In short, no. It’s actually the perfect time to begin planning for Ramadan, MENA’s biggest ad season of the year, which begins in April 2020. Starting early will give marketers necessary time to generate insights to deeply understand your audience, develop creatives that appeal specifically to them, then put together an attribution and measurement plan.
In fact, our research has shown that MENA consumers begin to research for big moments early. We’ve seen this with Back to School, with consumers searching for up to 3 months before the academic year begins. Meanwhile, searches for Black Friday, MENA’s single largest online shopping moment of the year, happen at least 6 weeks before the day in late November and linger well into the holiday season. The key takeaway? In order not to miss an opportunity to connect with consumers, it’s important to start early. The idea is that consumers plan early and so should you.
We completed a survey that showed that 41% of people in the UAE increase spending during Ramadan. This is a great time to connect with consumers to meet their needs in a cluttered ad season.
To help you prepare, check out our 4 step Ramadan campaign guide with tips at each stage of the planning process. Stay tuned for a new, in-depth Ramadan 2020 series coming up next!
