July 28, 2011
With Ramadan just around the corner, people are flooding to catch the best supermarket discounts and the most attractive iftar deals.
Image by Tuesday Digital, Flickr CC
But the sudden spike in Ramadan promotions around the Middle East poses several problems:
Public chaos
The supermarkets are constantly flooded before iftar and the malls are chaotic after iftar. The tempting offers and the abundance of time causes some serious mayhem in public places.
Increase of waste
Buy six, get one free. Get the family-sized pack. All items are 50% off. Ramadan promotions lead people to purchase things in bulk, even when they don’t need them. The result? A whole lot of waste.
Post-spending decreases
During Ramadan people go to the supermarket twice as often (if not more frequently) as they usually do. While this is great, the spending decline that follows Ramadan and Eid can be quite harsh on business.
Poor quality
Think of all offers that promote large quantities of products at low prices. That certainly can’t be the best quality meat, shirt, or coffee. When quality is compromised, brands will start losing customers in the long run.
Exploitation
Because people are known to make a lot of their purchases during Ramadan, many brands take advantage of this fact and sometimes end up with campaigns that are too far-fetched or irrelevant to the occasion.
How do you think Ramadan promotions can improve?
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Much is missing from the article as to which section of the items are being promoted the most. It would have been a waste to promote the tooth brushes and toothpastes.
Promotions always arise when alleys of one competitor faces lesser attention while the others are already stocking out. More competition, more sales, more promotion, more circulation of money.
Or negatively, when purchasing power falls, promotions pop-up to entice the customers. But even then the customers are quite aware and wouldn't fall that easily.
What would you add to this missing article?
Well statistics, on how much is spent on advertising and how much is regained from such promotions.
Sentiments of the public again were not portrayed. What kind of wastage is proposed from the public side is missing totally.
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Although Raqmadan should be a month of "Conservations" in every thing specialy eating, people are reversing the compuss. Fatness and illnesses are increasing in Ramadanbecoase of irregular eating , while this should not be the case.
Nothing wrong with Ramadan promos. The article is concerned about the trade and doesn’t fully cover the perspective of the consumers and the brands.
The trade is always eager to know our plans in Ramadan and what do we want to do. Therefore, we start implementing our Ramadan promo plans in February, particularly with the long lead times of some Premias and some packaging.
As far concern with Public chaos, so, it's great to find your direct audience.
with their schedule of buying certain things. in term of General items people are really concision to buy in discount but brand concision 'll never go to buy the cheap product. so, the customer 'll be retain at same. and the good brand companies 'll never compromise to loose the standard. but they do decrease the price on some off season and seasonal products. which 'll help them to increase in the sale volume.
as far concern with Post spending decrease:
more buying in ramdan doesn't effects more on Eid business because in ramdan people are ultimately purchasing for the eid festival.
Expolitation;
strongly agreed with this that new products get better advantage in ramdan. but it requires full promotional campaigns if the company has sufficient budget with it.
new products can also get advantage in different supermarkets without having promotional campaigns just required very attractive packaging and have to display near the competitive product at low price.
Low price and better packaging 'll definitely attract the customer to buy the product.
and if little investment made on advertising by displaying boards in the entrance of supermarket 'll reflect the image branding.
I would add to the article the sociocultural dimension of such promotions in the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan should be the month of fasting and not the month of eating!
Unfortunately, promotions focusing on food and discounts during the holy month fueled food consumerism. Ramadan became linked directly with specific types of foods and specific cousins that are rarely seen in any other month. This not only contradicts with the direct and clear purpose of fasting which is to feel with the poor and to appreciate the blessings one enjoys, it also contradicts with the spiritual purpose of purifying the soul and regulating desires.
Unfortunately, Ramadan has been abused and commercialized as has been done to Easter, Christmas and many other religious occasions. For that reason, and as part of the corporation's CSR, serious effort should be put into reviving the real spirit of Ramadan by emphasizing the real purposes hence maintain the sociocultural identity instead of manipulating it.
I agree with you, but i think we need to work on people thoughts, then companies gonna change their way in ADS, because they always say "el jomhor 3ayez kedda ! "
Don't agree with your thoughts. it is not the copmpany's job to change the perception of Ramadan. it is the community who should be in the driver seat. as long as the consumers are OK with it, we will continue doing it.
An additional problem is about promotional communication activities(at least for Turkey). Strategies may differ, but as key creative elements have been derived from the cultural Ramadan codes (as orientalist ornaments, sahari drummer, shadow puppetry characters, iftar cannon etc.), no one can differentiate from other. If a Martian comes by chance to Turkey in this holy period, he would probably think that there is only one brand named Ramadan in the country.
An additional problem is about promotional communication activities(at least for Turkey). Strategies may differ, but as key creative elements have been derived from the cultural Ramadan codes (as orientalist ornaments, sahari drummer, shadow puppetry characters, iftar cannon etc.), no one can differentiate from other. If a Martian comes by chance to Turkey in this holy period, he would probably think that there is only one brand named Ramadan in the country.