Top 10 Ramadan TV Ads In The UAE

The advertisements that received the highest ratings points during the holy month this year, according to tview.

August 18, 2013

Ramadan is traditionally considered a month of increased TV viewership in the Arab region, and hence brands aim to reach out to more consumers through targeted TV advertising during the holy month.

“The top advertisers seem to have run fewer spots this Ramadan but placed them more effectively,” said Christopher O’Hearn, general manager of tview, a provider of UAE television audience measurement data.

“The mix of advertisers this year was fairly similar to previous Ramadan periods although some names changed – Zain replaced Mobily as the top advertiser for example, but otherwise it was food and beverages with Pepsi most prominent as well as telecoms and consumers goods, especially technology,” he added.

Last year the top 10 TV ads had 63,590 insertions to achieve 24,672 ratings points, while this year it was 49,646 insertions to achieve 20,980 points.

“So that’s a ratio of .388 per spot in 2012 against .423 in 2013, an improvement of nearly nine per cent,” said O’Hearn.

“What it means for viewers, is that they see fewer ad spots so they will be happy, but the advertisers can also be happy that they got more value for their advertising dollars,” he added.

Here are the top 10 TV advertisements this year as measured by GRPs, according to data from tview.

1. Zain

Gross Ratings Point: 3490.7

Inserts: 2012

Kuwaiti telecoms operator Zain based its 2013 Ramadan advertising campaign on a television commercial and song entitled “Know Your Friends,” dedicated to all its partners and customers over the company’s 30-year history.

2. Pepsi and Lay’s / Yalla Nekamel Gametna

Gross Ratings Point 2861.6

Inserts: 8624

PepsiCo became the first brand in the MENA region to bring iconic entertainers back to life in its Ramadan campaign for Pepsi and Lay’s, called ‘Let’s complete our gathering’. The ad features Egyptian stage and screen actor Fouad El Mohandes, Samir Ghanem’s Fatouta and actress, singer and comedienne Nelly and Boogie & Tamtam.

3. Emaar/Burj Khalifa

Gross Ratings Point 2141.9

Inserts: 2250

Launched late last year, Emaar’s ‘The Centre of Now’ TV advertisement features a philharmonic orchestra performance on the 112nd floor of Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building alongside dramatic new footage of the structure and stunning visuals of the neighbouring fountains in Dubai Mall.

4. Etisalat

Gross Ratings Point 2018.1

Inserts: 4887

One of the big Ramadan advertisers, telecoms operator Etisalat’s 2013 campaigning featured an Arabic musical rendered by a young boy and includes some innovative animation.

5. Sadia

Gross Ratings Point 1988.9

Inserts: 10090

A multinational producer of chilled and frozen food products, Brazilian company Sadia has been operating in the GCC since the 1970s. The company is particularly popular in Saudi Arabia.

6. Lulu Hypermarket

Gross Ratings Point 1873.1

Inserts: 10429

Dubai-based retailer LuLu Hypermarket, which has over a 100 stores across the GCC, announces special offers and heavily promotes its products during Ramadan.

7. Etisalat/Etisalat Rewards

Gross Ratings Point 1727.7

Inserts: 3513

Etisalat Rewards is the rewards programme from the UAE telecoms operator and offers mobile, landline and broadband customers exclusive benefits and privileges.

8. Vimto

Gross Ratings Point 1649.6

Inserts: 1120

Manufactured by Saudi-based Aujan Industries, the red fruit beverage has successfully marketed itself as a Ramadan drink and now sees approximately half of its annual sales during the holy month.

9. Malabar Gold & Diamonds

Gross Ratings Point 1627.4

Inserts: 5091

Jewellery retailer Malabar Gold and Diamonds, well-known for its Indian gold jewellery, has close to 100 outlets across the GCC states and India, with plans to have 220 stores worldwide by 2015.

10. Mobily

Gross Ratings Point 1606

Inserts: 630

Telecoms operators are among the among the aggressive advertisers during Ramadan, and Etihad Etisalat (Mobily), the second mobile service provider in Saudi Arabia, is no exception.

Total GRPs: 142,819.5/ Total Insertions: 589,422 on monitoredcChannels

Data sample: All households from July 10 to August 7, 2013.