لماذا ترتفع تكلفة إعلانات ميتا خلال رمضان — وكيف تخطط لميزانيتك

Ramadan is the most competitive advertising period in the Middle East. Brands that have been inactive all year flood Meta and Google with budget. Audiences change their consumption habits dramatically — later hours, higher purchase intent for certain categories, stronger emotional responses to specific messaging. CPMs rise sharply.

Most advertisers respond to Ramadan either by cutting budget because costs are up, or by increasing budget without changing strategy. Both approaches miss the point. This article explains what actually happens to ad performance during Ramadan and how to plan around it.

What Happens to CPM and Why

CPM (cost per thousand impressions) is determined by auction competition. During Ramadan, local and regional brands increase their spend significantly to capture seasonal purchase intent — particularly in categories like food, fashion, gifts, and electronics. More advertisers bidding for the same impressions means higher clearing prices in the auction.

In the UAE and Saudi Arabia, CPM increases of 40–80% during the first two weeks of Ramadan are common across mid-to-large advertisers. The increase is not uniform across all placements or audience segments — some audiences become more expensive faster than others.

• Broad interest-based audiences see the sharpest CPM increases because all advertisers target them
• Retargeting audiences (your website visitors, existing customers) become relatively cheaper by comparison — you have exclusive access to people who already know your brand
• Stories placements tend to see higher CPM spikes than Reels or Feed
• CPMs typically peak in the first two weeks, then stabilise

Categories That Win vs Categories That Struggle

Not every business should increase Ramadan spend. The categories where purchase intent genuinely rises during Ramadan — food delivery, retail, gifting, hospitality, electronics, and fashion — see conversion rates that can offset the higher CPMs. If you are in one of these categories, Ramadan deserves increased investment.

For B2B services, professional services, SaaS, and categories not associated with seasonal purchase behaviour, Ramadan often means higher costs with no corresponding increase in intent. In these cases, a controlled budget with tighter targeting is more efficient than matching competitor spend increases.

The honest framework: look at your own historical data. If last Ramadan your conversion rate held steady despite higher CPMs, your category benefits from the season. If conversion rates dropped while costs rose, you were paying more for the same intent level — and should plan more conservatively.