DUBAI: The impact of the pandemic on last year’s holy month was severe. Advertising and marketing budgets were significantly reduced, with many brands slashing spending. This year, however, as the economy picked up, brands regained confidence and started investing more in their advertising efforts.
Research and analytics firm YouGov conducted a survey to discover the brands with the biggest change in advertising awareness scores year-on-year during Ramadan.
The list was compiled using the firm’s ad awareness score, which measures whether a respondent has seen any advertising for the brand in the past two weeks.
This year, Global Village in Dubai emerged as the top mover with a 14.2 score increase compared to Ramadan 2020. As outdoor spaces and event venues continue to adapt to virus safety procedures, Global Village decided to extend its open season into Ramadan. This extension, coupled with it being its 25th year, saw Global Village heavily invest in promotional activities, reaching a much wider audience.
In a strong year for e-commerce retailers, Noon.com saw the second-biggest change with an increase of 11.1 points. Capitalizing on online shopping behaviors and embracing the spirit of Ramadan, the online retailer offered daily deals and discounts of up to 75 percent on groceries and household items, even reaching households that were affected by the pandemic.
Another online retailer, food delivery platform Talabat.com, enjoyed the third-best improvement, gaining 7.9 points on last year. The brand partnered with the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) to launch its “Ramadan Heroes” campaign with the aim of providing iftar meals to those in need. The virtual charity endeavor struck a chord with many, helping the brand to enhance its advertising awareness during the holy month.
Similarly, Starbucks joined the festivities by introducing seasonal Ramadan cups. The holiday cups attracted consumer attention, raising the brand’s advertising awareness by 6.7 points compared to last year.
Half of the brands on this year’s list are destinations such as Global Village, Dubai Parks & Resorts and Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi, indicating that these companies have successfully reinvested in advertising activities as restrictions were lifted.
It also points to people being more interested in spending time outside the home at family destinations after a year of multiple lockdowns.
“Leveraging BrandIndex’s daily sampling, our data show that a renewed focus on communication during the Holy Month has reaped particularly strong benefits for the top-ranked brands in the UAE,” said Scott Booth, Head of Data Products and Data Services, MENA, YouGov.
“Leisure and Entertainment brands, especially hard-hit during the pandemic period, generated remarkably strong results from their Ramadan campaigns as a strong vaccination drive by the UAE led to relaxation of restrictions in the country.”
