Empathy at Ramadan with Copilot

I was recently asked to create a Copilot comms campaign that felt right outside my comfort zone.

I’m of Jewish heritage. I don’t practise Judaism, but it is who I am — my family has been based in UK. I have no connection to Israel, Palestine, or Zionism, and I’m mentioning this only to clarify that my heritage isn’t political or geo-political.

So, when I was asked to design a Copilot campaign for Ramadan, my first reaction was: really, me? And what it means to be asked to represent a very important and sacred tradition you know anything about. I was genuinely concerned that I might unintentionally offend Muslim colleagues and the customer.

I wondered whether I was the right person to do this – at the same time, my background in internal communications reminded me that good communication always starts with listening, learning, and respecting context—especially in situations where you have to learn fast and act thoughtfully e.g., responding to Crisis Comms, often on a subject you know nothing about but you need to share facts, fast!

So I leaned into Copilot to better understand Ramadan – its rhythm, its meaning, and the practical impact it can have on energy, focus, and daily routines. What began as hesitation quickly turned into genuine fascination. I managed to position Copilot as a supportive, always‑available companion — helping reduce brain fog and enabling people to work more thoughtfully during the month.

So, Copilot not only help us create the comms campaign, but it was also about Copilot image generation. Several colleagues joined in creating amazing content and more ideas.

I tried to introduce Ramadan image generation during training where participants are invited to create Ramadan‑themed visuals for internal use only. We shared examples to guide, brand and tone. It landed far better than expected. Participants created and shared many of their own stunning image’s, some religious and others surprisingly amusing. Comms shared these across internal channels, making the campaign feel more inclusive, human, and authentic. It also made the training fun and engaging.

The result was a campaign the customer genuinely LOVED. And so did Microsoft, who we understand shared the campaign with other customers in the region in various formats.

Working globally means you will sometimes step into spaces that aren’t your own. The question isn’t whether that feels uncomfortable, it’s how you respond.
In this case, Copilot helped us build understanding very thoughtfully and with great care.