The Ultimate Eid Al Adha Marketing Guide to help grow your business

In comparison with other major holidays such as Easter and Christmas, Eid Al Adha has triggered a consumer boom in many different industries in the Middle East and North Africa. Marketers need to understand how to effectively target their marketing efforts to this holiday in order to capitalize on the many opportunities that come with it.

In order to successfully reach your target audience, it is important to know the facts covered in this guide, as an insensitive approach to this holiday could be a damaging mistake for your business. Here’s a guide to help you started this year.

Related: How can you create an Eid gift guide and promote it

Iconic Symbols of Eid Al Adha Commonly Used in Advertisements

Crescent Moon and Star

The crescent moon is the international symbol of Islam, as seen on the flags of several countries. According to the lunar calendar, the first crescent moon seen each month signifies the first of each month in the lunar calendar.

Because of the symbol’s strong association with Islam, the crescent or moon is probably the most well-known image used in advertising for Eid Al Adha.
For any visual advertisement, the use of the crescent or moon should be considered.

Animals

Animals and animal sacrifice play a large role during this holiday. Many companies use animal images to draw attention to this aspect of the holiday. Try to use appropriate images that are aesthetically pleasing and caricatures of animals that don’t show any blood or slaughtering taking place.

Charity

As giving back to the community especially through charitable campaigns is an important part of this holiday, many shoppers want to make feel-good purchases. As a result, an effective Eid marketing strategy is to emphasize charitable activities from sales.

For example, a lot of brands state that a part of their profit from Eid sales will be going to those in need during such festive times, to share the joy and happiness in during the holidays, and this marketing strategy has proved itself very effective sales-wise.

Related: Digital marketing tips for SMBs as holidays are approaching

Mosques and Minarets

As the mosque is the worship place for Muslims, it is a beneficial symbol to make use of in a marketing campaign. Eid prayers during Eid Al Adha is an important part of this holiday and therefore you are bound to grab people’s attention with emphasizing this ritual.
Minarets are the tall slender towers from where the call to prayer is emitted.

Bright Lights and Lanterns

Lanterns are a symbol that have become associated with Ramadan celebrations. However, the use of this symbol has caught on for Eid Al Adha as well as the element of celebration is regarded as a bright, celebratory event to share with loved ones.
Lanterns, strand lights and lamps are hung up throughout the streets, and many associate them with the holiday, thus a suitable symbol to use in advertisements or in your social campaigns.

Related: Marketing ideas for the Eid: Let your business shine

Respecting Culture in Your Marketing Messaging

Displaying respect and understanding to the cultural and ritual importance of Eid Al Adha is the key to a successful marketing campaign. To be successful, marketers must use a culturally sensitive and respectful approach in their messaging. Since Eid Al Adha is a holiday that commemorates sacrifice and obedience to religion, it is very emotionally and spiritually charged for Muslims. Therefore, it is especially important to be respectful and in line with customs and beliefs.

It is also important to note that there are two Eids. Eid Al Adha is not to be confused with Eid Al Fitr, the day that signifies the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. This Eid is referred to as the “greater” of the two Eids, meaning it is more important and sacred to Muslims.

If you want to get a head start on your plans for Ramadan next year, you can read more about how to prepare for it here.

Greetings and messages to use for your marketing campaign during Eid Al Adha

Greetings Campaign

Greetings are a large part of Muslim culture, even though they may to show that you are respecting the holy holiday, it could be beneficial to use a personal greeting when addressing your target audience. Here are several examples of phrases you could use:

Eid Adha Mubarak

Eid Mubarak technically means “blessed festival” and is used not just during Eid Al Adha but during other Muslim Holidays as well. Eid Mubarak is also used throughout advertising efforts and seems to be more of a generic message such as saying “Seasons Greetings” over Christmas time.

Eid Saeed

This is like Eid Mubarak, and it means “Have a happy Eid.”

Remember that:

your products during Eid Al Adha

The increased rate of consumerism surrounding this holiday means a noticeable increase in the amount of goods and amenities that are bought. With that there are a few product categories that tend to perform the best during this season like:

Food

Since a large part of Eid Al Adha is spending time with family members, food is an important part of the celebration. Recently, the fast-food industry has benefited during Eid Season as families move from elaborate, traditional meals to quickly prepared meals. The ability to feed many people quickly means they can spend more time with family and less time in the kitchen. As a result, the Middle East has recently seen a boom in fast food chains opening everything from local to foreign companies. However, the art of traditional meals has not disappeared, and many families still spend billions of dollars at grocery stores to make sure they have food to feed all their guests.

Clothes

It is customary for Muslim men, women and children to put on their best clothes when performing Eid prayers and when visiting. All over Middle East clothing continues to make up a large part of Eid spending, with Middle Eastern designers placing many of their best sales during the holiday season. Although many of these stores are in physical locations, many online retailers also participate in Eid sales.

Travel

Many Muslims choose to return to their birthplaces during this time, this means buying expensive tickets back to their extended families. But many other Muslims spend this long holiday weekend abroad, either in Europe or Asia, to celebrate Eid.

Best times to Market during Eid Al Adha

The period leading up to Eid Al Adha is the best time to market. As people are finalizing their travels and preparing to buy goods for their family members, the few weeks leading up to the holiday is the most lucrative time.
However, you can also choose to market during the holiday period as well, as many are caught up in the spirit of the holiday and choose to make more purchases.

Conclusion

Now that you have gained further insight into the holiday, you now know that Eid Al Adha is an opportunity for marketers. We hope that this guide will allow you to make informed, culturally aware decisions that will ultimately yield successful for your businesses

Image by: Ishan via Unsplash.