Planning Marketing Activations for Ramadan, Christmas and Back to School

Many Marketing and Brand Managers, and their Advertising and Media agencies will be planning marketing campaigns for seasonal activities that take place towards the end of the year or early next year. Mobile, is a medium of ever increasing importance, so much so that some agencies are designing for Mobile first, and then seeing how the campaign can be converted to the more traditional mediums such as TV and Print advertising. Here are some ideas to inspire campaigns for Ramadan, Christmas and the Back to School periods. Ramadan is the 29 to 30 day period within which Muslim people fast, it is the holiest of all periods. During the fast Muslims practice and exercise self-restraint, and humility. Food is eaten only after dark and before sunrise, and so it needs to be highly nutritional for prolonged sustainability. There is a great opportunity for Food retailers to assist their Muslim consumers with suggested recipes, pre-packaged meal plans and promotions. From a financial services point of view, money is often given to children on Eid; astute organisations could offer their Muslim consumers special savings and investment plans, in order to provide a longer lasting gift for family and friends to give on Eid. For Christmas, most brands are experienced at developing campaigns to increase sales as Christians buy gifts for family and friends and celebrate over meals. More shoppers are using their mobiles while shopping, and this means that brands and shopping malls have an opportunity to capture and convert shoppers, even if they are in a competitor store with smart mobile tactics, such as mobile coupons, and integration into the Mapping software on consumers mobile phones. And lastly, for the Back to School season whereby mothers need to buy stationery and uniforms for their children, yet another opportunity lies. From the Mobile Media consumption research that InMobi conducted, a unique segment called Mobile Mothers were identified, these mothers do not have the time to conduct research before going shopping on a PC, so they turn to their Mobile devices. They are also active users of social networks, these insights allow brands who provide stationery and uniforms a platform to initially attract consumers with Mobile Advertising, and then using Rich Media, integrate into the likes of Facebook and Twitter, producing content the consumer can post that will then influence the purchasing decisions of the consumers friends.