With the Holy Month of Ramadan around the corner, Muslims around the globe are preparing themselves for the annual religious and social rituals that are associated with this festive season, mostly fasting from dusk till dawn, ‘Taraweeh’ Prayers and extensive family and friends’ social gathering and visits.
From a marketing perspective, those who don’t have ‘insight’ might think that when millions of people around the globe refrain from eating and drinking for an average of 12 hours a day over a month’s period would actually be a harmful thing for business.
“One only has to examine the success of famous brands who have found a strategic ‘positioning’ within the Ramadan context to see how marketing today is all about consumer insightâ€, says Mr. Yousef Hamidaddin, CEO of Acxiom MENA – the regional arm of the US based Acxiom, the world’s leading marketing consultants who provide companies with state of the art market-understanding tools.
Mr. Hamidaddin adds that “I really don’t think enough people realize the potential that lies in Ramadan, which is where we step inâ€, elaborating that Acxiom offers not only direct marketing but marketing across every channel via audience engagement and personalization through pinpoint targeting and measurable resultsâ€.
On the contrary the many religious and social traditions associated with this holy month have a tremendous positive impact on local economies, with particular industries registering record revenues during this period; obvious examples include: FMCGs (particularly food and beverage) as a result of households having to prepare ‘iftar’ for their families and friends on regular basis whereas the traditional trend of post-Iftar television viewing means satellite and local channels can charge premium rates on their advertising due to high demand.
Private sector, especially multi-nationals companies are realizing the value of ‘insight’ which comes as a result of investment in marketing research and tools designed to understand consumers, many local businesses fail to capitalize on Ramadan and other important strategic windows.
Marketing managers in the Middle East as well as around the globe recognize Acxiom as a service provider which help client make smarter decisions on their marketing spend based on measurable results, which leads to significant growth in profitability and market share.
However, the added value Acxiom MENA offers compared to other marketing consultants or solution providers is that it combines the accumulated experience, reputation and state-of-the-art solutions its US-based mother company has with the local knowledge, experience and ‘insight’ of its local talent in its Middle East and North Africa operation.
In addition, Acxion MENA helped a leading consumer packaged goods client create a multi-channel relationship program with mothers in Saudi Arabia, the results of which are the client reaching 24,000 mothers in the Kingdom per month. The client’s outreach in the form of pregnancy education tips at the prenatal stage boosted customer loyalty.
This is why Acxiom MENA could be able to spot trends, opportunities and help its clients reach strategic decisions when it comes to Ramadan.
Acxiom MENA is the premier provider of direct marketing services in the Middle East & North Africa and provides database management services, market strategy and planning, campaign development (tracking & measurement), digital marketing, call center & fulfillment services.
By providing multichannel marketing solutions through data Acxiom MENA bridges its clients with their customers for profitable business relationships.
