Producing for Ramadan: Scale, Sensitivity and Speed

Assi Rahbani, Managing Director at Tag MENA explores why Ramadan is one of the most demanding moments for brands in MENA, and how culturally sensitive, scalable creative production is what determines whether brands truly connect during the holy month. 

Every year across the region, the holy month of Ramadan brings a profound shift in pace, priorities and emotion. As those who observe it prepare for a month of fasting, reflection and spirituality, daily rhythms change to adapt to a new routine. School and work timings change, evenings stretch longer and families come together more often to break their daily fast.  

That shift doesn’t just affect how people live but changes how content is consumed, shared and judged, making the month of Ramadan one of the most demanding periods of the year for brands operating in MENA. 

Redefining Attention during a month that matters 

Like Christmas in Western markets, Ramadan is a period of heightened engagement and therefore more emotional expectation. Media consumption increases – especially in the evenings - digital behaviours shift, and audiences are more emotionally receptive than at almost any other time of year. Shopper intent also peaks during this period, increasing demand for content across channels and putting pressure on brands to show up more frequently. 

However, unlike many seasonal moments, Ramadan also comes with a higher bar for sensitivity and intent. Audiences notice tone more acutely, with 67% of people paying closer attention to ads during this time, and a further 92% emphasising the importance of brands aligning with the spirit of Ramadan (Source: The Trade Desk Intelligence x YouGov Ramadan insights, October 2023. Includes UAE, KSA, EGY).  They appreciate work that feels thoughtful and are just as quick to reject anything that feels insincere, opportunistic or out of step with the values of the month. This creates a paradox for brands: demand for content increases, but tolerance for noise decreases.  

Where brands struggle 

Despite this, many brands still approach Ramadan with a traditional campaign mindset: a hero asset, a single narrative, rolled out uniformly across markets. But Ramadan doesn’t behave like a single campaign window in the sense that it is a lived, month-long experience, shaped by daily rhythms that shift throughout the day, which can  vary even further once you look closely at individual markets. 

Sleep patterns shift. Productivity rises and falls at different times. Engagement peaks vary not just by time of day, but by country and culture.  Yet, what resonates in the UAE may need nuance in the KSA or Egypt. For example, while activity levels decrease up to 25% in Egypt, in Lebanon this is more than double at 48% (Source: Ipsos, The 2025 Ramadan Handbook, MENA).  

At the same time, audiences across the region share key moments such as Suhoor (the pre-dawn meal), Iftar (the meal to break the fast) and Eid al-Fitr (the festival marking the end of the month), creating a common cultural framework. The challenge for brands is recognising that even within these shared experiences, local nuance still matters as similar moments don’t always demand identical messaging. 

This is where production can fall down. Cultural sensitivity can’t be added at the end but rather has to be baked into the way content is planned, adapted and delivered from day one, ensuring it encapsulates the values of the month. When it doesn’t, audiences can sense the insincerity immediately. What does seem to be universal however, is that during Ramadan, people tend to respond more to simple, well – crafted and emotionally grounded stories that reflect the tone of the month. 

Rethinking production for Ramadan 

To accommodate, production must be built for frequency, sensitivity and speed. That means more content, across more channels, in shorter timelines. One hero asset is rarely enough. Brands need adaptable content systems including libraries of assets that can be tailored, localised and optimised as the month unfolds. 

Integration between media and production is also critical. Content can no longer be created in isolation and assets must be designed with their channel, format and context in mind. 

At Tag MENA, we see Ramadan as a stress test for modern creative production, working with the client well in advance to ensure a modular, adaptable and locally informed solutions. By combining cultural understanding with scalable production, brands can stay respectful while remaining responsive across markets, across moments, and across platforms. 

Across the region and beyond, the month of Ramadan becomes a cultural moment that demands readiness and care. For successful brands during this period, simple, well-crafted stories often outperform spectacle. To achieve this, implementing modern production processes that allow for localisation of assets means brands can show up thoughtfully and meaningfully during one of the most important months of the year.