As people around the region begin preparations for the Holy Month of Ramadan, there appears to be an increased sentiment of hope and positivity this year. In recent insights from TikTok For Business, the app has emerged as a key platform that has provided its community in the region with a voice to celebrate and keep the spirit of Ramadan alive during difficult times. The findings also indicate that TikTok supported brands in reaching new audiences during this period and helped engage with them through meaningful and authentic content.
Ramadan has always been valued as a time for building relationships and reconnecting with loved ones, and this still holds true whether the customs of the Holy Month are observed in person or virtually this year. With the shift to remote working and shorter working hours during Ramadan, the TikTok community has seen the opportunity to spend more time exploring their interests and connect with each other virtually. TikTok has seen content consumption during Ramadan last year increased by 17 per cent for video viewership and 91 per cent for video engagement. Content consumption has varied throughout 2020, however, during Ramadan, users were more active on their phones and engaged with diverse content on the platform as they patiently waited to break their fast. This was also reflected in TikTok’s Ramadan 2020 takeaways which indicated the TikTok community tuned into content around various categories, with the most prominent ones being around cooking, health, family entertainment, and gaming. Through this content, TikTok provided its community with the opportunity to take their creativity further and engage with content that was meaningful to them on the platform.
Shant Oknayan, general manager of Global Business Solutions MENAT said, “The Holy Month of Ramadan has always been celebrated as a special period in this part of the world, and this year is no different. While the pandemic did bring about a loss of physical connection, social and entertainment apps, fortunately, played an irreplaceable role in helping people stay connected. This was also reflected in our recent research which indicated a substantial rise in our community’s engagement on TikTok, especially during Ramadan. It has been heartening to see TikTok emerge as the platform that provides our community with the opportunity to create meaningful content and brings them together during key moments in time. This continues to be our priority, while also supporting brands to tap into an active audience who are on the lookout for authentic content.”
The findings also provided insights on content engagement patterns within the TikTok community during Ramadan. Content is being experienced on the platform in a fully immersed manner, through a 100 per cent full-screen experience and 80 per cent sound-on environment. Additionally, TikTok’s storytelling canvas and content structure have facilitated discovery, with 52 per cent saying they learn about new products via brand video ads on TikTok. As such, the platform has actively supported brands in boosting the community’s participation in a strategic manner while infusing creativity when bringing their campaigns to life.
TikTok aims to continuously innovate in order to inspire creativity, authenticity and content diversity through its unique format of short-form mobile video content. To create opportunities for the TikTok community to start positive and uplifting conversations this Ramadan and to help brands in engaging with this community in a meaningful manner, the findings from TikTok For Business provide the in-depth insights they require to create timely, creative content that embraces and support the region’s interests and sentiments during this period.
