Facing intensifying competition from both local and imported chicken brands, ALYOUM, the leading fresh chicken brand in Saudi Arabia, needed to reaffirm its superior quality and stand out during Ramadan — the most saturated advertising period of the year. The brand created Mama Sara & Sara, an innovative mini-series that seamlessly blended entertainment with cooking tutorials, featuring two relatable characters who shared authentic chicken recipes through engaging storytelling. The series premiered exclusively on Shahid, the premier streaming platform in Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and was further amplified across YouTube and social media channels. By strategically combining culinary content with entertainment, ALYOUM successfully maintained its market leadership while significantly improving brand metrics, including a 62 percent increase in brand loyalty and over 24 million episode views.
ALYOUM aimed to defend its market share against aggressive competitors who were employing tactics such as rebranding, inflated health claims, price reductions, and direct-to-consumer channels. The brand sought to maintain and enhance top-of-mind awareness and salience, increase brand consideration and loyalty, elevate brand appeal through emotional resonance and relevance, and ultimately drive sales during the critical Ramadan period.
In its first year, the campaign capitalized on the unique behavior patterns during Ramadan, when content consumption surges, sometimes even surpassing food consumption itself. Research showed that mothers across Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries place significant emphasis on food recipes during this period as they strive to create special dishes for their iftar tables. Recognizing this cultural phenomenon, ALYOUM strategically intertwined food recipes with entertainment to highlight its chicken products through snackable and appealing content.
The primary audience consisted of local and expatriate mothers aged 25-45 in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait, who either make or influence grocery purchasing decisions for Ramadan. These women prioritize high-quality products and choose the best for their families. The secondary audience included men aged 25-45 who enjoy cooking and trying new dishes with family and friends.
During Ramadan, consumer behaviors and attitudes transform as people become more connected to their families, communities, and brands, primarily through mobile technology. Content in various forms, including series, shows, and snackable videos, becomes a key source of entertainment, inspiration, and trend discovery for this audience.
What distinguished this mini-series was its innovative approach to branded content. The collaboration with Shahid, the premier streaming platform in MENA with 23 million viewers, allowed ALYOUM to maximize reach and engagement among its target demographics. The characters Mama Sara and Sara became beloved icons, embodying the values of tradition, family, and quality that ALYOUM represents.
The campaign adopted a digital-first approach, leveraging Shahid's premium placement alongside Ramadan's top shows. Additionally, YouTube and other social media channels extended the reach and accessibility of the content, ensuring maximum exposure and engagement among the target audience.
The media distribution strategy was digitally led, utilizing both owned and paid channels including Shahid, YouTube, and the Almarai website. Publishing the mini-series on Shahid marked a regional first, with the premium publisher adding incremental reach across GCC markets, focusing on Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait.
The episodes were also published under Mama Sara's Playlist on Almarai's YouTube Channel and embedded on the ALYOUM webpage. The series was promoted with teasers on social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and X (formerly Twitter), with traffic campaigns directing audiences to the videos.
Throughout Ramadan, a consistent publishing timeline was followed, with each episode's launch boosted by premium placements such as hero banners on Shahid and mastheads on YouTube that maximized awareness and drove traffic to watch the episodes.
Ongoing optimization was key to the campaign's success, including audience expansion and retargeting. Viewers who watched the first episode were targeted in real-time with new episodes to maintain engagement and interest. This strategic approach ensured that the branded content reached and resonated with the intended audience throughout the holy month.
The campaign delivered exceptional results across key performance indicators, surpassing objectives and driving significant improvements in brand metrics. Top-of-mind awareness increased from 16 percent to 22 percent, exceeding the target of 20 percent. Brand salience experienced a remarkable growth of 9 percentage points, marking a substantial 23.7 percent increase from previous levels.
Most notably, brand loyalty witnessed an extraordinary jump of 62 percent compared to the previous year, far exceeding expectations. Brand imagery maintained its relative strength across critical metrics, including advertising appeal, engaging social content, and modern brand perception.
The campaign generated substantial engagement across digital platforms, with over 24 million episode views on YouTube and a remarkable 60 percent unique reach. Shahid received over 1 million visits, demonstrating the campaign's widespread appeal. Ad recall saw uplifts ranging from 2 percent to 6 percent across platforms, indicating strong resonance with the target audience.
The content proved highly engaging, with over 13 million complete episode views and an average completion rate exceeding 55 percent, significantly surpassing the benchmark of 30 percent. The campaign also achieved a commendable click-through rate (CTR) of 3.65 percent.
Overall, the initiative resulted in significant uplifts in purchase intent and brand preference, with increases of 3.8 percent and 4.4 percent respectively. Most importantly, ALYOUM successfully defended its market position and further grew its share, remaining the leader in poultry products despite intense competition.
By blending authentic recipes with innovative storytelling and strategic product placement, the mini-series successfully reinforced ALYOUM's quality and relevance during Ramadan. It not only entertained and informed but also strengthened the brand's connection with consumers, establishing ALYOUM as the preferred choice for premium poultry products during the holy month and beyond.
