Who will win The Lantern Award for the best Ramadan ad on YouTube in 2019? The countdown is on: we are excited to share the first half of our top ten finalists in order. We’ve discovered five trends that regularly feature in Ramadan ads that resonate most with audiences - and this year’s finalists are no different. The five themes include:
- Content with Ramadan insights at heart
- Longform is king
- Web-series work, especially during Ramadan
- Diverse industries can also shine in Ramadan
- Music and stars play a role
While all the ads in our finalists were long-form at an average of 4 minutes, read on to discover what other trends featured in this year's top 10!
1) Maybelline X Noor Stars Makyaj wa Banat Ramadan
Brand: Maybelline NY
Creative agency: Ykone
Media agency: UM MENA
Maybelline New York created the award-winning Ramadan series thanks to its original Maybelline New York Makyaj wa Banat web series that the brand’s GCC team showcased in 2016. Seeing rising indie beauty brands competing to capture millennials’ and Gen Zs’ attention at the time, Maybelline New York made the bold decision to move away from traditional communication entirely in an effort to engage and connect with global consumers. Departing from TV around the world, the brand went 100% digital with its pioneering and hugely successful year-round YouTube show, Maybelline New York Makyaj wa Banat.
The successful series followed the following format for its winning campaign:
- Collaboration with YouTube creators: The show invited top YouTube creators as guests and encouraged them to express their authentic identity and style during unscripted episodes.
- Agile Hub Content: In line with top digital trends and Always-On moments throughout the year, the show evolved and adapted to the latest trends, seasons and searches.
- Makeup and products: Beauty products were at the core of the show, with tutorials and how-to guides being key features helping bring the brand pillars to life in a fun way.
- Subscriber strategy: A well-considered subscribers strategy centered around users’ subscription messaging ensured the show’s commercial success.
Read more about why this ad has deserved to win this year's Lantern Award.
2) A VERY PINK IFTAR | إفطار وردي (ep.1)
Brand: Benefit cosmetics
Creative agency: Diwanee
Benefit Cosmetics’ 2019 entry draws on star power and a web series format to take the number two spot. This finalist’s fresh format, the inclusion of YouTube creators Noor Stars, Safa Srour, Hindash, Nawras Sattar and Hanan Alraimi, and a giveaway competition provide a new take on 2019 Ramadan campaigns. Its length of over 9 minutes highlights how product can be seamlessly integrated with entertainment.
3) Ramadan Kareem #CelebratingGoodness with Tata Motors
Brand: TATA Motors
Creative agency: Ogilvy
Media agency: Wavemaker
The message of Tata Motors’ 2019 Ramadan ad is one that captures the spirit of the Holy Month. The finalist takes the form of a short film, focusing on the breaking down of religious and racial barriers, and the goodness associated with giving. The Ramadan-specific insights ensured that this film ranked third in the leaderboard.
4) بنك مصر .. ابن مصر
Brand: Banque Misr
Creative agency: AB and Partners
Media agency: Wavemaker
Music is king, and Banque Misr’s effort is no exception. A hearty combination of song, panoramic shots of both city and nature, and the inclusion of children all throughout, ensured that this submission ranked fourth in the leaderboard.
5) Zain Ramadan 2019 TVC- الدين تمام الأخلاق
Brand: Zain Kuwait
Creative agency: Joy productions
Media agency: OMD Kuwait
Zain Kuwait uses Ramadan specific insights to promote values during the holy month. This year, they’re tackling the issue of tolerance and acceptance through an emotionally impactful song that shows the power of faith.
6) إعلان اتصالات أقوى كارت في مصر مع محمد رمضان وفاندام - اللهو الخفي
Brand: Etisalat Misr
Creative agency: FP7
Media agency: Starcom
The star power of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Mohamed Ramadan, combined with the catchiness of a song and dance number, and high-quality special effects, ensured that this advertisement pulled in over 104 million views by close of submissions.
7) اعلان اورنچ رمضان 2019 تامر حسني ونانسي عجرم - فرق كبير
Brand: Orange Egypt
Creative agency: Leo Burnett
Media agency: UM Cairo
Orange Egypt’s 2019 submission pulls out all the stops, creating a catchy tune that places memorability above everything else. High production quality and a star focus (Nancy Ajram and Tamer Hosny) ensured that this advertisement logged over 23 million views and an organic viewership nearly 20% higher than this year’s submission average.
8) VIVA رمضان 2019 مع عائلة قرقاشة
Brand: Viva Kuwait
Creative agency: Doors production
Media agency: Starcom
Viva Telecoms invites you to celebrate Ramadan with the Karkasha family. A glimpse into the lifestyle and habits of this family in a very musical format. There was a sense of continuity in this multi-part story that also had music and embraced a family theme popular during Ramadan.
9) إعلان زين العيد - يا ماطور
Brand: Zain Group
Creative agency: Joy Productions
Media agency: OMD Kuwait
Zain’s Eid celebration ad also puts kids center stage. It draws in viewers’ attention by welcoming Eid in a joyful way with lots of singing and dancing, showcasing the power of music in an ad again.
10) قرقيعان مع موبايلي
Brand: Mobily
Creative agency: 8ies
Media agency Initiative
This advertisement by Mobily captures the traditional values of family and community that are so closely associated with Ramadan. The trend that they played on was the music that heavily featured in an ad celeberating gargee’an, the local Halloween-style celebration that occurs pre-Ramadan. Naturally, children also play a big role in it. The infectious nature of their singing and dancing is what drew its organic viewership to exceed the average of Lantern submissions.
