THE BRIEF
Hilton wanted to grow its cultural relevance in the Middle East and drive more bookings across the region, entering the conversation during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, the biggest season for travel and leisure there, and one of the hardest to cut through.
THE INSIGHT
Nostalgia runs deep during Ramadan, uniting families through shared references and familiar shows. The season is also becoming more inclusive, drawing in a growing number of expats. Using Hilton Honors data, we split the audience in two: Ramadan Engagers, an Arabic-speaking audience who observe the season deeply, and Ramadan Enjoyers, an English-speaking audience who take part more culturally. Each got a different version of the story.
THE RED THREAD IDEA
We drew on Hilton’s existing brand campaign, Timeless Stays, built around the idea of cherishing old memories to make new ones. That campaign came to life through Fawazeer Ramadan, one of the Middle East’s most iconic television programmes from the 80s and 90s, guaranteed to raise a smile and stir a memory.
WHAT WE DID
- Built a content strategy using a four-part video series playing on nostalgic jokes from the original show, ending each episode with a Ramadan Riddle
- Seeded the series through a personalised email journey, timed to land just after the fast broke each evening
- Gamified the Hilton app with the same riddles to keep the story going
- Tailored content and language to both audience segments
THE IMPACT
The campaign drove video views 78% above target, lifted visits to hotel pages on Hilton.com by 43%, and helped Hilton Arabia’s Instagram record its highest growth month to date.
- 11% more bookings on Hilton.com during Ramadan
- App launches up 4x during the campaign
- An incremental 13% rise in stayed folio from 520,000 Hilton Honors members in five weeks
We turned nostalgia into new bookings, and helped Hilton feel genuinely at home in the Middle East.