How Adland Rethought Ramadan Advertising in 2025

Ramadan has always been a time of reflection, generosity, and connection – but in 2025, its commercial landscape told a different story. In Malaysia, Eid al-Fitr’s spirit arrived two months early, with brands making the most of the retail-opportune moment. In Indonesia, brands tapped into the unexpected – using horror tropes to highlight how to spot signs of dehydration during fasting hours. And in the Middle East, Ramadan’s emotional resonance remained a goldmine for advertisers, with brands striving to strike the balance between tradition and entertainment.

As consumer behaviours shift, so too does the industry’s approach. Across markets, leading advertisers moved beyond surface-level messaging to embrace cultural responsiveness – interrogating modern Ramadan experiences and crafting campaigns that not only engaged but recalibrated perceptions. Speaking with these industry experts across different regions, we explored how brands evolved their Ramadan storytelling methods this year, and why the most impactful campaigns don’t just reflect tradition, they aim to redefine it.

Syahriza Badron, managing director at FCB SHOUT

2025 has been, by all accounts, an interesting year for Muslims in Malaysia. Ramadan began on March 2nd – but by early January, Eid al-Fitr had already arrived. Not in the calendar, but in spirit.

For the first time in living memory, Eid al-Fitr made its entrance two months early. Baju Raya (new clothes for Eid) were already strutting down Instagram runways. Promotions screamed pastel lace and matching family sets, while Ramadan remained a faint whisper in the background – something to think about only after shopping carts were full and credit limits tested.

A celebration meant to come after a month of restraint and reflection had leapfrogged ahead. We’ve turned spiritual preparation into retail anticipation – and called it tradition. Ramadan, once a time to quiet the ego and feed the soul, is now wedged between mall sales and courier deliveries. What was once sacred has been replaced by the thrill of spending. We’ve mastered the art of giving… to ourselves.

As expected, brands responded with familiar reminders: slow down, reflect, give back. All noble. But when audiences had already moved on from the meaning, a reminder alone wasn’t enough. In a world moving faster than ever, reflection needed more than a message – it needed a mechanism. Something that nudged action, not just intention.
That’s why at FCB SHOUT, we didn’t just echo the reminder – we activated it. So this Ramadan, in collaboration with Tropicana Twister, we launched the ‘Gandakan Kebaikan’ (‘Double Your Goodness’) campaign. Malaysians were invited to document and share their good deeds through an interactive Messenger Chatbot – a modern-day digital diary of compassion. Each good deed earned a digital orange. And for every ten oranges collected, those pledges were transformed into real-life care packages for families in need.

With RHB, we reminded people that generosity isn’t always about giving something new – it’s about giving something meaningful. Through ‘Sulaman Kebersamaan’ (Belonging), we showed how unwanted Baju Raya, when given with sincerity, could be stitched into hope, dignity, and renewed purpose for someone else.
What made these campaigns work wasn’t just cultural relevance. It was cultural responsiveness – a willingness to interrogate what people were really doing, not just what they say they believe. And to design ideas that didn’t just ride the Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr moment, but recalibrated it.

Because somewhere between the sales and the scrolls, we forgot what this season was really about. Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr were never about more. They were always about less. Less noise. Less self. Less taking. And maybe – just maybe – this year, we helped Malaysia remember.

Dalia Khairy, managing director at DDB Egypt

Ramadan is universal, but it’s experienced differently across cultures. While some regions focus on quiet spirituality, others embrace its vibrant social aspect. What remains constant is the sense of connection… through traditions, communal meals, and how brands engage with audiences.

For advertisers, Ramadan is a golden opportunity. Audiences are highly engaged, splitting their attention between spirituality, family and friends, and entertainment. Even brands not directly linked to Ramadan rituals leverage this moment to make an impact, as the season is one of the biggest media and advertising moments of the year.

Regional nuances shape consumer behaviour. In the Middle East, ads emphasise togetherness and nostalgia. South Asia leans into gratitude and giving, while Southeast Asia embraces youth-driven, digital storytelling.

In Egypt, Lipton’s Ramadan campaign embraced a simple yet powerful truth: tea sparks gatherings. A playful, tongue-twisting song brought this to life, celebrating how Lipton is always at the heart of connection. Similarly, Mashreq Neo tapped into the entertainment-driven nature of the season, using a catchy, music-driven ad to connect with a digital-savvy audience. The brands that truly resonate during Ramadan are those that don’t just participate... they understand and adapt to the way people experience the month.

Rangga Immanuel, ECD at Dentsu Creative Indonesia

Ramadan is one the biggest moments of celebrations in Indonesia – beyond religious activities, it brings a sense of togetherness, generosity, and the joy of special Ramadan menus. That is why many brands – especially in the F&B category -- treat this period as their Super Bowl season, crafting campaigns that mostly resonate with local traditions, family warmth, and community spirit.

Eid celebrations across Southeast Asia are similar. It is a time of joy, family gatherings, generosity, and giving to charity. However, fasting in tropical countries like Indonesia presents unique challenges. In a hot and humid climate, enduring hunger and thirst for 12–14 hours can be especially demanding. This creates a prime opportunity for brands to highlight how their products can help people stay hydrated, refreshed, and energised throughout the long fasting hours.

Dentsu Indonesia sought fresh, insight-driven ideas that would cut through the ad clutter. We realised that the surge in horror content consumption during Ramadan presented an unexpected yet powerful opportunity.

Instead of the usual themes of self-improvement and family bonding, we tapped on this insight to deliver a horror-comedy campaign for POCARI SWEAT, comparing the signs of dehydration -- dry lips, pale skin, and weakness -- to classic horror movie tropes.
This unexpected twist led the video commercial to virality, solidifying POCARI SWEAT’s role as Indonesia’s go-to Suhoor drink to maintain hydration.

Reham Nader Mufleh, managing director at Horizon FCB Dubai

That beautiful spiritual month of the year is now over, with everything it holds. Ramadan in the Middle East is a month that has its own unique characteristics in every shape and form, where we experience completely special and unique days different from any other time of the year and any other part of the world.

It’s the time where everything becomes more elevated. Spiritual and religious practices get more significant, food gets yummier, days get shorter, nights get busier, gatherings become bigger and longer, consumers get more nostalgic, and their sense of emotions gets heightened, Ramadan TV shows multiply like they’re on steroids, and brands get much louder.

And when it comes to brands specifically, no matter how they behave during the year, in Ramadan their communication shifts to reflect local nuances to enhance their appeal and to engage deeply with the local consumer.

The traditions, customs, and values become more meaningful during this holy month, even for our younger audiences like gen z and gen alpha. The storytelling tends to highlight community bonds and family gatherings. Local dialects and cultural narratives are leveraged to create a more personal, genuine connection, while collaborations with influencers help ensure authenticity and relevance.

It’s a busy time, and grabbing consumers’ attention becomes a real challenge within this sometimes noisy space, yet consumers are still perceptive to brands that are more entertaining, and that speak to them directly and genuinely. You don’t need to shout to be heard, simply speak ‘wisely’.

Natalie Shardan, managing partner at Serviceplan Middle East

Ramadan is a time for connection and reflection, and brands must go beyond generic campaigns to resonate with diverse regional audiences. Localised, culturally fluent marketing is essential.

A recent roundtable discussion showed that Middle Eastern CMOs are increasingly focusing on creating meaningful, culturally sensitive campaigns that emphasise togetherness, shared moments, and memories. Brands like Lipton in Egypt have leveraged humour to reconnect with consumers during Ramadan, while Abu Dhabi’s tourism campaign highlighted vibrant night markets and social gatherings, showcasing the season’s communal spirit.

The key to successful Ramadan campaigns is blending global storytelling with local relevance. Brands that embrace cultural intelligence, invest in meaningful content, and tap into the emotional connections of the season will create lasting impact and foster loyalty.