Marketing in Ramadan: Do well by doing good

In the UAE and MENA region, Ramadan is usually a slow month for most startups. But for charitable causes, Ramadan is an ideal time for cause marketing due to a heightened emphasis on giving back.

Cause marketing has become common practice for established brands and startups alike, particularly in today’s collaborative economy. Cause marketing entails collaboration between two or more parties to achieve mutual goals together. These goals can include raising funds and awareness for a charitable cause while simultaneously creating brand awareness. A well-executed campaign also builds a sense of identity among followers through shared values.

In recent years, because Ramadan has taken place during the summer, many startups close shop and go on vacation. This year, however, three startups in Dubai have decided that every day counts and that Ramadan is an opportunity to continue growing and to “do well by doing good”. CarpoolArabia.com, Melltoo Marketplace (of which I am a co-founder), and Moti Roti are three local startups that have launched innovative cause marketing campaigns this month.

Cause marketing and the collaborative economy

Having risen out of the recent economic slump, the collaborative economy is where people share their personal resources to create a more sustainable future. A number of wildly successful startups are based on this idea, including AirBnB, Uber, and Task Rabbit. Cause marketing fits nicely with the values of this new economy. At the heart of each campaign is collaboration, and collaboration can be achieved in many ways as each of our startups demonstrates.

CarpoolArabia.com encourages collaboration among its users by connecting drivers with empty seats with passengers looking for a ride. Drivers have the option to ask for financial compensation or request that passengers cover part of the cost of the ride. The #RamadanPoolers campaign encourages drivers to offer free rides in the spirit of sharing and meeting new people during the month of Ramadan. Guillaume Arnaud, co-founder of Carpool Arabia, explains why the startup was keen on the #RamadanPoolers campaign: “We believe that the world would be a better place if people shared more. Our users have these same values so we wanted to give them the opportunity to do something for the community.”

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Marketing in Ramadan: do well by doing good