O&M To Convert Brands To Islam

By: Marcus Chhan, Malaysia

Published: May 20, 2010

OGILVY & MATHER   MARKET RESEARCH   MARKETING   ISLAMIC

• O&M launches global specialist practice for Islamic branding
• Called Ogilvy Noor, and led by teams in four key Muslim markets
• Launches Noor Brand Index 
  

Malaysia - Ogilvy & Mather has launched a new global specialist practice focused on Islamic branding which will be led by teams based across its key Muslim market offices in Malaysia, Dubai, Pakistan, and the UK.

The new multidisciplinary practice is called Ogilvy Noor while the core team is led by senior O&M figures such as John Goodman (President of OgilvyAction APAC and president O&M South and SE Asia).

Other core member at team Noor include Nazia Hussain (pictured) who is the director of cultural strategy for O&M globally, Tanya Dernaika (planning director for Memac Ogilvy across the Middle East), Zayn Khan (O&M's regional business strategy director for South and SE Asia), and Shazia Khan (associate planning director at Ogilvy in Karachi).

Malaysia's inclusion as one of the four key global Muslim markets outlined by Ogilvy Noor looks to have come at the expense of SE Asian neighbour Indonesia which may surprise some given Indonesia's larger Muslim population. However, it is understood that Ogilvy views Malaysia as one of the most advanced consumer markets in the world.

In conjunction with the launch of Ogilvy Noor, the new practice has also published a thought leadership piece on Islamic branding - a report titled Brands, Islam and the New Muslim Consumer.

The research for the report, done in partnership with TNS, includes a preliminary exploration of the consumer perception of halal status and Shariah compliance, or relative "Muslim-friendliness" of certain global brands across the world today.

Leading the Noor Brand Index are brands such as Lipton, Nestle, and Nescafe. 

Ogilvy Noor is also in the process of fostering a partnership with the Said Business School, University of Oxford where industry figure Paul Temporal has directed a research project on Islamic branding.

Ogilvy estimates that the global halal segment alone is worth US$2.1 trillion and growing at US$500 billion annually.