Ramadan is a time to come together.

To pray, talk and celebrate with our friends and

families. In public spaces, our homes and now,
more than ever, on Facebook and Instagram too.

It’s where we come to share our Ramadan

experiences. Where communities flourish around
common passions and goals. Where more of us
connect than on any other platform or place.

And for us as marketers, all this means more

opportunity. It’s where we can create meaningful
connections with a massive audience of
customers. It’s where we turn inspiration into
action. Where we turn business objectives into
business success.

Facebook and Instagram.

 CONTENTS

4 THE RAMADAN AUDIENCE

7 S H O P P I N G AT R A M A D A N

8 RAMADAN BRAND CAMPAIGNS

11 PERFORMANCE CAMPAIGNS

14 CONNECTING ACROSS BORDERS

15 C R E AT I V E S T R AT E G I E S

19 MEASUREMENT

23 FACEBOOK PARTNERS
CONNECTIONS
S TA RT
HERE
THE RAMADAN AUDIENCE
ON FACEBOOK AND
I N S TA G R A M

Across the Middle East and Africa, people

233M 130M
come to Facebook – using their mobile
devices – to connect with friends, family
and their communities.
PEOPLE USE FACEBOOK ON PEOPLE USE FACEBOOK
In the Middle East and Africa: MOBILE EVERY MONTH 1
O N M O B I L E E V E RY DAY 1

86%
OF PEOPLE ON FACEBOOK
And for the majority of these people, IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Ramadan is a deeply significant occasion. C E L E B R AT E R A M A D A N 1

1
F acebook internal data, Q1 2017
 3AM
SPIKE

200%

It makes sense then that we see people

spending more time than usual on
Facebook at this time of year. In 2016, for
100%
example, usage across the Middle East
increased by over 5% during Ramadan2.

When we look further, we find that a lot of

this extra usage is happening at night, with
the largest relative increase in time spent
at 3am3.

12am 1am 2am 3am 4am 5am

All this means brands have an extra 57.6m
hours to capture attention in the Middle
East during Ramadan4.

2
Facebook internal data, June-July 2016 (3450 minutes is the sum of 115 minutes incremental time
spent per day multiplied by 30 days of Ramadan)
3
Facebook internal data, June-July 2015 (accessed January 2016) showing hourly Ramadan usage
indexed against non-Ramadan average
4
Facebook internal data, June-July 2016 ((57.6 million hours is the sum of 1.92 million hours
incremental time spent per day in the Middle East multiplied by 30 days of Ramadan)
This time isn’t limited to a single month. On
Facebook the Ramadan conversation lasts for nine
weeks, and can be split into three distinct phases5.
APRIL

PHASE 1
4 weeks in advance
Discovery and inspiration
M AY

PHASE 2
3-4 weeks JUNE
Mobile engagement

PHASE 3
Final week
Eid and last-minute gifting

Throughout this time period we’re seeing audiences

become increasingly fragmented across channels
and devices, but Facebook is the consistent thread
that connects people’s behaviour.

5
F acebook internal data, April-June 2015 (accessed January 2016)
OPPORTUNITY
CALLS
S H O P P I N G AT R A M A D A N

While Ramadan is a time for community,

56% 89%
family and self-reflection, it’s also an OF PEOPLE IN THE UAE S AY R EG U L A R H O U S E H O L D
important retail opportunity for brands. SPEND MORE MONEY DURING I T E M S A R E A N A R E A T H AT
Whether it’s stocking up on food for an RAMADAN COMPARED TO THE WILL INCREASE6
Eid feast, treating loved ones or buying REST OF THE YEAR6
a new outfit, people continue spending

70% 69%
throughout the whole Ramadan occasion.

O F P EO P L E I N T H E UA E S AY O F P EO P L E I N KS A S AY
T H E Y R E LY O N F A C E B O O K T H E Y R E LY O N I N S TA G R A M
FOR GIFT IDEAS 7
FOR GIFT IDEAS7

45% 17%
OF PEOPLE IN THE UAE BUY O F P U RC H A S E R S A R E LOYA L
PACK AGED GOODS FROM TO A SINGLE BRAND6
WHICHEVER BRANDS H AVE
THE BEST OFFER6

6
YouGov, Ramadan Consumer Behaviours & Habits, UAE & KSA 2016
7
G
 fK Ramadan Study (commissioned by Facebook), Q4 2015
BUILDING A BRAND
CONNECTION
RAMADAN BRAND CAMPAIGNS 71%
IN UAE
Facebook and Instagram are vital platforms to connect
with audiences at scale, with 15.7m people logging into
Facebook every day on a mobile device in the UAE and
Saudi Arabia alone8. But how do they support brand
objectives during Ramadan?

60%
IN KSA
AWARENES S

Watching television is among the most popular pastimes

during Ramadan, as families gather together to watch O F FAC E B O O K U S E R S S AY
specially commissioned shows. But the TV is no longer T H E Y ’ R E O N T H E P L AT F O R M
the only screen in today’s living room. W H I L E W AT C H I N G T V 9.

8
Facebook internal data, Q3 2017
9
GfK Ramadan Study (commissioned by Facebook), Q4 2015
 AD BRAND
RECALL AWARENES S

Consider using Facebook alongside TV

to deliver incremental reach for your

66% 42% Ramadan brand campaign, especially

among lighter TV audiences.

OF CAMPAIGNS STUDIED Our studies have shown that Facebook

D E L I V E R E D S TAT I S T I C A L LY can effectively drive awareness objectives
SIGNIFICANT LIFT during Ramadan. We recently conducted a
brand lift study on 21 Facebook Ramadan
campaigns, spanning 4 countries in the

9% 8% Middle East and North Africa10.

The majority of campaigns drove a

AVERAGE LIF T ACROS S
statistically significant lift in ad recall, while
C A M P A I G N S W I T H S TAT I S T I C A L LY
a third performed above the 2017 MENA
SIGNIFICANT LIFT
average. Brand awareness lift was equally
impressive, with close to half the Facebook
campaigns driving strong lift and a quarter

33% 25% performing above the 2017 MENA average.

OF STUDIES PERFORMED ABOVE

THE 2017 MEN A AVERAGE

10
Facebook internal data, 2017 (Meta-analysis of 21 campaigns launched
between 15th May – 28th June, covering CPG, telco, eComm, travel and luxury)
VIDEO PRODUCTS
FOR RAMADAN BRAND
CAMPAIGNS

Facebook and Instagram have a full suite of

video products to support brand campaigns.

VERTICAL VIDEO
Take advantage of the full screen
experience with 2:3 or 4:5 aspect ratios

CAROUSEL
Use multiple videos in a single ad unit
for more complex storytelling

C ANVAS
Use video, Carousel, images and more in
this native mobile microsite experience

360
Make heads spin with this immersive
video experience

STORIES
Instagram’s fast-growing
video experience is the perfect
creative playground
BEING
DIRECT
RAMADAN PERFORMANCE
CAMPAIGNS

Mobile has changed the game for

performance marketing. Smart brands no
longer wait to act on intent signals; they
create them. Facebook and Instagram help
brands discover new avenues of growth
by connecting products to people before
they’ve even started searching, and our
friction-free, end-to-end solutions are
designed to drive action online and in stores.
Invest in acquiring new customers in ways
search can’t by reaching people earlier in their
purchase journey, rather than waiting for them
to come to you at the end. There are now more
than 1 billion impressions per day of catalogue-
based ads across the Facebook family12, while
our machine learning systems are making it
easier to accurately and predictably pair the
right products to the right people to generate
demand.

The great news is you most likely have a head

start in acquiring these new customers. Simply
use your best current customers to find new
ones throughout the region using multi-country
Lookalike Audiences.

12
Facebook Internal data, Q3 2017
AD PRODUCTS FOR
PERFORMANCE CAMPAIGNS

Achieve your Ramadan objectives with our

suite of performance products.

COLLECTION
Showcases multiple images from your
catalogue in a format that’s specifically
designed to look great on mobile

DYNAMIC ADS
Reinvents retargeting by automatically
reaching people who have taken actions
on your website with relevant creative

LEAD ADS
A simpler, faster process for filling out
forms on mobile

LINK ADS
A better way to capture high-intent clicks
BROADER
HORIZONS
CONNECTING
ACROSS BORDERS
Getting your Ramadan message to the right
audience – even across borders – is now easier
than ever, with a range of targeting and language
solutions that include:

REGIONAL AND
M U LT I - C I T Y T A R G E T I N G
Our system will deliver your ads to the best-value
customers for your objective and give you useful
insights into which ads work where.

M U LT I - C O U N T R Y L O O K A L I K E
AUDIENCES ADS
Use your existing best customers to find new
ones in other countries across the Middle East
and beyond.

DYNAMIC LANGUAGE
O P T I M I S AT I O N
Deliver your Ramadan campaign in the right
language, to the right person, at the right time.
C R E AT E T O
CONNECT
C R E AT I V E S T R AT E G I E S F O R
YOUR RAMADAN CAMPAIGN

Ramadan is the perfect time to tell stories that

move and inspire audiences. We’ve seen some
of the ad formats available on Facebook and
Instagram; now let’s look at how to make sure
they stand out in the Feed.
1
OPTIMISE FOR THE FEED

Shooting a Ramadan campaign for TV? We

recommend you also create specific assets
for mobile News Feed, following our four
creative recommendations.

CAPTURE
AT T E N T I O N Q U I C K LY
The best video ads cut to the chase and
aim to capture attention from the very
first second.

BUILD FOR SOUND OFF

(BUT DELIGHT WITH SOUND ON)
Make it easy for people to follow what
you want to say whether they’re listening
or just watching.

FRAME YOUR
VISUAL STORY
Shift your perspective on the small
screen by embracing vertical video and
getting creative with layouts.

P L AY M O R E
We’re still learning what works on mobile.
Now is the time to experiment.
2
GET INSPIRED
W I T H C R E AT I V E H U B

If you want to know what great creative looks like

on mobile, check out the gallery on Facebook’s
Creative Hub to start getting inspired. You can
also use the Hub to mock up your Facebook
and Instagram creative before sending it to your
phone to get a better understanding of how it will
look in Feed.
3
FIND YOUR VOICE
O N I N S TA G R A M

Over 800m people use Instagram every month

to express their creativity and connect with their
passions14. What’s more, over 2m businesses
worldwide now use Instagram to tell their stories
at the centre of visual discovery14. If you’re not
already one of them, now is the time to embrace
the power of the world’s most beautiful – and
effective – visual platform.
22%
FASHION

When it comes to Ramadan, Instagram is a place

of imagination, artistry and creative
power. Its creative nature makes it the perfect
place to inspire. Compared to Facebook,
Instagram sees a higher concentration of
22% 21%
TRAVEL H E A LT H / F I T N E S S
conversations around Iftar, desserts and recipe
ideas, as well as fashion, cars and home. While

12% 10%
Facebook shows Ramadan as it is; Instagram
shows the Ramadan that could be.

What’s being discussed during Ramadan?15 SHOPPING CARS

14
Instagram internal data, Q3 2017
15
Instagram internal data, June-July 2016 (accessed January 2017)
CONNECTIONS
T H AT C O U N T
RAMADAN CAMPAIGN
MEASUREMENT

Measuring success may sound like the last thing you

do, but it’s important to think about measurement
at an early stage of your Ramadan planning.

1
INVEST IN MOBILE
MEASUREMENT SOLUTIONS

If you’re running campaigns on mobile you need

to measure them accurately – otherwise all your
investment will be wasted. Cookies don’t work
on mobile, which is one reason why last-click
attribution undervalues the role of mobile in the
customer journey. Facebook’s solutions (and
those of our partners) measure real people across
all channels and devices to give you an accurate
picture of campaign performance.
2
A L I G N C R E AT I V E W I T H
MEASUREMENT OBJECTIVES
FOR BRAND CAMPAIGNS

If your creative isn’t aligned with your measurement

objectives then it could seriously impact the
perceived success of brand campaigns. For instance,
if you’re running a brand lift study on a video, make
sure your key line or brand image appears within the
first three seconds to ensure it has the best chance
of making an impact or being recalled.

3
IMPLEMENT THE FACEBOOK
PIXEL FOR PERFORMANCE
CAMPAIGNS

The Facebook Pixel is essential for tracking online

consumer journeys that start on Facebook or
Instagram. It also helps you build audiences for
your ad campaigns based on actions people take
on your website.
4
IMPLEMENT THE SDK AND
APP EVENTS FOR APP
I N S TA L L O R E N G A G E M E N T
CAMPAIGNS
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5
IMPLEMENT OFFLINE
CONVERSIONS API FOR
IN-STORE CAMPAIGNS

With offline conversion measurement on

Facebook and Instagram, you can track
when transactions occur in your physical
retail store and other offline channels after
people see or engage with your Facebook
ad. This will be essential for retailers
looking to drive food and drink purchases
during Ramadan.
6
GET FAMILIAR WITH
F A C E B O O K A N A LY T I C S

With the Pixel/SDK implemented you’ll

be able to use Facebook Analytics to dig </>
deeper into customer behaviour on your
site or app using conversion reporting.
Use this data to optimise campaigns and
fuel your Ramadan strategy.
BETTER
TOGETHER
CONNECT WITH A
FACEBOOK PARTNER

Facebook and Instagram are sophisticated

marketing platforms that provide solutions
against every stage of the consumer
journey. We also have an ecosystem of
partners who can bring even more value to
brands and agencies.

FACEBOOK MARKETING
PARTNERS

Facebook Marketing Partners (FMPs)

are certified partners building the next
generation of tools and services on our
platforms to help your business learn and
grow. FMPs can add new thinking and
greater scale to many businesses. Involve
them early to help set up the hard parts
of campaigns, and to inspire you with new
ideas and insights.
FACEBOOK AD
TECH PARTNERS

Facebook and Instagram now have

over 100 ad tech partners globally that
use next-level technology to fuel more
powerful campaigns. These partners
can provide more detailed reporting and
insights, integrate external data to create
more personalised ads, provide training
and management and build functionality
beyond Power Editor.

FACEBOOK
C R E AT I V E PA RT N E R S

While many FMPs are focused on ad

technology and integration, some
specialise in creative solutions, including
connecting you to a network of creative
professionals, customising videos at
scale and aggregating user-generated
content. These may be especially helpful
for performance campaigns that need to
produce a large volume of quality creative
assets.