Tag: Ramadan

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – In conjunction with World Happiness Day last March 20, Munchy’s Cream-O has developed a campaign with Universal McCann (UM), the global media agency network of IPG Mediabrands, celebrating the occasion with joy. 

The Munchy’s Cream-O Happiness Box campaign, as part of the Munchy’s Cream-O Choco Happiness ONz Movement, aims to connect with individuals at Ramadan bazaars around the Klang Valley to plant seeds of happiness to all Malaysians.

Over the campaign period, Munchy’s Cream-O will be stationed at selected Ramadan bazaars, including the now iconic Stadium Shah Alam Bazaar that is a popular spot for Ramadan fare. 

Upon registration at the Munchy’s Cream-O booth, individuals have a unique opportunity to nominate a loved one to receive a special Happiness Box of Munchy’s Cream-O goodies, delivered through a special collaboration with foodpanda.

Talking about the campaign, Rina Low, managing director of UM Malaysia, said, “Ramadan is a time of shared bonds between family and friends. It is also a time to acknowledge the special connections in your life, to spread kindness, love and happiness. In coming up with the Happiness Box, we thought, what better symbol of happiness than chocolate, that instantly lifts the spirit.” 

“The campaign also elevates the happiness quotient by connecting with the selfless act of giving to another, rather than receiving, and we are incredibly happy to collaborate with foodpanda as a delivery partner,” she added.

Meanwhile, Karen Ong, senior marketing director at URMunchy’s, commented, “Munchy’s Cream-O is on a mission to plant the seed of happiness everywhere we go, so happiness can grow bigger and better. UM has found a creative way of translating this idea with purpose, and we are extremely excited for Munchy’s Cream-O to connect with Malaysians in this personalised way. 500 Munchy’s Cream-O Happiness Boxes will be delivered over a five-day period from today onwards and we hope this delivery of joy energises the mood of everyone this Ramadan.”

Singapore – The first two weeks of Ramadan recorded up to a 47% increase in retail sales across Southeast Asia, a report from Criteo revealed. 

Among the countries in the region, the report showed that Malaysia had seen the highest average increase in sales during Ramadan, with a 40% increase. Meanwhile, Indonesia and Singapore experienced a 30% and 16% increase, respectively. 

During the first half of Ramadan, Malaysia and Singapore experienced their highest sales on April 2, with a 103% and 46% increase, respectively, compared to February 15 to 28. In contrast, Indonesia had a consistent rise in sales throughout Ramadan. Indonesia stood out as the only country with a notable surge of 79% on April 4, a day with extra discounts. This was followed by another peak of a 74% increase on April 14, a week before Eid.

Compared to 2022 retail sales, SEA has experienced an 8% year-on-year (YoY) increase in 2023, with each country in the region displaying unique spending patterns. 

The report showed that Singapore saw the highest rise in YoY sales, with a 19% uptick across its retail transactions. Malaysia follows closely with a 17% observed increase in YoY sales, highlighting strong consumer spending power during the festive period.

On the other hand, Indonesia experienced a 5% decline in year-over-year (YoY) online sales during Ramadan, suggesting a different spending pattern in the region. 

When it comes to category sales, religious and ceremonial stood out as the top-performing product category, recording a 101% increase in sales during Ramadan as compared to the average for February 15–28, 2023. Other product categories that performed well during the season also included apparel and accessories (+30%), food and beverages (+23%), and health and beauty (+16%).

Additionally, online bookings for travel also saw a 21% YoY increase during Ramadan 2023. Three days prior to Eid, the online bookings experienced an increase of up to 16% compared to the average. This increase in sales can be attributed to people attending gatherings with family and friends for celebration. 

Interestingly, the report also showed that, on average, SEA consumers start browsing 14.6 days before purchasing a product during the first two weeks of Ramadan. Changes in patterns of online shopping were also observed during the month of Ramadan, especially in Indonesia and Malaysia. 

The average sales during Ramadan outperformed non-Ramadan periods in every time slot, showing that people were actively shopping during Ramadan compared to the previous 15 days.

During iftar, or the breaking of fast, Indonesian and Malaysian retailers saw a decrease in sales more than regular days, with the fall recorded during the time slots of 18:00–19:00 (Indonesia) and 19:00–20:00 (Malaysia).

Meanwhile, during sehri, or the pre-dawn meal hours, Indonesia from 04:00-05:00 and Malaysia from 05:00-06:00 both saw an increase in sales. 

During Ramadan, shopping was spread out more evenly during midday as people were fasting during lunchtime. However, the period from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. remained the busiest for shopping overall. In Malaysia and Indonesia, the lunchtime hours saw the highest sales activity during the day.

Singapore saw a slight increase in average sales during the 05:00–06:00 time slot. This coincided with sehri, suggesting a potential link between Ramadan practices and this buying behavior. It is important to note, however, that this trend is not observed on days outside of Ramadan.

Looking through the data from the 2023 Ramadan, Criteo’s report is also urging brands to leverage Ramadan 2024 to boost their consumer engagement. 

According to the report, marketers and retailers should opt for first-party data strategies that can readily activate data in scalable ways that benefit the consumer experience. Forward-thinking marketers and retailers will continue to fortify their data strategies to enable scalable, targeted, personalised advertising and experiences that benefit their consumers.

Marketers and retailers should also tap into a unified retail media platform. According to Criteo’s report, the majority of agencies (93%), brands (88%), and retailers (89%) stated that retail media significantly or positively affected their profits in 2023.

In fact, 79% of advertisers agreed retail media spend is more effective in terms of sales than any other channel. The data also illustrates how retail media has evolved beyond purely sponsored product ads. Overall, 85% of brands and agencies agreed that the ability of retail media to drive upper-funnel brand awareness is growing stronger, and 83% of publishers are looking to tap retail media ad spend by embedding products on their web pages, opening up more inventory opportunities for offsite campaigns. 

To grow, brands, agencies, and retailers need solutions that can bring together, streamline, and simplify the handling and assessment of retail media. This helps address challenges related to budget management and measuring ROI, which are directly linked to the broader problem of fragmentation.

Marketers can also leverage SKU (stock keeping unit) data, which includes information such as product description, price, size, colour, and other relevant details that help identify and manage inventory. By analysing individual product codes, it unlocks a wealth of insights about customer preferences and behaviour at a granular level, including fine-tuning targeting, messaging, and overall campaign resonance. 

Marketers can leverage this opportunity by dividing audiences according to specific product categories, customising advertisement content to match particular product preferences, and flexibly modifying bids based on the performance of individual products. This data-focused strategy results in exceptional optimisation and return on investment (ROI) for their campaigns.

Lastly, brands should build a seamless shopping experience. The digital and physical advertising spaces are merging to enhance consumer experiences. This convergence of online and offline domains will compel retailers and brands to expedite their journey towards a fully unified commerce landscape. 

With the influence of ROPO (research online, purchase offline) and the necessity for improved cross-channel attribution, retailers and brands must collaborate more closely to create seamless consumer journeys that enhance engagement and foster customer loyalty.

Taranjeet Singh, managing director for enterprise for APAC at Criteo, said, “Given the varied economic landscape in SEA and heightened demand during Ramadan, it is necessary for marketers to revamp their strategies to effectively reach their audience. Last year’s Ramadan data reveals the changes in SEA consumers’ shopping habits during the holy month. Marketers need to take note of the trends to ensure that their advertising strategies are effective and engaging to their audiences at the most optimal timings.”

Indonesia – Three in five consumers in Indonesia are planning to spend more than Rp 3 million+ on Ramadan shopping this year, a research report by InMobi and Glance revealed. 

The survey report showed that Ramadan celebrations are set to reach new heights this year, as 60% of survey respondents said they plan to increase their online shopping budgets, while 41% intend to increase their offline shopping expenditures. 

With digital channels now having a stronger hold on consumers, the report places emphasis on the importance of brands utilising a mobile-first approach pre-Ramadan period. 

In fact, the survey report revealed that a staggering 97% of consumers in the country now rely on their smartphones for research and are swayed by app-driven promotions when making purchasing choices. Additionally, over 73% of consumers depend on their mobile devices for making purchases. 

A major reason that mobile shopping has been on the rise in recent years is because it offers easy payments, app-only special offers, and free shipping. Though shopping in stores allows people to see or try products and avoid buying the wrong item, mobile is still by far the biggest platform for research (97%), followed by physical stores (62%), and just 34% on desktop.

These results underscore the importance of leveraging cutting-edge mobile marketing technologies and focusing on top content categories like news, games, and video for brands to deliver experiences that can establish stronger connections with consumers.

A part of the report highlighted brands that effectively utilised the smart lock screen in the market. An example of this is the campaign for Indofood Freiss, which successfully reached the 102% coupon redemption target by capitalising on awareness generated through the smart lock screen. 

InMobi and Glance’s report also looked through who and what consumers plan to shop for this Ramadan season, revealing that the spirit of giving is alive this year. 

The report showed that while more than half, or 57%, of Indonesians are shopping for themselves, there are also spending priorities given to their family, neighbours, and charity. Furthermore, household staff, business partners, and clients are in line for festive generosity as well.

Items like clothing and accessories (89%), groceries (71%), and gift packs (70%) are expected to be the top purchases, with clothing, health and beauty products, and gadgets most frequently bought on mobile. Meanwhile, Indonesians prefer to shop in physical stores for groceries, gift packs, and vehicles.

There are three types of shoppers in Indonesia that brands should be aware of for this season. The unplanned shoppers (17%) are mainly undecided on products and brands; thus, they are more keen to explore the biggest deals and are more likely to be older consumers, with 61% having budgets under Rp 3 million. 

Meanwhile, the category explorers (68%) are those who have already decided on products but are still actively exploring which brands. These are more likely to be younger consumers, with 59% having budgets over Rp 3 million.

Lastly, there are the brand lovers (15%) who have already decided on brands and are loyal to their favourites. Consumers in this segment are typically older, with 45% having budgets over Rp 5 million. 

Aside from shopping, everyone can also expect the Mudik movement, as the report recorded that 74% of travelling Indonesians plan to take a trip to visit loved ones who live in their hometowns or outside.

A travel wave is expected, as 41% plan to travel in the last week of Ramadan, just days before Idul-Fitri, while a further 20% will travel on the actual holiday. Only 22% of Indonesians are planning to travel ahead of the month of Ramadan or at the start.

Vasuta Agarwal, chief business officer at InMobi Group, stated, “There’s no denying the central role of smartphones in influencing purchasing decisions among consumers in Indonesia. To win in this market, brands must engage with their audience through seamless, single-tap mobile experiences and state-of-the-art technologies that are built to foster meaningful brand-consumer connections.”

She added, “One such technology is the Glance smart lock screen, which empowers consumers to discover premium, personalised content directly on their smartphone lock screen without the need for unlocking, downloading, or searching. With Glance, brands in Indonesia are achieving remarkable success, driving deep and seamless engagement with consumers even before they unlock their phones.”

Jakarta, Indonesia – While many families spend their Ramadan together, there are also people who are unable to make it home due to school and work opportunities. As a result, many are becoming more lonely, as they miss out on the celebrations as well as a taste of home cooking.

To spread the warmth and joy of Ramadan, Heinz ABC has launched a campaign alongside Food Bank of Indonesia, Alfamart, Tokopedia, Aqua, Grab and Aladin has created #ABCDapurBersamaIbu (‘Kitchen with Mom’) – a uniquely designed open kitchen that serves meals made by the moms of Indonesia.

As part of the campaign, an ad by Leo Burnette Indonesia was also released, depicting a hard-working man unable to make home during the Ramadan due to his work as a construction worker. He is then seen falling in line at the campaign’s kitchen, and now he is able to celebrate Ramadan with some mom–cooked meal.

The ‘#ABCDapurBersamaIbu’ movement has been running since 23 March and will finish on 19 April 2023, involving more than 800 members of the moms’ community through 133 community kitchens, including 35 food stalls, to prepare and distribute 125,000 mom-made meals for Sahur and Iftar to various vulnerable groups in society.

Susanne Migchels, marketing and R&D director at Kraft Heinz Indonesia, said, “As part of the company’s global purpose ‘Let’s Make Life Delicious’, we are committed not only to providing the best delicious products but also to instilling the value of goodness in everyday life. ABC has been around for over 47 years to accompany Indonesian families with programs embodying goodness and togetherness.” 

She added, “We hope that this year’s #ABCDapurBersamaIbu movement can further remind us of the power of a mother’s kindness value and together continue the same kindness for a bigger impact.”

Meanwhile, Netra Natrajan, associate creative director at Leo Burnett Indonesia, commented, “At the heart of every Ramadhan are the meals that moms make. And it’s a universal truth that missing out on this meal is one of the things that drives that feeling of homesickness. The foundation on which this campaign was conceptualised was us thinking, ‘What if we could do just a little bit to drive away that homesickness?’ and it found a manifestation of its own in ABC Dapur Bersama Ibu.”

Indonesia – As Indonesian consumers observed their ramadan plans, a latest research from market research company YouGov reveals that Jakarta-based Traveloka is the most preferred online travel company for bookings in the said season, with 42% of these travellers purchased their mudik transport tickets from the said company.

Meanwhile, 35% of mudik travellers used tiket.com for their bookings whilst 11% preferred booking.com.

The research also showed the most popular mudik travel period, with 45% of the respondents said that they prefer to do it 2-6 days before Eid al-Fitr/Idul Fitri. 14% preferred the dates during the time of Eid and 13% prefers to travel 2-6 days after Eid.

Moreover, it was revealed that 45% of the consumers who observe Ramadan plan to perform mudik travel back to their hometowns this year. 33% do not plan to travel back, while 22% are undecided during the time of polling.

The said study was conducted online on 2-6 March, with 2,067 respondents in Indonesia aged 18 and above, using a questionnaire designed by YouGov.

Singapore – Global audio streaming services platform Spotify has announced new personalised and curated experiences to observe the holy month of Ramadan. They include Ramadan-centric music, podcasts, and talk content dedicated to families and communities celebrating the holy season.

Listeners can also find personalised content on the “Your Ramadan 2023” playlist and see the music and talk content that is trending in their respective countries, and podcasters are constantly developing and publishing new Ramadan-related episodes.

Previously, Spotify’s editorial teams had curated playlists, podcasts, and talk content for their users during Ramadan. Through this new announcement, Spotify aims to spotlight content that changes each day, creating personalised playlists with songs picked just for listeners, and highlighting trending content that people are listening to in their region.

Moreover, the platform is aiming at making readings from the Quran easily accessible, and listeners can also find exclusive clips and greetings from their favourite artists and celebrities wishing them a blessed Ramadan.

For Gautam Talwar, managing director for Spotify Asia-Pacific, they are proud of delivering this new Ramaden-centric experience to their listeners during this holy month of observance.

“We’re designing an experience on the platform that allows our listeners to take a more active role in discoverability as well as to foster more meaningful connections with artists and podcasters they love on Spotify,” Talwar said.

Meanwhile, Rhea Chedid, senior podcast manager at Spotify, commented that they are now seeing more and more podcasters release series that are the ultimate companions to everyone observing Ramadan.

“Everything from shows about cooking and the history of Ramadan traditions and Islam, to audio scripted series that entertain and podcasts that review your favourite Ramadan television series, we are really witnessing creators think deeply about how they can better the lives of listeners through audio during this time,” Chedid said.

Malaysia – Trapper, an integrated media agency headquartered in Malaysia, has released its first-ever communications playbook, which targets bringing strategic marketing insights into the upcoming festive seasons of Ramadan and Raya. Titled, ‘Thrive During Ramadan and Raya 2023: A Trapper Malay Segmentation Playbook’, the resource informs brands on their marketing efforts in line with these special commemorations. 

The agency said that as it is inspired by the common phrase ‘there is more to someone than meets the eye’, the inaugural playbook has been developed to focus on decoding the Malay market. The ultimate goal is to help brands coordinate their marketing efforts that would foster meaningful connections with the said audience—before, during, and even after the month of Ramadan and Raya.

“Typically, brands will strive to retrofit their campaigns and brand identities to convey togetherness and familial bonding during this period. Brands with deeper pockets may pull it off through quality production and powerful storylines, while pressure mounts for smaller brands as they vie for their own piece of the Malay market pie,” said Trapper. 

The Trapper playbook ultimately seeks to update largely antiquated assumptions on the Malaysian market. The agency said that the population has been generally pigeonholed into three main segments — the semi-affluent-Bangsar bubble group, the working mid-M40 Millennials, and the ‘Malay Grassroots’.

Through the ‘Thrive During Ramadan and Raya 2023: A Trapper Malay Segmentation Playbook’, it provides a renewed perspective into the present Malay market by introducing six different segments which are “not only easily recognisable and relatable, but also significant and addressable in media.”

With this, Trapper is confident that marketers and brands would be able to gain insight into how they can grow their base of quality consumers and achieve incremental revenue growth. Additionally, methods of crafting a full-funnel communications approach respective to key persona profiles have been clearly illustrated in the guidebook to reflect today’s ever-changing media landscape.

Sue-Anne Lim, CEO of Trapper Group, commented, “It is easy to take knowledge about Malay consumers for granted because we could be one of them, be friends with them, or have lived as their neighbours for a lifetime. It is natural to have distorted views due to personal bias and long-held assumptions. So here we are, taking a step back to gain fresh new perspectives on the largest consumer group in Malaysia – what has changed over the years and equally importantly, what has NOT changed.”

Meanwhile, Strategy Director Teo Chin Wern, who led the project, commented further on some of the emerging changes in the marketing landscape. 

“Media is becoming a socio-economic connector, augmented by technology. The convergence of the latest technologies with post-pandemic digital norms has resulted in a paradigm shift for the Malay market, even as they remain anchored in traditional culture. Brands need to be more in tune with these evolutions in order to win over Malaysia’s largest consumer market during the biggest festive shopping occasion of the year,” said Teo. 

Those who are interested to obtain a copy of the playbook can email Trapper Group. 

The Trapper Group of companies houses several marketing and creative agencies including the flagship Trapper, Trapper Interactive, Adwork, and Trapper Consulting, amongst others. 

In November last year, Trapper has announced a partnership with data and business intelligence agency Ikano Insight to launch consultancy and advanced analytics services for environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-centric transformation practices.

Singapore – Mobile advertising technology company InMobi unveiled through its Ramadan 2023 at a glance report that consumer sentiment in Indonesia maintains an upward trend as consumers embrace the gradual return to normalcy.

According to the report, 60% of respondents plan to spend at least IDR 3 million for Ramadan, a 4% boost from 2022. Results also showed that one in three app downloads during Ramadan are shopping apps, with downloads peaking two months before the celebration.

Moreover, 98% of respondents choose to explore deals, products, and brands for Ramadan on mobile while 56% prefer mobile as their primary purchasing channel.

The report likewise revealed that 72% of the respondents are category explorers who spend time planning and researching their online purchases, with 31% starting research one month before Ramadan.

“Every year, the festive month of Ramadan triggers a massive wave of spending activity in Indonesia, and we expect a rebound this year after modest celebrations in the last two years. Interestingly, mobile remains dominant as a preferred channel for shopping, entertainment, and even religious activities among consumers despite relaxed restrictions on travel and physical gatherings,” said Rishi Bedi, managing director for Asia-Pacific at InMobi.

He also added that because of the increase in spending activity amongst consumers, brands must continue to maximise their visibility and reachability to target consumer segments on mobile and other digital platforms.

Ramadan 2023 at a glance analyses expectations and habits of Indonesian consumers around the holiday and provides insight to brands seeking to refine their mobile marketing strategies during the nation’s holy month.

Last September, InMobi also released its report on mobile gaming ads amongst advertisers in Southeast Asia, where it was found that 98% of advertisers have increased their mobile gaming spend since the pandemic.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Oral care brand Listerine in Malaysia together with Reprise, IPG Mediabrands’ performance marketing agency, has launched a new campaign titled, “Mulut Kosong Kosong: Mulut Sihat, Raya Penuh Berkat” (Clean Mouth: Healthy Mouth, Raya Full of Blessings), which aims to incorporate practical tips such as using mouthwash to improve healthy eating practises. The new campaign is in fact its special commemoration for the Ramadan and Raya festive period. 

The digital campaign features a series of three short films to personify attributes of a healthy mouth and encourage Malaysians to practice good oral care throughout Ramadan and help them attain a healthy mouth. The three short films also showcase different people’s unique personalities in celebrating Ramadan. The first personality is ‘Foodie Mouth’ the one who eats everything during Ramadan without any concern towards oral health, second personality is ‘Sweet Mouth’ the one who is the centre of attention because of good oral health and her dazzling smile, and lastly, Onion mouth, used colloquially, as someone who enjoys socialising and gossiping about others and confident about her oral health.

The overall campaign message is to keep a healthy mouth that is free of germs (‘kosong kosong’).

Kim Chew, client service director of Reprise, said the campaign was inspired by Malaysians who love a play on words. In this instance, the word mouth (mulut) is used alongside to provide a unique personality for each ‘mouth’ character, typical characters one would find around the Ramadan/ Raya dining table. 

“We wanted to personify attributes of a healthy mouth to encourage Malaysians to practice good oral care throughout Ramadan and help them attain a healthy mouth (mulut sihat),” Chew said.

Chew added, “Getting the mouths just right was extremely tricky but fun at the same time. When casting, we carefully identified actors in a very minute way. Interestingly, the actors too needed a few rounds of practice to get the right nuances of expression, limited to just the mouth, lips, tongue and teeth. We also worked closely with a very talented makeup artist who painted the characters very attractively. Essentially, the mouth becomes the body and the face simultaneously!”

As part of the campaign, an Instagram filter contest was launched, with a prize for the best responses to nosy questions asked during Raya celebrations. Users can record their best comebacks, manners in mind, along with the hashtag #MulutKosongKosong on Instagram reels. 

Meanwhile, Tracy Foo Swee Ki, senior brand manager of Listerine, commented, “Personifying the different personalities in this way, and really giving them characters, beyond just the verbal narrative was extremely important. The mouth is the main feature of the shots, and the Reprise team took great care to provide the right treatments to highlight mouths in a non-offensive, truly appealing way. 

“The message we want to leave you with is that swishing twice a day with Listerine doesn’t just help to keep your breath fresh, it helps you enjoy Raya with a cleaner, healthier mouth,” Ki adds.

The company also worked with sister agency Universal McCann, and key opinion leaders to engaged to drive the campaign message. The film was made available on all digital platforms.

KualaLumpur, Malaysia — Subway Malaysia is celebrating family and togetherness this Ramadan with the launch of its 1-foot closer or ‘Satu Kaki Lebih Mesra’ campaign.

Conceptualised and executed by VMLY&R Commerce, the brand’s lead creative agency, Subway highlights the importance of sharing and kindness in the community, in a series of heartwarming videos, featuring people from different walks of life. One video features conflicts and dynamics in the workplace that can be overcome with patience.

Meanwhile, another set of short films showcases families and couples practising forgiveness, in time for a peaceful and fulfilling Ramadan.

In this video, a couple overcomes their differences and chooses love and forgiveness; a branching theme in the campaign.

Samad Mohd Shariff, country director for Subway SouthEast Asia said that their mission is simple—they want to bring family and friends together this Ramadan and now with the lifting of the restrictions, Shariff said they can.

“Ramadan is a season of celebration, family, and togetherness. We are excited to amplify this message through the Satu Kaki Lebih Mesra campaign in the local community, and through our seasonal value offerings, which are perfect for sharing, caring and spending time with our loved ones,” Shariff said.

On the project, Phoecus Lee, executive creative director of VMLY&R Commerce, shared, “We believe that creating great work requires brave clients, and we’re truly blessed to have supported clients who give us the trust to execute bold campaigns. We collaborated closely with Subway every step of the way and was able to further humanize the campaign with more relatable elements that spoke to Malaysians. More than just a meal, Subway to us, is a brand experience that brings people together this Ramadan.”

Hang Ee Laine, head of marketing of Subway Southeast Asia, commented, “The partnership with local Malaysian artist Ernest Ng this year is a key milestone for us in our efforts to bring Subway closer to Malaysians, just in time for us to celebrate this Ramadan with our Malaysian community.”

With Satu Kaki Lebih Mesra, Subway Malaysia also introduced to the world their new mascot: the lovable, relatable Sabweh character. A beautiful brainchild of social media art sensation Ernest Ng, known for his ‘Don’t like that la bro’ comic series, Sabweh has made his debut across Malaysia, on limited-edition Raya packets, available for guests to redeem in-restaurant with any purchase.

In conjunction with this campaign, Subway restaurants in Malaysia introduced seasonal offerings for the whole family, including the Italian B.M.T., Roast Chicken, Steak & Cheese, and more at only RM19.00 for a footlong, starting from April 12 2022.