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Amidst all the gloom and doom of stubborn Covid-19, Brexit unboxing, and fiercely debated economic revival, British Muslim has a silver lining: Festival of Ramadan. The market too is gearing up for the high season…with some uncertainty though!

But Brands have a bit more to chew on besides the COVID-19 sentiment. This year, Brands cannot stay an outsider, or preachy, adapt boring messages or be sugary by relaying the same SHARE and GIVE campaigns. For the simple reason that these messages are, over the years, done-to-death. Such messages feel to a believer an outsiders’ take on Ramadan. Of course, Ramadan is indeed about Fasting. And sharing. It also means shopping, festivities, parties and get-togethers…like any other festival.  

And it is vital for the brands to re-invent and empathize without being dramatic. Without being cliché. The feeling amongst Muslims is that brands are ignorant of their needs and how they feel. This ignorance results in surficial messages that deliver a lukewarm impact. Or on the other extreme try to shock and awe. Marketing and product teams feel very pleased with themselves for executing a diverse campaign or a high decibel brand impact.

There is so much brands can achieve by engaging with the ever-evolving British Muslim and create a lasting relationship. With that in mind, here are a few tips for the brands. Marketers need to heed this before they decide their next emotionally-charged marketing film over run by cute kids. C’mon, we all have seen this: angelic kids donating their pocket money/sweets to an unsuspecting benefactor as a gift of Eid! Haven’t we?

Muslims too have diversity – They come from many cultures, regions and backgrounds. There is little understanding, amongst the mainstream, of the nuances and varied practices, which is as unique as their regions and cultures. They are not one monolithic whole. It is short-sightedness or being lazy to believe that one single emotion binds them all. Hence single motivations and social triggers can cater to all.

The tag of Immigrants. Well, half of the 4.5 billion Muslims in the UK are under 30. There is more than a fair chance that they are second or even third-generation Brits. Why, in the name of God, do the brands continue to talk to the grand old dad or an Asian Aunty caricature as portrayed in some Hollywood film!

British Muslims’ evolved identity is now a mix of cultural identity brought from the country of origin and its naturalization in Great Britain. And, of course, the unifying and continuous thread is religious customs, beliefs, and traditions. So talk to them, not at them.

Here is a clue. Brands can look at Muslims as regular customers who buy the same things as everyone else (provided it is halal). Though the customer journey can be a bit different given their religious requirements. This is where brands can up their content game on social or in-store messaging. Fashion, food and feelings are a few starting points to research and work upon; as an annual plan. Not only for RAMADAN – the high season for a brand sell.

When there is no real blueprint on how to speak authentically to an audience, there is lots of room for error. The feeling amongst Muslim audiences that they continue to be un-catered for by mainstream marketing will keep bubbling.

It remains a state of play. This means there is no playbook for brands to go by. Perhaps, the secret remains in nurturing trust – a pre-requisite like any other dialogue and interaction.

Brand Humza Halal with its range of frozen foods is launching its campaign for Ramadan 2021. The central theme is ‘in it with you’ anyway Muslims decide to celebrate Ramadan this time. Austere or awesome, Humza is in it with you. This echoes the sentiment of what people in general are feeling now, all included. The campaign allows entire space one needs and sets no heady moral high grounds for the believer to follow.

“Son, a man is nothing without a purpose” so said my father once. And perhaps his father to him. I wonder marketing has subsumed this wisdom of our forefathers. I mean, just look around us, we the marketing whiz kids! Storytelling, Man of values, Know your enemy/competition, guerrilla advertising, a battle of the minds…we have enamoured ourselves with social insights.

Another wisecrack from the past, ‘When you are guided by North Star, you move with purpose.’ Similarly, when we think about brands and the purpose of brands, which is often manifested through elements like straplines and slogans, its fine to actually think about these slogans arising from brand positioning. For instance ‘Energy’ is at the centre of Duracell, and even Red bull. What differentiates the two? One claims on ‘longevity’, the other ‘Wings’.

Differentiation alone may not elicit a positive response. When it becomes relevant, useful to optimal group of people, it starts to matter and create a relevant tribe, who may take valuable action and own it.  I would happily consider ‘brand’ a social trigger. Without response it’s incomplete. And without positive responses it ceases to exist. 

What does differentiation actually mean, then? Does the brand know it?

Starbucks used to ‘sell’ coffee till it rediscovered that it’s the ‘experience’ that matters. Anyone can sell a coffee! The time spent at the café with friends, family and colleague over a cup of coffee is more important than the coffee itself. The Starbuck lounge, to say, is the third place between work and home.

And yet many brands don’t actually know what they’re selling and to get to the core purpose of the brand really means to understand the core driver of your customer’s behaviour. 

So here is an example of Pampers, as told by Nader Tavassoli, Professor of Marketing.
The largest single brand for P&G at $3.4 billion back in 2001. The problem was, it was shrinking. Overall it was a drag on the earnings of P&G. 

And Pampers was about to be, well, spun off, hived off…

Was it just about price where Huggies had really enjoyed market leadership? As a matter of fact, Huggies had become the number one brand in the US, the home market for Pampers, which was very, very painful.

Fast forward 10 years to 2010 and it became a 10 billion dollar brand. Entirely through organic growth. It’s a story told by Jim Stengel in a book that is recommended by Nadar Tavasoli. It’s called Grow. And it’s one of the chapters where he talks about the story. So what did they do to gain more relevance for the brand? 

They did something very simple.

They took a deep dive into the lives of their customers. They tried to figure out what drives mothers? Not just to buy diapers but in general. Especially first-time mothers because that’s when they make their decision about diapers. And they typically then stay brand-loyal. 
It’s not just about that. If you think about being a mother or a parent, it’s about babies’ health. Babies’ development. 

That was the key consumer insight. Think how they think.

‘Do you see that, son!’ my father would have put forth as a matter of fact.

And, to get to the core sort of purpose of the brand, you really have to get to the more emotional side at times. And the question then was, how do I make these diapers relevant to baby development? When we look around, most of these diapers in the market are all about dryness! All fighting to be ‘drier’ than the competition. Just like washing detergents have gone beyond ‘whiter than the whitest’, a claim that has hit the stratosphere. 

Anyway, now, how does dryness help baby development? Professor Nadar says ‘Well, it turns out, and Pampers did these studies, it helps baby’s sleep. So if a baby sleeps, that’s when the baby develops its mind and muscles. Of course, the parents get a bit of extra rest as well. And they turned that into the foundation of their brand. They went away from dryness to better sleep.” 

And that was a fundamental change. 

That became core purpose of the brand that also allowed them to move away from just dryness and diapers. They moved into baby development. Into wipes. So strong that it actually hastened Huggies pulling out of European markets, perhaps.

And that my dear friends why, a brand needs a purpose…to achieve clarity, to stand for values, to act meaningfully and to feel what your tribe feels.

Why do we call a product by its generic name, while others with their ‘name’? Mostly you’ll say ‘Give me a COKE’, or ‘Give me a Pepsi’ only a few would say ‘Give me a cold drink’. Here the consumer is making a choice. Preferring one type of cold drink over the other. Why? The difference lies in a product becoming a brand. A metamorphosis, which is an art, a science.

Brand Foundation

Since infancy, human mind is conditioned to listening stories and anecdotes, which inspire them, thrill them, impress them, surprise them, educate them and help them. Brands must deploy this wisdom of story-telling for their benefit and incorporate it into their marketing mix to strike an emotional connect with their potential customers.

But to weave brand stories, your brand foundation must be really, really robust.

Be it internal or external aspect, what is it that turns transforms your business foundation into brand foundation? The one which resonates well with your audience and builds your community.

Our take, the brand foundation is laid on the pillars of Essence, Promise Attributes, Personality, Relationships, Mission, Vision, Values. Promise, Functional (Feature), SWOT (Competitor Analysis, Company Analysis, Brandscape) and Positioning (Audience, Benefits- Emotional, Story, Messaging Strategy).

And where does it all lead to?
A good question.
A well laid brand foundation opens the door to 3 overarching brand principles:

Brand Expression
Knowing who you are and where you want to reach is critical to the success of any brand and so is expressing it visually. It’s not just about what you say but how you say is equally paramount in aligning with your brand personality and the overall brand (business) strategy. And consistency is the key at every touch point.

What are the touch points which allow you to express your brand personality visually?
– Logo and Identity
– Voice & Tone
– Brand System

Brand Authority
It’s everything about building trust among your existing and potential customers through earned media, social buzz, awards & recognitions, partnerships & collaborations, Thought leadership.
But how do you build authority? It’s through

– Creating compelling content/copy (across all the collaterals)
– Being consistent (deliveries, channels, messaging, etc.)
– Engaging with your community (offline & online)
– Building networks (experts, organisations, influencers)

Brand Expansion
Once you (brand) have defined your vision, chalked out your goals & objectives and understood your target audience, carved out brand identity, it now becomes imperative to devise the roadmap to expand your brand’s potential. Whether you want to expand your current market share or target new market or develop new products, you will have to have work on the following parameters.

– Strategy & Plan
– Events
– Social & Influencer
– PR & Media
– Corporate Communication
– Website & Content
– Sponsorships

So what’s next?
Are you a new business who wants to transform into a brand? Are you seeking answers to knowing pillars of brand foundation? Do you want to weave a story that resonates with your TA? Are you looking for experts to help you choose the right channels? Do you want to expand your brand to the next level?

We can share the path. Give us a shout!

We try harder – so said the famous tagline of AVIS taxi campaign, once. We are what you’d expect from a smaller digital agency: accountable, autonomous, nimble-footed and amiable. We work as an extension of your Sales and Marketing. To do the thinking, planning, execution and implementation based on science of research, insights from data, and raring to prove creativity. That’s why we have been able to deliver scale and connect brands to the UK customers.

We try harder – so said the famous tagline of AVIS taxi campaign, once. We are what you’d expect from a smaller digital agency: accountable, autonomous, nimble-footed and amiable. We work as an extension of your Sales and Marketing. To do the thinking, planning, execution and implementation based on science of research, insights from data, and raring to prove creativity. That’s why we have been able to deliver scale and connect brands to the UK customers.

We try harder – so said the famous tagline of AVIS taxi campaign, once. We are what you’d expect from a smaller digital agency: accountable, autonomous, nimble-footed and amiable. We work as an extension of your Sales and Marketing. To do the thinking, planning, execution and implementation based on science of research, insights from data, and raring to prove creativity. That’s why we have been able to deliver scale and connect brands to the UK customers.

We try harder – so said the famous tagline of AVIS taxi campaign, once. We are what you’d expect from a smaller digital agency: accountable, autonomous, nimble-footed and amiable. We work as an extension of your Sales and Marketing. To do the thinking, planning, execution and implementation based on science of research, insights from data, and raring to prove creativity. That’s why we have been able to deliver scale and connect brands to the UK customers.

We try harder – so said the famous tagline of AVIS taxi campaign, once. We are what you’d expect from a smaller digital agency: accountable, autonomous, nimble-footed and amiable. We work as an extension of your Sales and Marketing. To do the thinking, planning, execution and implementation based on science of research, insights from data, and raring to prove creativity. That’s why we have been able to deliver scale and connect brands to the UK customers.

We try harder – so said the famous tagline of AVIS taxi campaign, once. We are what you’d expect from a smaller digital agency: accountable, autonomous, nimble-footed and amiable. We work as an extension of your Sales and Marketing. To do the thinking, planning, execution and implementation based on science of research, insights from data, and raring to prove creativity. That’s why we have been able to deliver scale and connect brands to the UK customers.

We try harder – so said the famous tagline of AVIS taxi campaign, once. We are what you’d expect from a smaller digital agency: accountable, autonomous, nimble-footed and amiable. We work as an extension of your Sales and Marketing. To do the thinking, planning, execution and implementation based on science of research, insights from data, and raring to prove creativity. That’s why we have been able to deliver scale and connect brands to the UK customers.

We try harder – so said the famous tagline of AVIS taxi campaign, once. We are what you’d expect from a smaller digital agency: accountable, autonomous, nimble-footed and amiable. We work as an extension of your Sales and Marketing. To do the thinking, planning, execution and implementation based on science of research, insights from data, and raring to prove creativity. That’s why we have been able to deliver scale and connect brands to the UK customers.

We try harder – so said the famous tagline of AVIS taxi campaign, once. We are what you’d expect from a smaller digital agency: accountable, autonomous, nimble-footed and amiable. We work as an extension of your Sales and Marketing. To do the thinking, planning, execution and implementation based on science of research, insights from data, and raring to prove creativity. That’s why we have been able to deliver scale and connect brands to the UK customers.

We try harder – so said the famous tagline of AVIS taxi campaign, once. We are what you’d expect from a smaller digital agency: accountable, autonomous, nimble-footed and amiable. We work as an extension of your Sales and Marketing. To do the thinking, planning, execution and implementation based on science of research, insights from data, and raring to prove creativity. That’s why we have been able to deliver scale and connect brands to the UK customers.

We try harder – so said the famous tagline of AVIS taxi campaign, once. We are what you’d expect from a smaller digital agency: accountable, autonomous, nimble-footed and amiable. We work as an extension of your Sales and Marketing. To do the thinking, planning, execution and implementation based on science of research, insights from data, and raring to prove creativity. That’s why we have been able to deliver scale and connect brands to the UK customers.