Facebook's Ramadan Roundtable draws leading marketing and branding experts
From Facebook's 62 million Monthly Active People in MENA, 42 million are on mobile
People check their Newsfeed on average 14 times a day
As multi-screening becomes a trend, Facebook is the second screen when watching TV
Dubai, UAE, 5th May, 2014 - As the Islamic World prepares to welcome the Holy Month of Ramadan this year, Facebook, with its 62 million Monthly Active Users (MAU) in the Middle East and North Africa, 42 million of which are on mobile, is set to change the communications scene once again for the people, brands and marketers alike, especially on mobile.
At a roundtable that was organized by Facebook in Dubai , a recent study, conducted by the global research firm Ipsos, revealed that monthly reach of Facebook is higher than other digital platforms in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt. Jo Tenzer, Facebook's Marketing Science Lead, EMEA said, "The study highlights that there are 1.3 times more people accessing Facebook on a monthly basis than on YouTube, 2.5 times more than Twitter and 4.9 times more than Yahoo."
She further added, "The Ipsos Facebook Reach Survey, conducted in November-December 2013, also revealed that Facebook is the second screen when watching television - 1.7 times more than YouTube and 3.3 times more than Twitter."
Commenting on the Ramadan figures, Jonathan Labin, head of Facebook for Middle East, Africa and Pakistan, said: "Ramadan is unlike any other month of the year. Muslims throughout the world observe this Holy Month and are blessed with stronger spiritual, cultural and social rituals. While for years, television dominated the Ramadan scene with popular series and shows, people are on Facebook through most parts of the day during Ramadan leading Facebook to rapidly becoming an integral part of people's lives.
"The living room is now a digital experience, with more people multi-screening than ever before, and mobile proving to be an integral part of people's communication. As more people access their Facebook Newsfeed, at an average of 14 times a day, we are confident that charitable, social, government and various brands can create reach more people in this peak season by tapping into our platform with their key messages, in a more targeted and engaging way," Labin added.
According to the Ipsos study, 77% of Facebook's monthly users are more engaged during prime time. It also revealed that 74% of monthly Facebook users in the UAE interact with brands on Facebook, compared to 68% in KSA.
Campaigns on Facebook enjoy a landscape that cuts through the clutter, provide scalable outcome to customized audiences and ensure effective messages are reached in the most efficient manner.
Labin concluded, "Ramadan enforces social and family bonds, and in today's fast paced world, tradition and technology are coming together to bring the people of this region engaging and memorable experiences. Ensuring the activation of a strategic campaign during Ramadan that is more focused and reaches targeted audiences is the key to its success."
Methodology of Ipsos Research
All data collected by independently by Ipsos in November and December 2013
Methodology: KSA and Egypt (Telephone - CATI), UAE (Face-to-face in home - CAPI)
Sample representative of the population 13+
Sample size: KSA (1,002), Egypt (1,012), UAE (1,082)
About Facebook:
Founded in 2004, Facebook's mission is to make the world more open and connected. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what's going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them. Facebook has more than a 1.3 billion monthly active users across the world.
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© Press Release 2014
