Ramadan heralds myriad blessings, fostering spiritual development and communal unity amongst Muslims. Across the globe, about 1.9 billion Muslims join in this annual spiritual observance, cherishing their distinct culinary traditions and opportunities for familial and social connections.
For people living away from their country of origin, shared traditions and food experiences often strengthen their sense of community and cultural bonds. Al Safa, the leading North American halal frozen Food brand, launched the Taste the Blessings campaign in March and April to facilitate Muslims in North America observe Ramadan with ease, flavorful cuisines, and blissful joy along with their families and friends.
As Ramadan approaches, Muslim influencers turn their focus to creating content with recipes and tips for preparing food for Ramadan, particularly for families living in Western countries. In small family homes, maintaining the traditions of Ramadan can be challenging, while juggling work and parenting responsibilities. Sometimes, the demands of cooking and work leave little time for the spiritual practices of Ramadan.
Recognizing this insight, Al Safa Halal launched the campaign to raise awareness about their range of ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat products, like Chicken Samosas, Charcoal Chicken Kebabs, Borek Rolls, and Chicken Nuggets. The aim was to provide convenient meal solutions that allow families to enjoy traditional Ramadan foods without sacrificing precious time for spiritual reflection and observance.
Al Safa Halal engaged Opal to roll out an influencer program in Canada and the USA. The 360- degree communication campaign, named “Taste the Blessings,” helped free families from cooking chores so they could focus on spiritual commitments during Ramadan. Influencers were tasked with creating content in their unique style using Al Safa Halal products. Consumers in Canada were offered a 20% discount on online orders. The influencers embraced the concept, showcasing how incorporating these ready-to-cook foods into their meal prep routines allows for more family involvement in cooking, especially busy moms involving their teenagers.
Additionally, influencers highlighted how Al Safa simplifies lunch preparation for young kids who weren’t fasting. The influencer campaign was highly successful in raising awareness about Al Safa’s role in Muslim communities, Ramadan meal preparations, and showcasing various easy cooking methods.
The Al Safa Influencer program yielded 100+ content pieces, as the cornerstone of the campaign, which built the engagement, and excitement for the ‘Taste the Blessings’ campaign.
The influencer campaign per se reached more than 1 million consumers, ~30% Muslim population in the US and Canada, reinforcing the positive buzz about the brand. The consumer engagement was higher than the norm with 40,000+ interactions, highlighting the campaign’s success in capturing audience interest and participation.
Additionally, Al Safa advertised on TV and YouTube augmenting Reach and added an experiential component to the Taste the Blessing campaign by organizing a 3-day brand activation, including free sampling outside Apna Farm, a prominent grocery store in Mississauga. It branded and stationed a food truck for live cooking and giving away chicken seekh kebab paratha rolls, samosas, and chicken nugget samples. The last-mile solution worked great for the grocery store, which re-ordered/re-stocked Al Safa products for each of the three days.
Al Safa also invited influencers to the food truck activation and sampling event to engage with visitors and share their cooking experience with the people coming to try out the food. The food truck, product sampling and influencers garnered lots of interest and engagement.
Shoppers, both Muslims and non-Muslims, liked paratha rolls, samosas, and chicken nuggets and many bought multiple packs from the store. They took pictures with the food truck and influencers.
The Digital Display Mobile Truck was the icing on the cake and caught the eyes of shoppers and diners in the plaza and of the residents, making rounds in the streets around the plaza. It added about 150,000 impressions to the campaign in three days.
Insuaga, the local news platform, covered the event.
Overall, the well-rounded Taste the Blessings campaign, a first in the fast-growing category, was a triumph for the brand. The campaign went viral, reached about 1.5 million consumers in the US and Canada, and fostered positive sentiments for the brand and substantial post-campaign lift.
