Vayner Media
The Opportunity
Every Ramadan, brands either show up looking the same or simply don’t show up at all. Every Diwali, it's the same diya and the same burst of gold. Most of them have never asked the people celebrating what those days are actually like and what the cultural moments truly mean.
VaynerMedia is a contemporary global creative and media agency, known for pulling rich data and sentiment from consumers online to tap into trends and build campaigns that work.
As Ramadan began in March 2024, VaynerMedia brought in Aam to close the gap between data and cultural understanding. We gathered cultural insights from American Muslims and beyond and turned them into an educational and workshopping session for VaynerX and VaynerMedia teams around the world. That fall, they invited us back to do the same for Diwali.
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The Approach
A global agency doesn't need another definition of a holiday. It needs to know how that holiday changes what people buy, where they go, and who they trust. We built both sessions in the same three layers.
THE CULTURE, EXPLAINED FROM THE INSIDE
We started with the foundations: what the holiday means, how it's celebrated, and the values that drive behaviour around it. For Ramadan, that meant concepts like Taqwa and Zakat. For Diwali, the traditions Hindu Americans keep and what anyone working on the holiday should know.
THE UNGOOGLEABLE INSIGHTS
Then we went beyond the “searchable”: the consumer behaviour that only shows up when you're part of the community. The patterns brands miss, and the openings they leave on the table.
BUILT FOR EVERYONE TO ATTEND
We ran both sessions fully remote, so VaynerX and VaynerMedia teams in every office and time zone could join, ask questions, and workshop ideas in real time.
What We Did
RAMADAN 2024: CULTURE, CAMPAIGNS, AND THE EID COFFEE RUN
We gathered insights from American Muslims and beyond, building a picture of Ramadan as it's actually lived: at home, at work, in the city, and online. The session covered Ramadan campaigns we loved, trends in the modest fashion industry, the top NYC spots for iftaar, and the obligatory Eid coffee run, along with how surprising it is that Dunkin' hasn't caught on.
Beyond the basics, we shared the behavior brands rarely see:
> The halo effect for restaurants and gyms that stay open late
> Gifting, hosting, and fashion norms across Ramadan and Eid
> The kitchen table as the social centrepiece of the month
> How Muslim influencers monetise brand involvement
> How to assess values alignment before marketing to Muslims
DEMYSTIFYING DIWALI: INVITED BACK FOR FALL 2024
VaynerMedia brought us back that fall for a second session, Demystifying Diwali. We went in depth on how Hindu Americans celebrate the festival, from cultural traditions to what individuals should know about the holiday. We walked through Diwali campaigns we admired and campaigns we thought could use some improvement, and closed on the opportunities the holiday opens up for brands and communities alike.
WORKSHOP FACILITATION
We hosted both sessions virtually for the global VaynerMedia team, to include as many employees as possible, pairing the education with live workshopping so teams could turn insight into ideas on the spot.
The Result
2 cultural intelligence sessions in one year: Ramadan and Diwali
1 return invitation, six months after the first session
VaynerMedia's teams came away with something data alone couldn't give them: an inside view of how Muslim and Hindu American consumers live, spend, gather, and decide during the moments that matter most to them. Strategists and creatives across the network left with the context to spot real opportunities, a clear test for values alignment before going to market, and a shared language for building holiday work that feels like it came from inside the community.
