Ramadan TV advertising in Egypt: how to plan the budget so every pound is seen

Every year, Ramadan brings the biggest TV audiences in Egypt: families watching together after iftar, the season's big drama series and hours of prime time every night. It is also the most expensive month to be on air, and the easiest place to waste a budget on spots that nobody remembers. The brands that win Ramadan are the ones that plan it like a media agency: with clear targets, early bookings and proof of what aired.

This is the method our TV advertising team uses to plan Ramadan campaigns in Egypt.

1. Set the objective and the numbers first

Start by deciding what the campaign has to do: build awareness for a new brand, remind people of a familiar one, or push sales of a Ramadan offer. The objective sets the targets you plan against:

• GRPs (gross rating points): the total weight of the campaign, the sum of the ratings of every spot you buy.
• Reach 1+: the share of your target audience that sees the ad at least once.
• Effective frequency 3+: how many people see it three times or more, the level at which most messages start to stick.

An awareness launch needs high reach. A promotion needs frequency concentrated in the weeks people buy. Without these targets, a TV plan becomes a list of channels, and there is no way to judge whether it worked.

2. Define the audience precisely

"Everyone watches in Ramadan" is true, but not everyone watches the same things. Housewives, young men, families and business decision makers follow different series, channels and times. Define your target group by age, gender and social class, then plan against the ratings for that group, not the overall audience. A channel with a smaller overall audience can deliver more of your people for less money.

3. Choose channels and programmes by affinity and cost

We rank channels and programmes on two numbers: affinity (how concentrated your audience is in the programme's viewers) and cost per rating point (CPRP). The most-watched series is not always the best buy; often a mix of big titles and well-chosen secondary programmes gives the same reach at a lower cost.

For Egypt, plans usually draw on the main networks such as MBC Masr, ON, CBC, DMC, Al Hayah, Al Nahar and Sada El Balad, pan-Arab channels where the audience fits, and YouTube and connected TV to catch younger viewers who stream rather than watch live.

4. Shape the flight across the month

Ramadan isn't one flat month. Viewing, prices and people's attention change from week to week, so the budget should too. A typical Egyptian Ramadan plan looks like this:

• Two weeks before Ramadan: light presence to warm up the audience and secure positions.
• First two weeks: heavy weight, while new series are launching and audiences are highest.
• Middle of the month: lighter continuity to keep frequency up without paying peak prices every night.
• The last days and Eid: weight again for shopping and Eid offers.

This is only a shape. The real plan comes from ratings data for your audience, your objective and your budget.

5. Produce for the plan, not the other way round

Ramadan inventory is sold in slots of different lengths and prices. Shoot once and cut 30, 20, 15 and 10-second versions, so the plan can use a long spot where the story needs it and short reminders to build frequency cheaply. Whatever your deadline, our media production team adapts to it and hits the ground running: concept, script, casting, shooting and post-production, delivered in every version the plan needs.

6. Book early and negotiate as a package

Good Ramadan positions sell out. Booking early gives you the best choice of programmes and positions and more room to negotiate packages, bonus spots and sponsorships. Sponsorship of a series or a segment can also give your brand a presence that ordinary spots in a crowded break cannot.

7. Prove what aired, then learn

After the campaign, check every spot against the plan: did it air at the booked time, and how many GRPs were delivered against what was planned? Then look at what happened to search, website traffic, calls and sales during the flight. That post-buy analysis is what makes next Ramadan's plan better than this one.

Your Ramadan TV checklist

• Objective agreed: awareness, reminder or sales
• Target group defined and GRP, reach and frequency targets set
• Channels and programmes ranked by affinity and cost per rating point
• Budget split across pre-Ramadan, the month and Eid
• Commercial concept approved; 30, 20, 15 and 10-second versions planned
• Airtime booked early; packages, bonus spots and sponsorships negotiated
• Spot monitoring and a post-buy report agreed

Planning for Ramadan?

Doers plans, buys and produces TV campaigns across Egyptian and pan-Arab channels, with audience analysis, reach and frequency targets, negotiation and post-buy reporting. Many Ramadan plans also add radio for the drive home before iftar and outdoor on the main roads. For campaigns in the Kingdom, see our TV advertising team in Jeddah. Tell us your objective and timing and we'll reply within one working day.