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Campaign ME
26-03-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Publicist Inc. reveals Ramadan ad trends, audience insights, cultural conversations
Communications and publicity agency Publicist Inc. has released the second edition of its Ramadan Insights Report 2025: Decoding MENA's Entertainment Landscape, which offers an analysis of Ramadan entertainment and advertising, uncovering audience preferences, trending themes as well as cultural conversations that have captivated millions across the region. This report leverages data collected from February 20 to March 24, capturing the crucial pre-Ramadan anticipation and the initial engagement surge. Partnering with Mention Analytics, the report meticulously monitored conversations across traditional media, social platforms and streaming services to provide a comprehensive analysis of audience sentiment and engagement throughout the Ramadan period. 'The Publicist Inc. Ramadan Insights Report 2025 isn't just a trend analysis; it's a strategic intelligence tool,' said Mai Abaza, CEO, Publicist Inc. 'We've meticulously mapped the evolving Ramadan entertainment ecosystem, revealing shifts in audience behavior and content consumption. Our data-driven insights offer a clear competitive advantage to empower entertainment leaders to not only navigate the Ramadan season but to proactively shape its future, leveraging our real-time analysis to maximize impact and build lasting connections.' In terms of Ramadan advertising, the report revealed that brands embraced family-centric ads, amplifying themes of togetherness and nostalgia in an attempt to forge deep, emotional connections with audiences. During Ramadan, brands also leaned into several promotion strategies, including early bird offers pre-finale media moments, behind-the-scenes productions highlights, societal contributions, influencer integrations, partnerships and interviews, audience engagements and more. Key findings from the Publicist Inc. Ramadan report The report highlights the shifting power dynamics within the regional production landscape. Egypt maintains its lead, contributing 21 per cent of Ramadan content, but Saudi Arabia's rapid ascent, with nine major series filmed in Riyadh, signals a significant market evolution. Notably, Iraq's expansion, accounting for 14 per cent of productions, further underscores the diversification of content origins. The rise of the 15-episode format continues, with 57 per cent of series adopting this structure, up from 43 per cent last year, signaling a growing preference for concise, high-impact storytelling. Meanwhile, Gulf productions are experimenting with blends of social drama, thrillers, and comedy, catering to shifting audience preferences. Streaming services taking centre stage during Ramadan The report also highlights that streaming services are taking centre stage, with exclusive releases such as Al Sharnaqa on WATCHiT, Wohosh on Al Shasha, and Al Halangy on Viu driving digital engagement. Online discussions about the Egyptian series alone generated 72,000 mentions, reaching 18.6 billion impressions and 2.9 million interactions, reflecting the deep cultural impact of Ramadan content. Productions from the GCC garnered 32,000 mentions, showing significant online discussion reaching 5 billion impressions, and 660,900 interactions indicating wide digital conversation, visibility and active audience interaction. Entertainment crossovers have become a defining feature of Ramadan 2025, with musicians, stand-up comedians, and digital influencers making notable appearances in major productions. Social media stealing the spotlight In Saudi Arabia, Share' Al Asha saw strong TikTok integration with digital creators, while in Egypt, rapper Flex starred in Welad El Shams, and stand-up comedian Abdelrahman Mohamed took on a major role in El Nos. The season also witnessed major social media debates, with productions like Lam Shamsiya igniting discussions around child harassment Muawiyah facing religious objections, and Wohosh drawing legal action. 'This year, we've seen an evolution in Ramadan entertainment storytelling,' Abaza added. 'We've witnessed firsthand how compelling narratives, amplified by savvy digital strategies and impactful music, are the cornerstones of success in this fiercely competitive landscape.' 'Early, strategic publicity, the undeniable influence of social media, and the surge in short-form, digital-first content are no longer just trends; they're the new rules of engagement, and that's precisely what will shape the future of MENA's entertainment storytelling,' Abaza concluded.
Al-Ahram Weekly
19-03-2025
- Business
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Ramadan branding - Economy - Al-Ahram Weekly
'Ramadan in Egypt is something else' is one of the popular songs by UAE singer Hussein Al-Jassmi associated with the holy month of Ramadan. Listening to it one would imagine it was promoting tourism to Egypt, encouraging tourists from other Arab countries to experience Egypt's Ramadan traditions. Instead, it was the song that accompanied the television Ramadan advertisement of one of the four telecommunications companies. That was back in 2021 and even though the song has lingered, no one remembers the ad. Four years on, the same trend of advertising through catchy songs warm with feeling continues during the month of fasting. Even a public service advertisement promoting new simplified tax regulations targeted at small business has two young comedians singing a message encouraging businesses from dry cleaners and tailors to doctors and lawyers to present their books to the Ministry of Finance. Over the years, telecommunications companies, real estate developers and charity organisations have become the top three categories advertising heavily throughout the month, says professor of advertising Nagwa Al-Gazzar. 'It is their annual opportunity to remind viewers of the identity of their companies,' Al-Gazzar explained. Some of the ads are not promoting a specific product, she pointed out, but they are branding themselves. Real estate developers, especially newcomers to the market, also take the opportunity to present their projects and financing incentives, Al-Gazzar said, especially at a time when buying real estate has become prohibitively expensive. Ramadan is the ultimate primetime TV for advertising. Over 35 new TV series are airing this year throughout the month. A 30-second spot could cost over LE1 million depending on their placement. Millions of families coming together for the Iftar (dusk meal after fasting) often with friends, gather to watch the shows. They are a captive audience; advertisers' message is bound to reach them, says Fatma Halim, senior communications consultant at Egyptian public relations firm Publicist Inc. Even the younger generations who prefer to watch streaming services cannot escape the messages being aired around Iftar, Halim said. That is why companies invest heavily in Ramadan ads, often employing multiple celebrities, and paying millions of pounds for television airtime. They want to create what is called a 'top-of-mind awareness' so that their brand or product is the first to come to a consumer's mind when thinking of a particular industry or product category, she explained, adding however, that some fail to deliver a message about the product or brand, leaving viewers at odds despite having invested heavily in the production of the ad. The songs and dances associated with the advertisements have made them entertainment in themselves. At the outset of every Ramadan many people look forward to seeing what the ads look like and how brands have topped each other. 'Ramadan ads are prepared five months ahead and companies do their best to try to find out what the others are doing and how many celebrities they are using,' Al-Gazzar said. But why is it that songs dominate Ramadan ads? 'Advertisers are betting on what works' even if there is a risk that viewers might not remember the product, noted Halim. Even charity organisations have their jingles. 'They are all competing for the attention of donors,' said Al-Gazzar, explaining that Ramadan is often the time when Muslims pay their annual zakat al-mal which entails giving away a small percentage of one's wealth to the needy. While in the past, charity ads used to feature heart-wrenching but at times cringe-worthy cases, be they burn victims or cancer patients, seeking the sympathy of viewers, in recent years they have changed tactics, Halim said. Now their ads often feature celebrities singing and dancing happily with survivors. They must have changed their tactics based on market research, explained Halim, adding that the tragedies displayed in the past were putting off viewers. Another factor putting off viewers is the length of ads, often extending beyond the ideal length of 30 seconds. 'The advertising breaks are also exceptionally long,' said Al-Gazzar, 'and viewers forget what they were watching when the show resumes,' she noted, adding that some give up on continuing to watch and just leave. * A version of this article appears in print in the 20 March, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
