With festive woven ketupat artfully displayed, pelita lamps providing a welcoming glow, the upbeat tune of Sudirman singing “Balik Kampung”, and the smell of lemang and rendang in the air – Hari Raya is upon us once again!
Similar to Christmas, the month-long period of Ramadan and Hari Raya is not only a significant festive season and religious occasion, it is also one of the key campaign periods earmarked for the year.
After two years of celebrating this momentous holiday in lockdown, Malaysians are thrilled to be celebrating Hari Raya in its full glory once again. From Hari Raya decor, new Raya outfits, and mouth watering delicacies, several brands went big to push their festive launches. But with many companies launching their Raya campaigns during this period, it is easy for brands to get lost in the chatter, leaving them with little return on investment.
Find out how to make most of your Raya campaigns with these tips on how to amplify your brand and make your business stand out with effective public relations and marketing strategies.
Start early
The first step is to plan in advance so that you have time to spark interest in your brand. The key is not to launch your campaign on Hari Raya itself, but right at the beginning of Ramadan – the month before Hari Raya, where Muslims observe fasting, spiritual reflection, and self-improvement. Iron out your campaign messaging, marketing objectives, and event planning to make the most of this festive period.
Make your brand stand out
Differentiate yourself from competitors and capture people’s attention with limited-edition festive packaging, new products, or perhaps a heartwarming advert. The goal is to have your brand front, centre, and top of mind for your consumers. The key to achieving this is creating a campaign your customers can relate to. If you can resonate with your audience, you can increase awareness and brand love, which will hopefully lead to sales and increased engagement.
One great example comes from Subway Malaysia, which launched a campaign that definitely made them stand out from other quick service restaurant brands in the market. In the spirit of celebrating togetherness and local culture, Subway Malaysia introduced a new mascot in conjunction with Ramadan and Hari Raya. They partnered with social media art sensation Ernest Ng, known for his ‘Don’t like that la bro’ comic series, to produce the character ‘Sabweh’ that made its debut across Malaysia with limited-edition Raya packets that were available for guests to redeem in-restaurant with any purchase.
Not only does the ‘Sabweh’ character capture the attention of customers, Subway Malaysia also showcased a series of heartwarming videos featuring people from different walks of life, in an attempt to highlight the importance of sharing and kindness in the community.
Interactive media engagements
Immersive and interactive engagements are sure to bring your Ramadan or Raya event to the next level! Not only is it a great way to bring media, influencers and partners together to celebrate the festive season, it is also a great way to kickstart your campaign!
Our team at Mutant Malaysia prides themselves on curating personalised experiences for the media and influencers so that they can immerse themselves in the brand – a few examples include working with clients to host a gastronomical Buka Puasa dinner after an entertaining ‘Eid In Harmony’ Hari Raya launch, conducting a mini Wayang Kulit workshop and hosting a private Wayang Kulit performance at Intermark Mall, and organising a spectacular performance by Upin & Ipin at Pavilion Bukit Jalil for the media and their kids.
Hosting unique media engagements not only secures more media attendance, it is also key to garnering quality coverage beyond a standard press release.
Leveraging social media
Social media and digital marketing are not only essential strategies, they prove to be a great way to communicate with your target audience. Plus, it is a platform where people are spending more time during Ramadan. In fact, social media has been cited as the top online activity that Muslims engage in during the Holy Month of Ramadan.
Islamic lifestyle app Muslim Pro is an excellent example of how a brand can use social media to engage with Muslims all over the world as well as successfully partner with Muslim influencers. For example, Muslim Pro collaborated with celebrity chef Rouba Shahin, who shared her recipes for breaking fast, and fitness entrepreneur Nawal Haddad, who contributed fitness routines for Ramadan workouts. Such partnerships can help businesses grow brand awareness by leveraging the social media following of influencers while also using social media as a platform for effective storytelling and brand building.
Telling stories that matter
Get your name out there by landing solid media placements through engaging stories that are timely and relevant to the consumer. Storytelling is the most authentic and effective way to share your brand or products with audiences.
One of our clients, Intermark Mall, a neighbourhood mall in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, used adept storytelling about Malaysian culture throughout the Ramadan period by creating Raya decorations that shone the spotlight on the ancient art of shadow puppetry with Malaysia’s traditional Wayang Kulit as well as nostalgic Malaysian childhood games such as Batu Seremban and Congkak.
In addition, the mall collaborated with Wak Long Music & Art Centre so that shoppers could participate in interactive workshops and performances. To help spread the word about Intermark’s initiative, the Mutant Malaysia team organised interactive media engagements with journalists and bloggers, and arranged for one-on-one interviews with a master puppeteer for the media to write features on the importance of preserving an important piece of Malaysia’s culture.
Unique media gifts
Ramadan and Raya is all about gifting and giving back. What better way to appreciate the media, partners and influencers you’ve been working with than to present them with something special to celebrate the festive season?
Mutant Malaysia recently curated two unique media gifts for our clients over this festive period. To help promote Muslim Pro’s Ramadan content, we curated an exclusive Sunnah Superfoods box packed full of nutritious, immunity-boosting superfoods to fuel the mind, body and soul during the fasting month of Ramadan. We also loved Subway Malaysia’s sub-lime pillow that commemorates the star of Subway’s Ramadan campaign – the footlong sub. Media and influencers were certainly happy to receive this special sub-prise!
Brands that can successfully engage consumers during this festive period will hold the key to success. Fully taking advantage of the increased social media screen-time is a prime opportunity for brands to educate, entertain and engage consumers for them to leave a lasting impact that continues on beyond Ramadan and Hari Raya.
For engaging campaigns to help your brand stand out, contact us at [email protected].