign Middle East, was held in partnership with Criteo, MBC Media Solutions and Snap Inc. The first panel was an insightful discussion that focused on how brands can approach Ramadan marketing, emphasising the importance of localisation and authenticity. It was moderated by Anup Oommen, Editor of Campaign Middle East, in partnership with MBC Media Solutions. It included speakers: Ana Elisa Seixas , Head of Marketing at New Balance Middle East, Africa & India; , Head of Marketing at Middle East, Africa & India; Hicham Fakhoury, Content Solutions Lead at MBC Media Solutions ; Content Solutions Lead at ; Mahmoud Maghraby, Media Director for MEA and Global Emerging Markets at Mars Middle East & Africa; Media Director for MEA and Global Emerging Markets at Middle East & Africa; Suad Merchant, Head of Brand & Corporate Communications at Mashreq. The panellists discussed the need for brands to fully embrace local cultures and values in their marketing strategies and what it means to be 'local' in the narration of a campaign before creating and selling it to consumers. Localisation, a thumb-stopping solution? Localisation is no longer an optional strategy but an integral part of marketing efforts. The panellists emphasised that effective localisation starts from within, ensuring that brands craft messages that genuinely resonate with their audiences. Fakhoury stressed this point by saying, 'I don't think localisation is a buzzword anymore. It should be a necessity. Otherwise, viewers will tune out from whatever they engage with and they will diffuse your message as a plan or as content that I'll switch off. It's not entertaining.' He highlights how marketing is all about shifting behaviours, with a lot of the initial steps of finding out what works for brands. 'The first step within our content. Does it fit? Are we talking to the right people? Will they be moved by what we are narrating to them? I mean, at the end of the day, we are in shifting behaviour,' If I'm selling you a product, whether entertaining you with comedy then I am aiming to shift your feelings. I need to shift your purchasing behaviour. This is why brands need to be truthful and need to resonate. I mean, if you reach audiences without resonating, you lose all the investment, time and the effort that you put.' Adding to the conversation, Maghraby adds that localisation cannot have a one-size-fits-all approach. 'While there are certain insights and best practices that are relevant across borders, the way we bring that to life matters. It needs to be meaningful and relevant for Saudis, as much as it is for people in the UAE, Brazil, or India, especially in a world where people are more than happy to skip an ad.' He noted that speaking the language of the market leads to higher engagement, stronger brand loyalty, and improved sales. In a crowded space, true localisation is what makes an ad 'thumb-stopping'. Seixas noted how there is a growing demand for content that feels real, relevant, and reflective of local experiences rather than generic messaging that lacks cultural depth. With that said, while localisation is crucial, the panellists cautioned against reducing it to mere Arabisation or superficial cultural cues. Localisation is not Arabisation The panellists agreed that today's consumers are looking for deeper connections with brands, rather than superficial nods to Ramadan. They warned against surface-level marketing tactics that rely on predictable symbols like the crescent moon and lanterns without a deeper narrative. Merchant underscored this point, 'Localisation is not really about Arabisation or using supposedly local images. Marketers must learn to dig deeper, and do their research about the people in the region, about traditions, and about culture – and this is not just for a one-off campaign but should be a critical part of the long-term brand-building process. That's how you connect with the emotions of key audiences, therefore creating consideration, loyalty and advocacy.' Seixas echoed this concern, noting that representation in advertising is still falling short: 'Over the last 20 years, I've seen many things change within marketing, but we're still not getting this concept of localisation right. We still have so-called Emiratis being portrayed in ads who are not Emirati, and any local Emirati can immediately identify that – which means that you've lost your local audience within seconds. We do need to do better.' Stories coming from their own backyard Authenticity was a recurring theme throughout the discussion. The speakers encouraged brands to shift their focus from messaging at audiences to fostering compelling stories that resonate with their audience. Maghraby emphasises the role of creators in this landscape, 'Creators play a huge role in localisation.' User-generated content is synonymous with localisation, and all brands need to be part of this to remain relevant. Seixas comments how creators already have the forum, they have a connection, engagement and a trusted community with their followers, and so to partner with them to deliver brand messages in a relevant meaningful way supports localisation efforts. Fakhoury noted how digital platforms like TikTok and Instagram are powerful opportunities for brands to build real connections. 'People don't want to be talked at; they want to be part of the conversation,' he explained, highlighting the power of user-generated content and influencer collaborations. Merchant brought attention to the balance between tradition and innovation in Ramadan campaigns. While heritage and cultural values remain central to the season, she noted that brands need to evolve with changing consumer behaviours. She cited examples of brands that successfully merged nostalgia with modern technology, such as AI-driven content that revived classic Ramadan moments. Ramadan marketing: 'I shouldn't be saying this' A significant discussion point was the power of purpose-driven marketing. The panel also touched on the immersive nature of Ramadan as a marketing moment. Fakhoury described it as a time when audiences are highly engaged. 'Ramadan is the biggest stage that content producers and brands have the opportunity to reach, a huge number of people that are connected through religion and culture and traditions,' It brings people together—whether around the TV, a campfire, or the dinner table. 'If you sit around campfires, directly our communication shifts to storytelling.' That's why storytelling is so powerful during this season. People expect narratives that reflect their culture, their emotions, and their lived experiences. The speakers shared examples of successful Ramadan campaigns that reinforced that Ramadan is a time of giving and that brands that embrace this philosophy can build stronger emotional connections with their audiences. Seixas and Hisham spilled confidential details about their Ramadan marketing plans, saying, 'I shouldn't be saying this,' and 'I hope we haven't signed an NDA.' They then went on to share their secrets. Catch the full moment at 54:50 in the full video. Final takeaways: Marketing that resonates As the panel wrapped up, the speakers encouraged marketers to go beyond surface-level messaging and truly understand their audience. They emphasised that success in Ramadan marketing comes from authenticity, creativity, and a deep cultural connection. The discussion provided valuable insights for brands looking to engage audiences during the holy month, reinforcing that meaningful storytelling and purpose-driven campaigns are key to standing out.
