With over a decade of marketing expertise, Basel Hijazi currently leads Google's marketing efforts for Saudi Arabia and retail in the Middle East and North Africa. He's passionate about marketing and AI, and curious about how this technology might shape our lives and the future of marketing.
This year’s Ramadan content was a full-on feast, with popular videos racking up millions of views on YouTube, and creators playing a leading role in bringing them to life. No surprise there — after all, Ramadan is when the Middle East and North Africa’s (MENA) creative geniuses come out to play, delivering some of the year's best videos.
But beyond the usual content like daily routines, outfit inspiration, cooking videos, ads, and DIY Ramadan decorations, people were hungry for more. They wanted fun, engaging content that really captured the spirit of the holy month.
Ready to dig into some Ramadan highlights? We’ve rounded up the tastiest trends, the most memorable moments, and the creators who brought it all to life. We’ve also sprinkled in content tips to help your next Ramadan campaign become the talk of the town.
Offer a new take on timeless Ramadan traditions
We all know that dinner-table debates are usually a no-no. But during Ramadan, it's a whole different story — especially online.
Take MENA’s classic age-old debate over what to call my personal favourite Ramadan snack "sambusa" — which some of you might know as a “somusa”. YouTube creators Esraa Nabil and The Saudi Reporters spiced up the debate this year, going head-to-head in a “biggest sambusa” challenge that blew up online. Spoiler alert: Esraa’s giant sambusa took the crown with over 4 million views:
But that’s not all. The tradition of crafting and solving Ramadan riddles also had its moment in the spotlight, proving that this cherished custom is alive and well. BO3OMAR22 - ابوعمر was the riddle master, racking up to 1 million views with his series of engaging Arabic Ramadan riddle videos.
Marketing tip: Pay attention to what creators are doing during Ramadan
YouTube's Culture and Trends Manager for the Middle East and North Africa, Abdu Hussein, says creators are masters at adapting their content to capture timeless and traditional aspects of the holy month — and brands should take note.
“Look at popular Middle Eastern creator Saba Shamaa,” Hussein says. “She usually focuses her content on storytelling and experimentation, but during Ramadan she went all-in on food-related content — always a hit during the holy month.”
And Hussein notes that she ramped up her posting frequency too: “While she typically uploads one to two videos per month, during Ramadan she created seven videos to form a series.”
Create connection and conversation
You know what I love most about Ramadan? Coming together, sharing meals, and connecting with loved ones. Other people feel the same as they meet with people in-person and join a community online. And creators are more than happy to play host, sharing intimate iftar gatherings and after-iftar chats on YouTube to bring that Ramadan warmth to people’s screens.
But this year it wasn’t all just about laid-back catch-ups. We also saw some interesting discussions taking off, especially around the Egyptian series N'eama El Avoccato. The show tells the story of a married couple, N’eama, an experienced woman lawyer, and Salah, her husband who works in a small shop. Throughout the series, viewers witness Salah's facade gradually crumble, exposing his deep-seated jealousy and feelings of inadequacy in comparison to his accomplished wife. The popular series sparked thought-provoking discussions, with creators jumping on board to review, analyse and offer perspectives on some of the show's most popular videos:
Marketing tip: Build a community and get people talking
Hussein says there are a few ways brands can tap into people’s thirst for connection and engagement. “It’s all about fostering online communities and facilitating meaningful conversations around their content,” he explains.
“That might be through Q&A sessions with creators or celebrities on topics like spirituality, healthy eating, or giving back. Teaming up with creators for challenges and campaigns that get the whole community involved and encourage user-generated content (UGC) is also a great approach.”
Creators have a knack for crafting genuine Ramadan content that resonates with audiences. Brands can leverage their talent and creativity through partnership ads by Brand Connect. These allow advertisers to use organic creator videos as ads. Creator Takeovers, meanwhile, offer brands 100% share of voice for ads on top YouTube creators’ channels.
Invite AI to star in Ramadan content
AI was right in the thick of Ramadan content creation action this year. Middle Eastern creator HOPE Rima went head-to-head with AI in creative cooking challenges that she also published on Shorts.
She whipped up both her own and AI-generated Ramadan recipes, with the end results being judged by her and her friends. And, spoiler alert, the AI-generated recipe won.
And people weren’t just watching content featuring AI, they were also learning how to use it themselves. We saw loads of instructional AI videos popping up on how to use AI to make animated Ramadan-themed videos, greeting graphics, and imagery. This makes total sense since so many people send digital wishes during the holy month.
Top tip: Explore all of generative AI’s uses
While AI-powered cooking challenges and animated greetings were a hit this Ramadan, the potential of this technology extends far beyond — especially for marketers. Text-to-image and large language AI model Gemini can help whip up captivating Ramadan visuals in a snap, perfect for concept visualisation or those last-minute campaign launches.
Marketers also have the opportunity to take their Ramadan ads to the next level by using generative AI (GenAI) to add voice-overs to video, dub videos in a variety of languages, flip videos from horizontal to vertical, adjust the backgrounds of existing images, and produce creative variation for mass personalisation.
With Ramadan offering such incredible opportunities for creativity, I can’t wait to see what creators and marketers produce for the holy month next year.
