This article is a story I’m telling for the first time
Hello, my friend ツ
As we approach the blessed month of Ramadan, I vividly remember Ramadan two years ago, which I experienced in a very different way. I will share with you some of what I personally went through, and take you on a unique marketing journey. That month was one of the most exceptional in my professional life. I’m not talking about the extremely long working hours—where I only rested when it was time to sleep
Nor about my family, who were very patient with me, as they only spoke to me during the first moments of Iftar. As for Suhoor, they didn’t see me at the table. I’m not talking about my health either, which significantly declined due to my neglect. Nor about the holy month itself, in which I wasn’t able to read the Qur’an or attend Taraweeh prayers
Instead, I will tell you about a great challenge: to lead a national campaign across the country, with teams from every region in the Kingdom, where the number of team members exceeded 100 people. And don’t forget the eyes that were watching every day—waiting for success, revenue, ambitious ideas, and dreams to become a reality. It wasn’t easy, even with available funding. Money is important, but it’s not always enough However, we viewed it as an opportunity. We embraced openness, allowed space for creativity, accepted mistakes, and implemented a flexible structure that ensured we could monitor all tasks while focusing on achieving results-oriented KPIs without neglecting activities.
Let me take you on a knowledge journey—I hope you’ll enjoy it.
How We Thought About the Cause 📑 📑
When we reflected on our cause, we realized it was a new one—emerging from a cause we had previously completed. We had shifted our focus from the individual to the family.
This presented a big challenge: how could we convince people about this new cause when they had known us for something else entirely? And then how could we persuade them to donate? It wasn’t easy. But we knew we had to present the cause boldly. We tried to follow an emotional field-based approach—meaning, we showcased the families’ cases with more emotion, documented in real-life settings.
Some people told us that this violated the privacy of the beneficiaries. But we tried to be mindful of that—in fact, it was one of our goals. We aimed to highlight what was permissible while concealing what might be embarrassing. We had no option but to rely on the power of storytelling and persuasion, while also trying to respect the dignity of beneficiaries. This applied to every aspect—from our campaign film idea, its message, and characters, to the designs and ad concepts. For example, we asked influencers not to film at home or in our office. Instead, we insisted on field visits to document a real family’s case every day. That wasn’t easy—it required coordination between the family and the influencer, and sometimes it didn’t work out, especially given how sensitive the matter was. That’s why some campaign leaders personally attended each visit. Another objective was for the team members to deeply understand the cause. This would enhance their empathy and strengthen their advocacy. After all, someone who doesn’t believe in the cause cannot inspire others to support it
I went with some influencers to visit families. I still remember that very long day—I went early, during Ramadan noon, to one of the low-income neighborhoods in South Riyadh. While I was waiting next to the family’s home for the influencer—who was running late—I noticed an old woman stopping her car with one of her sons. She had boxes of food and started distributing them to the neighborhood. I stood under the mosque's minaret, seeking shade, thirsty, and watching this woman endure the heat for the sake of doing good. I was told she did this every day. Seeing that inspired us to give even more. We were facing an important cause and a great opportunity in this holy month. A one-hour delay in serving it could cost us greatly
The influencer arrived, and we documented the case, which spread across all social media platforms. We didn’t finish until after Maghrib—we broke our fast with the family and felt joy in their joy. After we finished, we documented moments of gratitude that stayed with us long after. Unfortunately, we often neglect to thank others—or we thank them in traditional ways. That’s why it’s important that the conclusion isn’t ordinary. Let’s celebrate it, document it, and share it. Do you know that some of those influencer ads were done for free? Some of them even donated to the family after filming—because of how moved they were
Let me take you back for a moment to the campaign — the preparations started quite early. That’s why I sometimes say to my colleagues: do we have any doubt that Ramadan always comes in the ninth month of the Hijri calendar? Why are we always surprised by how close it is or late in getting ready for it? No one can be excused for that. God has blessed our campaign with a leader who provided us with all the financial and human resources needed for success.
This greatly helped us in planning — in fact, he supported us in every new and innovative idea we had. We had a governance framework for the campaign, an authority matrix, a risk management plan, a rapid response plan, a strategy, and an operational plan. I won’t go into detail about all of that, as the scale of the campaign naturally required such structures. Undoubtedly, all of this contributed to organizing and leading the campaign more effectively
I took on the management of the campaign early on, and it was a major responsibility—especially with a large financial target and a new cause. You worry a lot about not being able to achieve it. But after relying on God and putting in the effort, you begin to see the successes unfold before you. I collapsed from my chair and fell in prostration, thanking God, when I received the news—while sitting in my office—that a donor had contributed one million riyals to the campaign. It was a well-deserved success. We were in the midst of intense competition, and here, I’ll pause for a moment.
Strengths ⚙️
Here, I recall the words of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who once said: “Success stories always begin with a vision, and the most successful visions are those built on areas of strength.
Indeed, it was our strengths that distinguished us and contributed to our success. This was clear in our plan from the beginning, as I personally wrote in the initial planning document what I called “Campaign Directions.”
✔️ First: Inclusiveness — ensuring the campaign covers all regions of the Kingdom, since we had branches there. This was our greatest opportunity for outreach
✔️ Second: High-level representation — our Board Chairman is a government minister, and there is strong representation of government entities on our board. This meant we had to invest in that strength. The campaign was launched by the Chairman himself, along with all honorary presidents across the Kingdom’s regions. This gave the campaign tremendous national strength.
✔️ Third: The national name — the campaign’s name reflected its strength and foundation. It had to be emphasized both within the team and among supporters.
✔️ Fourth: Media presence — we were keen to include all our branches, members, teams, volunteers, partners, and every possible source of income. We had to have a media presence that matched our strength. We appeared daily on Al Ekhbariya TV and MBC FM Radio.
And again, I return to the importance of the cause — the media presence wasn’t just for exposure. We were committed to presenting the cause boldly by showcasing a real humanitarian case on these channels. This was a new model in media advocacy. I remember an afternoon when we were heading to film with a TV channel representative, who arrived late. I was sitting with a family who was sharing their struggles. In that moment, I remembered a generous donor and sent him a message asking for help for that family. He agreed. When the family appeared on television, we informed them that their needs had been covered. She couldn’t hold back her tears—she broke down in joy, and we cried with her. I remember that moment every time—and even now, as I write this, my eyes fill with tears.
I also remember that Thursday—the day we decided to shoot the campaign film, which we considered the strongest emotional driver. The production company informed us of the filming location, which was more than an hour away from my office in South Riyadh. Amidst a cluster of warehouses, the company reserved a large space and built a studio inside it resembling an old home to film the family scenes. I went there and stayed until late at night. The next day, after Friday prayer, I called to check on them—they told me they hadn’t finished filming yet. They had been shooting for more than 24 consecutive hours. It was an extremely exhausting experience for me. During filming, we paused at every scene and reshot it multiple times. I never expected such scenes would take so much effort and time
Eventually, we produced a video that didn’t exceed three minutes—but it was exactly what we needed. We made sure to show it to every guest who visited our campaign headquarters. After the screening, I would look into the audience’s eyes and see them glistening with tears. I knew then that we had truly touched their hearts and made an impact. By the way, this film recently won an international award.
Outreach 📷
Outreach was a core direction for us — we wanted you to see us everywhere, in every direction. This gave us an opportunity for creativity and innovation in penetrating spaces, gatherings, and striving for visibility. Our approach was based on repetition — repeated exposure to the audience in multiple places, which helped them remember us and our message.
We even had a crazy idea that we almost executed — we thought about immersing people inside a cinema or a shopping mall in a painful social experience. Unfortunately, the idea didn’t materialize, but it still exists. That’s why I always say: generate as many ideas as you can and implement what is feasible — you’ll find that one of them will succeed.
I remember that after the campaign, we asked one of the beneficiaries to write a letter by hand. It was crafted in an emotional tone. We then sent it to all donors. The popularity of that letter exceeded some of the products we spent tens of thousands on. I recall a donor who came and asked to donate again just to receive such a letter. Sharing emotions among people encourages more giving — and that letter proved it.
Returning to outreach — I developed what I called the Marketing Quintet, which consisted of: Influencers Outdoor advertising Field exhibitions Partnerships Media These five elements were the pillars of achieving widespread reach. We seized any available opportunity, no matter how small. We invested in influencers, journalists, and writers. We reached out to most newspapers, radio stations, and TV channels. To be honest, the presence of some government entities on our board made that much easier. But the movement that occurred, the content we created, and the preparations we made were enough reason to drive engagement. Knowing your strengths is not enough — you must think about how to invest in them. And don’t waste your time on weaknesses; it’s enough to just make them acceptable.
The campaign spread across every street and road in the Kingdom — airports, towers, malls, hotels, and beyond. You could find our campaign in every delivery app. We even reached out to HR departments and internal communications teams in companies and government entities, asking them to circulate donation requests and case closures to their employees. We had many partners — cafés that deducted 1 SAR from every cup, others that placed ads inside the coffee shop, or stickers on every cup sold. One global restaurant chain even offered us a free dinner in one of Riyadh’s most famous towers, which we used to invite a large group of journalists. It was a great event to boost our campaign’s exposure and enhance the organization’s brand
We set up field exhibitions in major malls, even inside mosques where we placed advertising screens. We distributed them in beaches, parks — we even organized a cyclists’ tour in Riyadh under the campaign slogan. I rode in the support car — I, unfortunately, cannot ride a bike.
We also had a Harley Davidson motorcycle tour and more. Most of what I mentioned was done at no cost. We were running every day to achieve maximum visibility. We firmly believed this effort would pay off in the long term. If we didn’t earn from it this year, it would benefit us the next — because promoting a new cause cannot be done in a single year. It may take years — and with each one, more effort is required.
We held near-daily leadership meetings to monitor performance. At first, indicators weren’t promising. We had strong visibility, but not high returns — and that was worrying. We reassessed and questioned: Do we need more outreach? Or should we focus on the most effective tools? Visibility was always a goal — and we knew it wouldn’t yield immediate revenue. We observed which initiatives delivered the most returns and reinforced them — most notably, influencers. Without a doubt, they were the most impactful — but also the most expensive. So, balance was essential, and having emotionally compelling content was also a key requirement.
Conclusion 🗃️
As Ramadan’s days came to an end — slipping away day by day — we watched our performance indicators, results, and glimmers of success. What made this campaign unique was that the whole team was part of it. Everyone felt that they were part of the cause. I remember we shared the donation QR code with employees on their phones. It wasn’t mandatory, nor did it bring major revenue, but getting closer to the cause builds a sense of belonging. I received countless ideas and great opportunities every day from my colleagues. The result of it all was a heroic team. I was fortunate to take on the leadership role among them and received incredible support from everyone. My deepest thanks and appreciation to them for granting me this amazing experience. I learned a lot — it was like an intensive masterclass. My colleagues endured my mistakes and my calm demeanor. They were often surprised by how calm I was in stressful situations. I always tried to act with confidence, and by God’s grace, I never lost my temper despite the challenges we faced. I’m sure there are many more details I haven’t mentioned. Perhaps I’ll share them another time. I hope you enjoyed reading this simple story — and I hope to see you in future experiences, God willing.
🔔 أصدرت مؤخراً دليل الفعاليات والأيام العالمية للقطاع غير الربحي أطلع عليه
- وكذلك جمعت أبرز مشاركات القطاع غير الربحي في #يوم_التأسيس
- اذا عندك حملة في رمضان شارك معي الليلة في لقاء دورة الحملة التسويقية خطوة بخطوة
💬 أخبرني عن رأيك في هذه النشرة وما تريد أن تعرفه في النشرات القادمة
♻️ شارك هذا العدد مع غيرك
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