New insights for an effective Ramadan Twitter campaign
Kuala Lumpur, 11 March 2022 – Ramadan is the most important cultural moment for Muslims in Malaysia. Similar to the past Ramadan, the upcoming Holy Month presented its own challenges, ranging from the ongoing pandemic to the torrential floods happening around the country since December 2021.
However, the arrival of Ramadan also usher in a sense of renewal as Malaysians have learned to adapt to the new habits and are looking to bring back semblance of normalcy back to Ramadan.
Martyn U’ren – Research Director, Asia Pacific, Twitter says, “For many Muslims, Ramadan is a time for purifying the heart, a time for personal reflection, and self-restraint. Ramadan can also be seen as a celebration of one’s personal journey of self-discovery.
“While it’s not business as usual, Malaysians have been adapting their lifestyles to staying at home more. As this lifestyle change could increase online, Twitter will be a key space for connection and keeping the spirit of Ramadan alive as Malaysians plan to use Twitter more to stay connected with family and friends, find beneficial lighthearted content and to find connection with those who are also celebrating Ramadan on the platform.”
As we are preparing to welcome back Ramadan, social media will play a larger role for Malaysians as they come to Twitter to connect with others who are celebrating the month, to express their feelings of joy and gratitude, find entertaining content, and get shopping recommendations.
Conversations around Ramadan usually begin one month early in Malaysia and reach its heights twice. In 2021, the first spike in the Ramadan conversions occurred on the first day of the Holy Month with 92% increases compared to the average daily conversation and the second spike happened at the end of Ramadan with 140% increase. In Malaysia,
Twitter has become the go-to platform to talk about the latest trends from the world of food, entertainment, healthcare, and more. As the country is transitioning to the endemic phase, Malaysians have adapted to new digital routines and are looking forward to bringing back normalcy and to celebrate Ramadan. For brands in the region, this is an opportunity for them to think about new consumer behaviours and tap into popular conversations during Ramadan.
5 key Ramadan insights
Here are the 5 key insights for brands to prepare the right strategy to connect with their audience during #RamadanOnTwitter:
1. Challenges linger during Ramadan, and so does doing good to others for Malaysians
In addition to environmental hardships faced by many Malaysians leading to Ramadan, 86% of Malaysians are concerned about being able to gather with their families for the fasting month.
Other issues that are on their minds include providing entertaining activities for their families (40%), monetary issues (29%), and Ramadan shopping (19%).
Despite the concerns and obstacles they are facing, kindness stays on the minds of Malaysians. Across all age groups, 60% of Malaysians on Twitter are interested in content about giving back to the community.
Ramadan is also the month where connection matters and 41% of Malaysians are eager to reconnect with people who are celebrating Ramadan and Hari Raya on Twitter1.
2. Being online is crucial for Malaysians during Ramadan and even when the pandemic is over
1 Source: Twitter Ramadan 2022 survey, Twitter users in Malaysia who celebrate Ramadan
Malaysians have adapted to many new habits in the past few years, and for the Ramadan month, expect online activities to be parts of the new order as 2 in 3 Malaysians are planning to spend more time online. 66% of Malaysians on Twitter choose social media browsing as the top activity to do during Ramadan, followed by streaming movies and TV series (51%), online shopping (45%), watching TV (42%), video calls (31%), and ordering food (24%)2.
These new Ramadan online habits are most likely to stay with Malaysians even as the pandemic is over. Malaysians Gen-Zs are more likely to carry on several activities online such as shopping (62%), content streaming (44%), and socialising with their loved ones (44%). Meanwhile, the preceding generations are more likely to do zakat online (56%) and work remotely (46%) post the pandemic.
Content
3. Malaysians enjoy a vast range of content on Twitter during Ramadan
Malaysians are looking for joy in lighthearted content on Twitter, especially comedy which recorded a 9% increase from 2021. When it comes to the preferred types of content, Malaysians of all age groups similarly enjoy religious and health/wellness content. Compared to the 30+ age group, Gen-Z are more interested in food/cooking, light-hearted content (entertainment/pop culture, comedy) and shopping content, and less interested in news and sports3. Meanwhile, those who are in earlier generations are more interested to look for health/wellness-related contents (59%), sports (36%), and current affairs (45%).
2 Source: Twitter Ramadan 2022 survey, Twitter users in Malaysia who celebrate Ramadan. 3 Source: Twitter Ramadan 2022 survey, Twitter users in Malaysia who celebrate Ramadan.
- Shopping is an increasingly important topic on Twitter Malaysians continue to go to Twitter to find inspirations and ideas for their Ramadan purchases with 9 out of 10 of Malaysians on Twitter are planning to make purchases during Ramadan with 45% anticipating more online shopping4. Most of these purchases are staple holiday items such as F&B (80%) clothes and accessories (77%) personal care products (43%), gifts (33%), and tech gadgets (27%)5. These are accessible purchases that enhance the Ramadan experience with families and friends.
- When it comes to embracing the digital life, Malaysian Gen-Zs are leading the pack Malaysians have adapted to many new habits in the past few years. They’ve come to expect online activities to be part of the new Ramadan habits. During Ramadan, the younger consumers (18-29) are planning to spend a significant amount of time on online activities compared to the preceding generations. From browsing social media (69%) to streaming movies/tv series (55%), online shopping (49%), and playing games (28%), being online is key for them. Gen-Zs on Twitter are also fully embracing online shopping experiences with 95% of them looking to make various purchases over the Ramadan, such as food & beverages (83%), clothes & accessories (80%), and personal care (49%).
4 Source: Twitter Ramadan 2022 survey, Twitter users in Malaysia who celebrate Ramadan. 5 Source: Twitter Ramadan 2022 survey, Twitter users in Malaysia who celebrate Ramadan.
What does it mean for brands?
Ramadan is one of the most important cultural moments for Malaysians and Twitter will be the key that connects Malaysians by providing the space to keep the spirit alive. With people coming to Twitter during the Ramadan, brands need to tap into the moment in order to be part of the conversations.
Despite the uncertainties among Malaysians as the country transitions into the endemic phase, Malaysians have learned to live with the new habits and are looking forward to bringing normalcy back into the fold during Ramadan. Brands need to be able to use this momentum to create campaigns that centred on family, giving back to communities, and staying connected online. Provide Malaysians with light-hearted contents on Twitter, such as entertainment, pop culture, and shopping, as they are more likely to spend time online than ever. Brands can drive the conversations by creating winning stories by leveraging what Malaysians are looking for on Twitter.