Stop posting 'Happy Ramadan' and start doing something authentic, demand Indonesian Gen Z

Authenticity is vital for Gen Z, and significant during Ramadan. What brands should stay away from is the odd ‘Happy Ramadan’ post on social media, and instead invest in genuine engagement with the experience.

Today, Gen Z is the largest demographic group in Indonesia comprising 27.94% of Indonesia’s population. Born between 1997 and 2012, they are digital natives, using social media to connect with people around the world and exchange information and opinions. For a generation of Muslim Gen-Zers, Ramadan is important as they use it to embed habits that are true to the enlightened values of their religion— empathy, spirituality and kindness. Starting young, it helps to ingrain these habits and values as the ones they keep for life.

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Anish Daryani, founder and president director, M&C Saatchi Indonesia, added, “Our approach towards accelerated commerce leading to audacious results requires us to have sharp insights on significant consumer segments that impact brands. Our Ramadan outlook through the eyes on the Indonesian Gen Z is aimed at achieving the same purpose. We’ve used specific category examples to demonstrate how these insights can be leveraged by brands to maximise the Ramadan marketing opportunity.”

How can brands reach Gen Z consumers through content platforms?

With the increasing engagement in entertainment and shopping content on social media, brands should look to align their campaigns to the Indonesians’ various passion points during the Holy Month.

While traditional Ramadan content like food, cooking, and religion does matter, Gen Z resonates more in beauty, fashion, technology, finance, and gaming. From comedy and pop culture content to virtual concerts and shopping events, these are several content opportunities for brands to tap into to cut through the noise.

In Indonesia, 58% of Gen Z also tune into online music through the year. Audio and spirituality are intricately connected to provide inspiration, said the report.  It is an outlet for expression or to create the right atmosphere for prayer and contemplation. Last Ramadan, Spotify saw a 68% increase worldwide in streams of nasheeds (Islamic devotional songs or spiritual hymns) during April than the previous month. Spotify featured a series of special Ramadan collections, including song playlists and podcasts.

One in three Indonesians also stated that they plan to consume video streaming content as an essential form of entertainment throughout Ramadan.

With many GenZ interested in watching local movies, we can expect a slew of content being released. On the other hand, tech creators are raising money through NFT collectibles, by creating exciting characters - and then donating the amount raised to charity.

Last year, the mobile network Telkomsel also experienced a 34.9% increase in subscribers playing mobile games. In 2023, 43% of GenZs in Indonesia say they are ready to play during Ramadan.

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