Top trends among Twitter users during Ramadan

Prior to Ramadan in 2019, Twitter conducted an online survey with users who celebrate in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt to help understand what trends brands should expect during the holy month.

In terms of general shifts in behavior, people on Twitter consume more content; they’re browsing social media more often and watching more videos, among other types of content, the survey said.

There’s also a tendency to focus on personal resolutions, with an increase in health and wellness activities, and visits to families and friends, in addition to preparation of food at home.

“This is an important period for the advertisers because consumers spend more time on the platform. And if you want to reach out based on your marketing objective, the chances of it getting valued more increases,” said Benjamin Ampen, managing director at Twitter MENA.

“The key ingredients to success are the ‘newness’ and entertainment elements of the creative content, as well as the value being communicated to consumers,” he further added.

Read:  Twitter Audience Platform debuts in Saudi Arabia for local advertisers

Here are the top trends that are observed among Twitter users during Ramadan:

Increase in content consumption

One of the general shifts in behavior that Twitter users in these three countries exhibit during Ramadan is an increase in consumption of content. Spending more time on the phone increases the browsing time among the users.

More value-driven than brand loyal

Twitter says 91 percent of its users explore and try new brands and products during Ramadan. The overall spending during Ramadan is higher in comparison with the rest of the year. Especially when it comes to food and beverages (F&B), consumers become more value-driven than brand loyal.

Ramadan ads are ‘a thing’

Twitter sees 79 percent of its users during Ramadan actually enjoy ads more than the rest of the year because they are more entertaining and promote appealing offers.

TV content is king but not exclusively viewed on a TV screen

Twitter is the ultimate second screen to Ramadan’s TV shows or its users. The top three most sought after content genres on Twitter during Ramadan in Saudi Arabia are religious (69 percent), entertainment (61 percent), and comedy (55 percent).

In terms of new projects this year, Saudi public figure Ahmad Al Shugairi will be sharing video highlights of his new film, Al Madina, via his Twitter account during Ramadan. From culture and art to faith, Shugairi’s first film revolves around the past and present state of the city of Madina, and provides insight around a variety of topics such as Quran printing and prayer rug manufacturing.

Write to Paromita Dey at paromita.d@argaamplus.com