what ramadan 2016/2017 has taught us about digital content consumption in mena?

What Ramadan 2016/2017 has taught us about Digital Content

Consumption in MENA?

According to Google data, during Ramadan people watch more Videos, perform more searches and access the internet on their mobile devices more frequently.

The impact of Ramadan on consumers’ internet habits

Online video consumption is skyrocketing in the Middle East, with consumers not only watching more video than ever before, but also choosing video content over all other content types across different devices and platforms.


In a population that is digitally connected, on the move and incredibly active on social media, for Broadcasters and Traditional Media to succeed in the digital world it's crucialnow to understand the consumer’s online behavior in Ramadan


MENA continues to voraciously watch video on YouTube and spend even more time during Ramadan watching longer videos and engaging more with the content.

Ramadan is a period of changing user behaviors on YouTube, with notably significant increases in engagement .


With the convergence of mobile, video, and Facebook now viewing itself as the alternative to TV!

A fresh perspective on how to unlock a new opportunities to build, reach and influence your audience.


Ramadan is the peak season for advertising campaigns in the Middle East and Gulf region,

but there is a vast gap between where advertisers spend their money, and where consumers spend their time!

Brands continue to invest heavily in traditional advertising channels during the holy month, despite the fact that advertising costs skyrocket and chances of making an impression plummet.

How can marketers reach out to consumers effectively during Ramadan?

Insights are always the basis of all successful campaigns

When building a digital strategy for Ramadan, brands should aim to reach customers where they already are—across mobile devices and platforms.


Internet video to TV grew 50 percent in 2016. Internet video to TV will continue to grow at a rapid pace, increasing 3.6-fold by 2021.

Internet video-to-TV traffic will be 26 percent of consumer Internet video traffic by 2021, up from 24 percent in 2016 “Cisco Study”


Consumer Video-on-Demand (VoD) traffic will nearly double by 2021. The amount of VoD traffic in 2021 will be equivalent to 7.2 billion DVDs per month.

Content Delivery Network (CDN) traffic will carry 71 percent of all Internet traffic by 2021. Seventy-one percent of all Internet traffic will cross CDNs by 2021 globally, up from 52 percent in 2016. “Cisco Study”


From a distribution perspective, over-the-top (OTT) services are witnessing significant activity in high-bandwidth GCC countries with the emergence of pure-play providers.

Major TV networks are increasing their premium online offerings while international digitally-native services such as Netflix & Amazon Prime are expanding into the region.


Broadcasters, cable television networks and Traditional Media need nowadays to survive the emergence of online streaming should switch to Online Video Platforms as viewers are spending more time watching digital video than ever before as per all latest studies and statistics


In order to continue generating traffic and capturing consumer attention, brands are going to have to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for video content.

With Online Video Platform you can control over your video assets, advertising and also who can access the content and how, in other words you can have full control over your content.


To get the most out of video content, videos should be optimized for cross-device viewing, especially on mobile.

Additionally, to further leverage a search campaign, bidding on top Ramadan-related keywords will help the brand appear as the top placement.


During Ramadan mobile becomes the primary source to access online content, with the popularity of accessing and sharing videos taking center stage now!


In the digital age, marketing campaigns are more effective when both offline and digital media are integrated to communicate the same message

For digital marketer it’s important to know when their audience is spending most of the time online to better target them

Understanding the consumer’s online behavior in Ramadan

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube are highly popular social media platforms across the Middle East, which has some of the highest use rates in the world


Facebook accounted for the lion’s share of total social media users.

More than one billion now people use Facebook every day


Ramadan is the Month of Mobile on Facebook.

As multi-screening is the top trend in MENA, Facebook is the second screen when watching TV

Understanding Social Media behavior in Ramadan

90% of Facebook daily active users access it via mobile.

During Ramadan, people are most often to be found on their smartphone, posting and sharing images and videos


Facebook has released a new report on how people share their Ramadan experiences, find inspiration, and discuss their passions on the platform during the holy month

Marketers should seize this opportunity to manage ad spends so they can reach the widest audience.


The creative nature of Instagram makes it the perfect place to inspire people!

More than 150 millions use InstagramStories daily, while one-third of the most viewed stories are from businesses, that’s a great opportunity for advertisers for awareness Campaigns


During Ramadan mobile becomes the primary source to access online content, with the popularity of accessing and sharing videos taking center stage.

YouTube is favored by brands running campaigns to coincide with the increasing popularity of videos capturing the attention of consumers


Twitter announced that tweets related to Ramadan 2016, were viewed more than 10.7 billion times, up from 8.4 billion in Ramadan 2015.

There were more than 7.1 million tweets about television shows and series related to Ramadan during the Holy Month in 2016.


On Twitter, live conversations during the holy month of Ramadan comes to life for Muslims across the world.

It’s the time of year when people connect with one another regardless of location or language, over mutually shared values and interests; from information on fasting, to learning how to lend a hand to those in need.


• Themed emojis• Exclusive Ramadan Q&As will take place

with celebrities and experts across the region

• The first ever Ramadan-themed live 360 videos will take place on Twitter by multiple broadcasters; showcasing the spirit of Ramadan through an immersive experience

• As for TV, a Ramadan mini-series, live episodes and behind the scenes content that will be shared on Twitter

This year, Twitter rolled out various initiatives to help create a more fulfilling Ramadan experience for everyone on Twitter:


In the Middle East, Twitter Launched the first Ramadan TV guide bot on Twitter. Ramadan TV viewers can send a Direct Message to the Arabic entertainment news portal @FilFan that will automatically display a variety of categories to choose from; ‘Channels’, ‘Series’, ‘TV shows’ and ‘Now showing’.


https://twitter.com/filfan

How To Measure Online Campaign’s Performance In Ramadan

Important areas to assess include:• Brand awareness: how many

people know about the brand thanks to the ad?

• Ad recall: how many viewers remember seeing the ad?

• Favorability: how well liked is the brand?

• Consideration: which brand would a viewer of an ad aspire to purchase?

• Purchase intent: which brand would a viewer purchase?

Which is a great step for working towards understanding the consumer behavior online and sustaining their revenue, Such as• Shahid by MBC • Osn GO, by Osn• BEIN Connect , by BEIN Sports• Mago Tv by Al Nahar• Vodafonetv by Vodafone Egypt • My Drama by Orange Egypt

Traditional media platforms and broadcasters in MENA are switching to their own Online video platforms

In the past years some broadcasters & Telco operators in MENA are launching their own branded VOD platforms

Sources used in this report: Think with GoogleWe are social Twitter BlogFacebook Business Ramadan insights 2017StatistaCisco

Sources

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Thank YouRamadan Karim