Indonesia’s Indomie Gets Ramadan Advertising Right

For this Ad Of The Week we’re winding the clock back to 2022 to take a look at a Ramadan ad from Indonesia. Ramadan is observed in the 9th month of the Muslim lunar calendar and is a time when Muslims around the world fast from sunrise to sunset.

For global brands, the holy months and days of global religions are an opportunity to connect with its consumers. Our featured ad comes from Indomie, an instant noodle brand owned by Indonesia’s Indofoods. Indomie is available in over 100 countries and has gained worldwide popularity, especially for its iconic Mi Goreng flavour. Indomie is an integral part of the everyday life for Indonesians, and that gives it cultural permission to join in the Ramadan celebrations.

In the 2022 ad we see an urban family spending a day during Ramadan engaged in their own pursuits, all in different rooms of their shared house. As the sun sets, though, the family comes together for iftar, the nightly meal that breaks each day’s fast during the holy month. Naturally, Indomie noodles is the hero, but rather than the quick hunger fix you’d expect from a Western instant noodle ad, here the product is embellished, garnished, and served to all as a comforting and familiar iftar meal.

Iftar is a time for sharing food and exchanging stories, and the whole month-long observance of Ramadan is marked by a heightened sense of community and togetherness. For advertisers looking to make effective ads, this ought to be music to the ears, as human togetherness, between-ness and non-verbal communication are some of the most effective ways of engaging attention and creating emotion. It means that simply by respectfully showing the observance of the fast and the iftar meal of Ramadan, Indomie can create work that speaks to its audience and builds emotional response.

The result is an ad which hits exceptional levels of response not just in Star Rating, but in short-term Spike and Brand Fluency too. The focus is on the happy family and their human connection, but with the product visible all through the closing seconds of the ad. Indomie, the message says, is the medium that connects people even in a time when modern families spend so much of their day separately. It’s a powerful message and a highly effective ad that positions Indomie beautifully as a part of Ramadan and a part of its customers lives.