As watching TV during Ramadan is one of the Egyptians’ favorite pastime, commercials increase exponentially, with companies trying to showcase their products among a sea of other competitors. Invest-Gate surveys a number of leading real estate developers to know their marketing campaigns during Ramadan, if any, as well as what they think of Ramadan’s commercials race.

TARGETED MARKETING VS GOING BIG

One of the major trends in the real estate sector is avoiding the launch of new projects during Ramadan.

“We do not launch new projects during Ramadan because we know people are focused elsewhere,” Philopateer Dimitri, senior executive – commercial sector at Al Ahly for Real Estate Development – Sabbour, tells Invest-Gate. “We know that they are thinking about their summer plans and preparing their summer homes.”

Dimitri adds that instead, they create an “anticipation” campaign. “We give our consumers a sort of heads up of our
upcoming projects and phases.”

According to Dimitri, TV commercials in other sectors are more popular among TV viewers in Ramadan.

“People wait for the food and beverages commercials in Ramadan because of their catchy tunes and dances, but not so much real estate commercials.”

Similarly, Marketing Director of Misr Italia Properties Sherif Saleh tells Invest-Gate that Ramadan is the season for family gatherings, outings, and television drama series. People are not really focusing on buying first homes during that time thus, the real estate marketing campaigns might not leave a mark on viewers.

Meanwhile, developers such as Iwan for Investment and Development choose to launch their marketing campaigns prior to the holy month, in order to escape the overflowing sea of commercials.

“We have already recently launched a marketing campaign titled “feel good neighborhood” and modified the company’s logo,” Iwan for Investment and Development’s Rana Abu Allam tells Invest-Gate.

Instead, the developer will focus on targeted marketing during the month. “For Ramadan, we will hold a tournament in our Clubhouse in Jeera,” Abu Allam adds.

Other developers do not engage in the mega Ramadan campaigns altogether. “We do not work on large campaigns in general, as our clientele is A+ and A, and we want to maintain the exclusivity of our communities,” Equity Real Estate Development’s Business Development Manager Mohamed Maher tells Invest-Gate. “We work on positioning and branding but not on a wide scale,” he adds.

On the other end of the spectrum, Marketing Manager at Mousa Coast Developments Ismail Hafez tells Invest-Gate that Ramadan TV commercials are part and parcel of their marketing strategy. “In our commercials, we aim to show that Mousa Coast is about entertainment for all family members; from the elderly to the children,” Hafez elaborates.

He also adds that the developer’s marketing efforts during Ramadan extends to ATL (Above the Line) advertising through “holding concerts and activities as caricature drawing, musical parades, and cooking competitions, featuring well-known cooks to target mothers.”

There is no one bulletproof guide for designing and executing real estate marketing campaigns in Ramadan; however, one thing remains certain, marketing campaigns and strategies will continue to develop and evolve from one Ramadan to another to keep viewers on their toes and achieve maximum sales rates.