Ogilvy Noor - Islamic Branding special

A man called Osama bin Laden, wait, it can very well be that he is a fictional character afterall; otherwise how in the name of all that's holy, is he still at large? Anyway, this man ' Osama bin Laden ' is chiefly responsible for doing what no other person before him could ever manage to such a magnitude.

He made Muslims and Islam stand out in a crowd. And it was not very good of him to do that, if I can be honest. Muslims were being taken very seriously all of a sudden, but all for the wrong reasons. And why? Because one maniac ordered some foolish followers to go and crash into a building or two with aeroplanes.

I want to take this portal, as it enjoys a good readership, to state what has been said since the start of mankind ' a handful of fish spoil the entire lake. If it were not to be for bin Laden, the world would've been still going along without so much aggravation all around. There wouldn't have been so many deaths; unnecessary ones at that. The world would still have been a little better, if not more, to live in.

But as I said, it's only a few mad chaps who bring the entire community to shame. But should we also start discriminating just because the person strolling along on the road is reading the Kuran as his lips suggest? Or should we simply go about maintaining distance from and raising eyebrows at anyone who even remotely looks like he's wearing Islamic attire? No. That is as simple an answer as it gets.

Islam is a huge community with amazing people doing their best to contribute to the well being of this world. Let us not get into the business of generalisation and ruin whatever beauty there is left of the world and its societies. Let us pledge to do whatever it takes to make the world shine with all its glory.

What made us speak so emotionally about Islam was a piece that we heard about Ogilvy. It is after much studying of demographics and sectors that Ogilvy, in partnership with TNS, is launching Ogilvy Noor ' the world's first multidisciplinary global Islamic branding practice.

The 6th World Islamic Economic Conference sees political and business leaders of the Muslim world come together in Kuala Lumpur. At the same time, a tectonic shift is happening in the Muslim world. According to Ogilvy & Mather's survey on "Islamic Branding", a new generation is redefining what it means to be modern and Muslim, creating new meanings of religious pride, economic progress and global citizenship.

The result of two years of solid commitment and research, TNS and Ogilvy & Mather have come out with a survey that reveals what drives Muslims as consumers, against the vast backdrop of ethnic, economic, political and religious diversity of the Muslim world. The research has identified trends and opportunities that are emerging from the world's most interesting, dynamic yet controversial "marketplace". The Muslim consumer is viewed as a critically important segment for marketers, with the halal segment alone worth US$2.1 trillion, and growing at US$500 billion annually.

Miles Young, Global CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, said, "A market of 1.8 billion people that has scarcely been tapped, Muslim consumers offer enormous potential to businesses around the world - but only if their values are fully understood. While there are vast and colorful differences among the populations surveyed, we identified behavioral trends and insights that would be valuable to marketers in developing meaningful relationships with this emerging global constituency."

Nazia Hussain, Director of Cultural Strategy, Ogilvy & Mather Global, added with her statement, saying, "Driven by ambition and success, today's young Muslim consumers are open to positive change and innovation just like consumers everywhere - but that change must be aligned with their values from the start."

To all those who've always been perplexed by Shariah values, the survey result will provide invaluable insight into. how brands can align with them. Significantly, the report sheds light on how these practices are closely aligned with the existing universal ideals of good business practices, such as authenticity and transparency, which have only become more important for global business in recent years.

The study begins to draw parallels between the evolution of business practices toward sustainability and the values of Shariah compliance, creating opportunities for businesses to simultaneously capture the Muslim market share while implementing sustainability initiatives and ethical business practices.

The study analyses the factors that drive beneficial relationships with Muslim consumers, distilling the findings into an eight-step toolkit for branding success. It is required reading for all brands that want to deliver more effectively against the needs of the New Muslim Consumer.