Making sure the ads get seen and heard

Not advertising where your customers are is like shouting in an empty room. You might be shouting really loud — but even if you get a megaphone, no one can hear you because no one’s there.

Continuing to advertise in non-digital media when your consumers are searching for your products online is like shouting in that empty room.

To do this during a key sales period magnifies the issue. The Haj is an annual pilgrimage to Makkah, and a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and can support their family during their absence.

The culmination of pilgrimage is celebrated by the beginning of Eid Al Adha. The gathering during Haj is considered the largest annual gathering of people in the world.

The numbers involved are substantial. In 2014, international pilgrims were 1.38 million with another 700,000 from within Saudi Arabia. Almost the same number is expected this year.

While it is primarily a religious event, it is also big business. Pilgrims shop for a wide array of items, including beauty and personal products as well as electronic and home appliances. Consumers also shop for gifts and make preparations for the festivities of Eid Al Adha.

The Makkah Chamber of Commerce reported that $10 billion (Dh36.7 billion) was generated in the last 10 days of the Haj across all industries.

Saudi Arabia is third in global rankings for smartphone penetration, topped only by South Korea and the UAE. With this constant connectedness, it’s unsurprising that increasing amounts of shopping research is being done online during the Haj.

Search activity shows a spike in numbers of consumers looking online for offers and promotions during this time. What is surprising is that few if any brands are taking a digital advantage of this huge opportunity.

In 2014 there was an 18 per cent increase in offline spend in primarily print advertising two weeks before Eid. However, display advertising witnessed only 4 per cent according to OOXMonitor.

Marketers are effectively ignoring digital when it comes to planning their Eid Al Adha advertising spends and this is potentially to their detriment.

Brands need to ensure they stand out in the cluttered marketplace that is the print world of Eid Al Adha advertising. Investing in digital is surely likely to reap greater rewards. Marketers need to be where their customers are and online is where a significant proportion of them are spending their time.

Mohammad Hassoun from Google said: “Haj is an important feast for Islam, where millions gather together on a yearly basis. The occasion also represent a large commercial event for brands and consumers.

“On the consumer side, we witness a significant increase in interest across many sectors, such as travel, retail and automotive.

“Consumers would be mainly looking for special offers and promotions. Historically advertisers in Saudi Arabia focus mainly on Ramadan as the major event to attract consumption [food, home and personal products] and push purchases, but the Haj occasion, as consumer behaviour and interest online is showing, is as big as Ramadan for some industries.”

Consumption of traditional media is falling and people are moving online. Consumers, especially the young, now live online. To ignore this area during big events and festivals effectively means you’re ignoring your customers completely.

Remember that empty room? You can’t sell to people who can’t hear you.

The writer is Senior Bid Media Executive at MediaCom MENA.