The Brand Marketing of Halal Products: The Way Forward Patrick Low Kim Cheng* A timely t imely pap paper, er, throu gh liter literatur aturee review re view and resea research rch meth method od of o f intervi in terviewin ewingg 34 respo responden ndents, ts, the author examines the brand marketing strategies—applying 4Ps (Price, Product, Promotion and Place) and other strategic options—of Halal products with reference to Halal companies in Brunei Darussalam, marketing their Halal products to the region, if not to the world.
Introduction Islamic branding is taking a centerpiece on the global stage. It is no longer confined to a country’s demograpy, identified by the narrow lines of nationality or ethnicity (Nair-Gheswalla, 2007). The reasons are that Islam is the fastest growing religion on earth, both by birth and adoption. The world Muslim population today is at 1.4 billion, or 22% of the total population, and has earned a niche for itself as a whole new market to be reckoned with (Nair-Gheswalla, 2007). It is estimated that by 2010, the Muslim population will exceed three billion (Evans, cited in The Brunei Times, 2007). The community has become a huge market segment and companies are scrambling to satisfy brand new needs they never knew existed. The growing Muslim population is pushing the companies to produce Halal products to satisfy the customers’ endless demands (Burgmann, 2007).
Objectives of the Paper
•
To uncover and identify that Halal (Arabic word for ‘permitted’ but is used by Muslims around the world to denote food that has been prepared according to Islamic dietary regulations) (Drury, 2007) is fast becoming a new market force and identifier, and businesses—even those Muslim or Halal business—should change, illustrate the branding marketing of Halal products such as looking at the key 4Ps (Price, Product, Promotion and Place) of marketing including the product naming and packaging, and public relations, promotions and advertising. To successfully adapt and cater to the needs of the Muslim consumers.
Effect of Halal on Marketing The Brunei Halal brand has been officially launched by Negara Brunei Darussalam; and the Second International Halal Product Exposition held is seen as the country’s initiative to become one of the world’s major players in the multi-dollar global Halal market (The Brunei Times, August 19, 2007). A branding positive action step, Brunei Halal brand * Chartered Marketer Marketer,, Certified MBTI Administrator Administrator,, and Certified Behavioral Consultant (The (The Institute For Motivational Living, USA), Universiti Brunei, Darussalam. E-mail:
[email protected] © TheMarketing Icfai University All Rights Reserved. The2008 Brand of HalalPress. Products: The Way Forward
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is a project initiated by the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources along with the cooperation of the Brunei Islamic Religious Council, Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Health. The creation of the Brunei Halal brand is in line with Brunei Darussalam’s aggressive effort with the Islamic nation moving towards developing a diversified, competitive and sustainable economy. Brunei Darussalam has also developed Brunei Halal Standards as guidelines for the use of Brunei Halal Certification (Brunei Halal, 2007). The global market is estimated to be worth around $150 bn a year ( The Brunei Times, August 19, 2007) and the Halal food industry is also pegged to grow at a rate of 2.9% annually (Asia Inc., July-August 2007). Halal is
natural, safer, healthier, cleaner and greener (Drury, 2007). In this regard, Islam, as a way of life, expects human beings to conserve the environment for several reasons which may be summarized as follows: •
•
The environment is Allah’s creation. The creation of this earth and all its natural resources is a sign of His wisdom, mercy, power and His other attributes and therefore serves to develop human awareness and understanding of this creator (Ar-Ra’d, 13: 2-4; 21: 79, cited in Al-Haran and Low, 2008). Muslims should seek to protect and preserve the environment because by doing so they protect Allah’s creatures which pray to Him and praise Him. Humankind might not be able to understand how these creatures praise Allah but this does not mean that they do not do so, Allah says.
The seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His glory: There is not a thing but celebrates His praise, and yet ye understand not how they declare His Glory!” (Al-Israa 17:44, cited in Al-Haran and Low, 2008). Based on the Islamic teachings, mankind is expected to protect the environment since no other creature is able to perform this task. Human beings are the only ones that Allah has “entrusted with the responsibility of looking after the earth. This trusteeship is seen by Islam to be so onerous and burdensome that no other creature would accept.” (www.islamonline.net, Islam and Environment). Literature Review
Emphasis on Halal is indeed growing. It is moving into the mainstream, affecting and changing how business is being done. Halal is affecting how marketing is being done. Meat is supposed to be the Halal market leader, but these days, it is a matter of wholesome meat; a matter of meat and dietary balance plus all about being healthy. Many other things such as milk, bread, juices, soft drinks, prepared meals and other foodstuffs carry the label of Halal, and the Halal logo becomes a label and symbol of quality and religious compliance (Al-Haran and Low, 2008). Live chicken are transformed into poultry that every Muslim can eat. Halal’s burgeoning popularity can be linked to religious fervor; and beliefs that it is cleaner, 38
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healthier and tastier (Burgmann, 2007). And this makes it sound as the New Green. Then again, some argue it is driven by the consumers’ urge to follow ritual or their desire for acceptance, while others see it as a part and parcel to another rising trend.
Research Methodology As in Low (2007), the research methodology employed involved interviewing. Low (2007) yields much information from respondents since in-depth interviews and the most widely applied qualitative methods were applied. Such a methodology allows the researcher to generate greater insights, and as in this research, it is more appropriate (Malhotra, 1995). Tull and Hawkins (1993) highlight that interviews can supply more and better quality ideas to interviewee than just the use of the focus group. Thus, semi-structured interviews were held with 34 Bruneians: 30 business people and four administrators in the Civil Service (some were students who were at the point of research pursuing their Master of Business Administration: MBA) to get their views on the brand marketing of Halal products. Convenient sampling was relied on, and the interviewees were business people and administrators, and those who had been referred to. All the respondents were local Bruneians and Muslims. Conducted in a meeting setting, the interviewing sessions took place at conveniently located sites, and 34 business people and postgraduate students with work experience were selected in the sample. They were selected because the nature of their work involved marketing. Data was collected for a period of nine weeks from August 10, 2007 to October 23, 2007. A pilot test for this study was run on the list of key questions to be posed to the interviewees. The final questions are shown in Exhibit 1 below. Question 4: “What other strategic branding options or ways would you, as marketer, do or apply to promote, say, your own brand of Halal products?” was amended and updated because previously, the question “What other ways would you as the marketer do or apply to promote, say, your own brand of Halal products?”, was felt to be too plain and did not exact and extract much strategic branding input. The words ‘strategic branding options’ were vital, and the words ‘please elaborate’ were necessary to draw the interviewees out to be more expressive. Exhibit 1: Key Questions 1.
What are your views on the marketing of halal products?
2.
What are your perceptions of the brand marketing of halal products?
3.
What are the key factors in the branding of halal products?
4.
5.
What other strategic branding options or ways would you, as marketer, do or apply to promote, say, your own brand of halal products? Any other comments that you wish to make or share?
The purpose is to get a detailed account from the business people and working adults on what their perceptions were on ways to up the brands of Halal products in Brunei and this part of the world. There is no substitute for pre-testing the interview questions The Brand Marketing of Halal Products: The Way Forward
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regardless of how experienced the researcher or how familiar the subject area is as it gives an opportunity to determine if the questions are appropriate and identify those which are not easily understood (Stewart and Shamdasani; 1990). In the beginning, the researcher’s initial intent was to tape record each interviewee’s views. However, as in other studies (Low, 2002 and Low and Or, 2004), recording might be disturbing, and uncomfortable to the interviewees, be less expressive or obstruct their willingness to offer responses to the posed questions. Therefore, no taping was done by the researcher. Instead, he relied on note-taking during the interview sessions. The interviewees were expressive and the researcher did probe for the interviewees’ detailed responses. To avoid memory lapses and omissions, all note-taking was completed within 24 hours after the interviews.
Findings As for the question, “What are your views on the marketing of Halal products?”, the majority replied that there was a need for ‘more coordinated approach’, ‘building awareness even among Muslims’ and ‘building bridges with or gaining support with Non-Muslims such as those who understand the big picture and even empathize the idea of eating healthy food’ and ‘being generally green’. All respondents agreed to the idea of ‘creating a symbol, some icon…as a trust mark being placed on the Halal products so that Muslims would know that such products are Halal or acceptable for the Muslim community’ (interviewees’ input, mentioned 36 times). ‘The symbol can represent the Halal quality of the products’ (interviewees’ input). Such Halal symbol gives the consumers the psychological comfort that they have bought the religiously correct products; it also minimizes their post-purchase dissonance. Next, in terms of, ‘What are your perceptions of the brand marketing of Halal products?’, a majority (30) of the interviewees or 88.23% of the total interviewees expressed the need for proper communication (mentioned 36 times) and 28 interviewees or 82.35% of the total interviewees highlighted that they wanted to see more clear positioning of Halal products as the way forward in branding such products. With regard to the question, ‘What are the key factors in the branding of Halal products?’, There should be ‘a clear distinction between haram (forbidden) products and Halal (Islamic allowed or permitted) products’ (interviewees’ input; mentioned 25 times) and the ‘marketing communications should be made in that direction’ (interviewees’ input; mentioned 36 times). Twenty-five interviewees or 73.52% of the total interviewees opined ‘product packaging’ as a key factor in brand marketing of Halal products. Halal companies need to commit and ‘convey quality to their customers’ (interviewees’ input; mentioned 16 times). To the question, ‘What other strategic branding options would you as marketer do or apply to promote, say, your own brand of Halal products?’. A majority of 25 interviewees or 73.52% of the total interviewees expressed the need for Halal companies to look 40
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at other Muslim and non-Muslim companies in the region and relate these to their companies’ strategic brand management of their Halal products. What the respondents were expressing indicated that Halal companies must increase their customer service, give what their consumers need, and be more professional in improving their product packaging as well as benchmarking and learning from other Muslim and non-Muslim companies in South-East Asia especially Malaysia.
Analysis and Discussion “Things Healthy are the In-thing!” Halal can be healthy in the ordinary sense of the word (interviewees’ input, mentioned 16 times). Health can be one of the factors deployed to brand the marketing of Halal products; after all, healthy food is said to be the fastest growing sector of the food market. In the US, for example, Wholefoods, a one store startup in the 1970s is now a $3.7 bn company with 26,000 employees. It recorded an average growth rate of 19% over the last five years compared to 2.5% of the general grocery market (Evans 2007, p. 6).
The above is amplified by Young’s point (cited in Gheswalla, 2007) that such branding of Halal products offers a big opportunity for the Westerners to consume Halal products, as Halal taps into concerns about purity, health and wellness which are universal and it says something about the quality of things that are produced.
Assimilation The marketing and branding of Halal products is enhanced by foods everywhere in the world being assimilated with changed local tastes. Foreign foods in some countries as in Europe become assimilated and local tastes change, encouraged by global tourism and reverse colonization. Curry is the number one take away meal in the UK and Kebabs are a typical German staple (Evans, 2007). After examining the growing importance of Halal and the fact that Halal (lawful in the Islamic sense) is fast becoming a new market force and identifier, the next part of the paper will assess and highlight the branding strategies in marketing of Halal products.
Proper Names, Quality and the Brand Marketing of Halal Products The study of consumer behavior is vital when it comes to brand marketing of Halal products. In essence, Muslim consumers are very much like any other consumers. Muslim consumers would certainly want quality products which also conform to their beliefs (Halal). In this aspect, Gobe’s (2001) concept of emotional branding should be applied since this emotional branding strategy marked a rather simple but revolutionary shift in thinking—placing the consumer, not the product, at the forefront of a brand’s strategy. Being religiously correct is very critical to Muslims— it is their emotional ‘concerns’ and how they are seen by others when it comes to buying or consuming brand Halal products. Halal product sellers must not just sell the products but supply or serve the ‘core benefits’ (Low, 2002a, p. 152 and Low, 2006) to their consumers and make them satisfied. The Brand Marketing of Halal Products: The Way Forward
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They must also connect, communicate and relate with the buyers and consumers of their products (Low, 2001). Consumers would very much turn their attention to a well-marketed product which does not have a Halal mark on it and read its ingredients in contrast to purchasing one which has less credibility but has a Halal mark. McDonald’s in Singapore can be seen as a prime example; it has seen an influx of eight million patrons a year after it obtained a Halal certification. Since being certified Halal, KFC, Burger King and Taco Bell have all seen an increase of 20% in customers (Hairalah, cited in Hazair, 2007a, p. 13). Quality Halal certifications, coming from credible sources, appear, all the more, to give assurances to the consumers. Hence the increase in their numbers. As the study’s findings have shown, ‘proper names are critical, a great contributing factor to the brand marketing of Halal products’. (interviewees’ input, mentioned nine times). Success in the Halal business and marketing can be attributed to strong brand name and more importantly, knowing what the customers want. It is indeed tactless for producers to name their products after haram or forbidden foods, ‘Halal consumers are quite sensitive to these issues’ (Hairalah, cited in Hazair, 2007a, p. 13). Again, note that this amplifies Gobe’s (2001) point that real brands are about ‘meaning and truth’. Certain terms are misnomers; for example, it is awkward to speak of Halal beef bacon since bacon implies pork which is haram or forbidden. The name which indicates Halal must be meaningful and truthful. Indeed so, among other things, Islam also encourages the concepts of istiqamah (consistent, continuous improvement) and amanah (trust). Real brands thus need to bear “meaning and truth”.
Product Packaging Twenty-five interviewees or 73.52% of the total interviewees indicated ‘product packaging’ as one of the prime factors in brand marketing of Halal products, and in this regard, when a Muslim consumer buys a Halal product, he is doing so because of his commitment to Islamic principles and teachings. Some Halal food producers have developed a patronizing attitude towards the buyers, feeling that the consumers’ lives will remain hard and dry since they will not be able to enjoy the product (El-Mouelhy, 2007). Such an attitude needs to be changed. The quality must be there as well as the willingness of the suppliers to supply such quality Halal products. According to El-Mouelhy (2007), the patronizing attitude is a very real and common happening. It has affected the Halal food trade between many countries. He cited that some of the high income oil rich Muslim countries used to import poultry, meat and dairy products from some of the fellow Muslim countries that were rich in agriculture and cattle. The exporters of those Muslim countries took the importers for granted and on some occasions failed to either maintain quality or meet various other commitments that they had made. This resulted in problems for the importers. The exporters who, despite complaints, did not do much to improve the situation; lost the buyers’ trust, and they started looking for other sources of supply. 42
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El-Mouelhy (2007) further argues that the failure of Muslim exporters of Halal food products to recognize that the consumer is the final arbiter led the consumers to those suppliers who strongly believe in the consumer as a king. Thus in Europe where Non-Muslim suppliers are located, and they may not have heard of or eaten Halal food in their entire life, yet they are successful. The reason—they know the golden rule of marketing, namely: The consumer is king in the market! Besides, today in many Muslim countries, poultry, meat, dairy products and other foods are imported from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, America, and other countries and the importing countries are happy because they are not only getting Halal food but also high quality food (El-Mouelhy, 2007). Consumers are becoming more complex in terms of their needs and they want to eat Halal meat that provides them with all protein. Protein is needed to build, repair and maintain tissues, organs and cells in the body. In Brunei, the recently unveiled Halal accreditation label serves as a platform for its local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to grow. The Halal accreditation label which promises and delivers its gift of developing safe and fresh products for Muslims and non-Muslims in the international market, can add value to the Sultanate’s local products (Han, 2007). Already global food and drink giant, Nestle has shown its interest in wanting to obtain Brunei Halal seal (Hazair, 2007b). Besides, with this Halal label support, local companies, joining forces with international companies, can also provide services that can lead to other spin-off opportunities and business growth. The branding of Halal products can also draw strength from the Halal quality definition while building its product brand personality just like what cigarettes have in the form of the Marlboro Man personality. In this regard, brand character can be a great door opener if used in systematic and aggressive manner (Alsop and Abrams, 1986). Basically, the Halal or what this researcher would call the ‘New Modern Muslim’ personality has to be defined before it can be shaped. A need exists to avoid Haram or forbidden names for Halal food, and these include names such as chicken ham, Halal beef bacon and alcohol-free beer. This can be misleading to the Muslim community (Dr. Mohammed Asraf, Secretary General of the Islamic Society of North American Canada, cited in Hazair, 2007). Though ‘not an easy task’ (interviewees’ input), businesses perhaps need to come up with names with an Islamic identity so as to increase consumer confidence and positively affect sales. The Halal labels should not only be descriptive, but also be clear and meaningful to the consumers. Such a move assists in clear positioning and top-of-the-mind awareness of the Halal products and advances the brand further. The technique is to identify the source of the food elements. More so, if the food components contain unfamiliar elements—for example, porcine; it could cause confusion and problems for Muslim consumers (Junaidah Hj Abu Bakar, cited in Han 2007a, p. 5). The Brand Marketing of Halal Products: The Way Forward
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Public Relations, Promotions and Advertising Promoting a brand is the prime factor to making Halal products click. “By creating a Halal brand, we (businesses) have the opportunity to touch the lives of more people. Creating a trust mark for the Muslim community…it (Halal) could become its own power brand.” (Bayman, cited in Hazair, 2007c). “Advertisers also have to find socially acceptable ways to communicate those products,” (Miles Young, chairman of advertising giant Ogilvy and Mather Asia-Pacific, cited in Gheswalla, 2007). Propriety and quality must be conveyed to the consumers (interviewees’ input; mentioned 16 times). In marketing communications of Halal brands, it is not sufficient to say a company has a quality product. Halal businesses should strategically gain their customers’ trust by upholding high standards. Interestingly, Williams’ (2007) two key ideas of businesses branding their products through conveying quality can be applied here: •
•
Halal businesses should choose their words carefully. In choosing words, describing something as ‘high quality’ actually limits one’s message. Instead, choose terms like ‘premium’ or ‘unparalleled’. The more expensive one’s product relative to competing products, the more sophisticated the terms one should choose. Also, consider carefully before one includes ‘quality’ in one’s name or tagline. Upscale products benefit from a more subtle approach. It is preferable to imply quality when naming one’s products.
They should indeed be committed to their niche If they’re of ‘ Halal excellence’ choice, they can’t also be of ‘low Halal operational quality’/‘low processing quality’ choice. It is one or the other in the consumer mind because the two concepts are seen as opposite ends on the spectrum. Advertise ‘value’ or ‘affordability’, but avoid ‘low cost’, ‘inexpensive’, ‘cheap’ and other words that connote low quality. .
Next, in this researcher’s opinion, Halal companies, believing in the Islamic cause— and walking their talk—can be passionate in advancing the Halal cause. They can also sponsor and/or provide scholarships of Islamic postgraduate studies in local institutions of higher learning such as the Centre for Islamic Banking, Finance and Management in the Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Additionally, participating in expositions and seminars on Halal products is good as it brings awareness to Muslims and non-Muslims alike of the available Halal products and their suppliers/wholesalers at both the national and international level (Al-Haran and Low, 2008). Then again, the power of contrast (Kothari, 2005) or yin-yang effect (Low, 2005) can be applied here to brand Halal products. Contrast means comparing and emphasizing differences, making the differences stand out. Branding works well when the marketing communications are consistent (Epromos, 2008); the latter should be using the same Halal accreditation labels, symbols and icons. Easily recognized Halal accreditation labels will 44
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promote the religious compliance for the Muslims. However, it needs to appear with a forward looking font to differentiate it from other trademarks. Stylized Arabic very much associated with Islam, can be incorporated into the labels. Halal businesses
can also advertise in the Halal journals and media both in Brunei and overseas. Advertising is the key to marketing and sales. From the Halal advertising perspective, strategy depends upon whether a particular market is a comprehensive Muslim majority or a mix of so many different communities (Al-Haran and Low, 2008, p. 46). In a clear-cut Muslim majority case where the total presence of non-Muslims is only marginal, it is appropriate to emphasize the Halal nature and characteristics of the food so that it attracts the common folks in the society who are a majority. However, in a multi-religious society where Muslims are a significant proportion of the population, the product can be marked as Halal on the label so that the members of the community are aware of its status as well as promoting the product in the Muslim and ethnic media. Here, for the non-Muslims, the product’s quality, that they are cleaner, healthier and tastier (Burgmann, 2007) and the overall health factor should be emphasized.
Pricing In terms of pricing, strong Halal brands have to be created and built. Brands can add value to a product allowing the manufacturer and sellers to enjoy the ability to command a higher pricing for their products. Here, a vital point to note is that value is created by the way of packaging, the image it portrays and the interactions of the consumers with the seller company; it is not defined by the sellers but by the buyers and consumers (Kotler, 2000; Low, 2002a and Dolak, 2003). Good Halal branding, while commanding higher prices can also attract or entice the non-Muslim consumers. Ordinarily speaking, there is strong perception of high quality associating with high pricing as in luxury goods or health products, more so when Halal products are marketed and branded as health food.
Place As argued in Low (2007a), companies selling Halal products should capitalize on the Muslim diasporia, selling in Malay Muslim and/or Arab Muslim, Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries. In this way, the companies have an expanded market and playing field. However, from the producer’s point of view, there are two types of markets for 1.
The Market in non-Muslim countries.
2.
The Market in the Muslim countries (El-Mouelhy, 2007).
Halal food:
In the case of the non-Muslim countries, the problem is serious because the Muslim communities are scattered. Thus it is difficult to distribute through dealers because in many cases there are no dealers but only the scattered small retailers. The labor cost is so high that the price will not become competitive compared to the same product that lacks Halal The Brand Marketing of Halal Products: The Way Forward
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attributes. Despite these difficulties one cannot discount the big potential of Halal food market. The answer lies in making the product Halal in the first place as well as making it available for all (El-Mouelhy, 2007). Also Halal product marketers need to take part in exhibitions and conferences of the Muslim Communities in various big centers. The real issues in the markets of Muslim countries are that businesses need to •
•
•
Seriously avoid a patronizing attitude and be aware that customer is king, honoring the commitments on a regular basis. Commit, ensure and upkeep quality. Know the culture of the local distributors. When dealing with these distributors, it is important to know their expectations and their way of saying ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. One should also be ready to learn how things can be made to move in that culture.
Other Branding Strategies for Halal Products It is true that with the strong Islamic background of the nation strengthened by the national philosophy of Malay Islamic Monarchy, the global market can be assured that Brunei Darussalam’s Halal certification is stringent. The highest approval level for the Halal certification is the Islamic Religious Council of Brunei Darussalam members comprising prominent clerics (Brunei Halal, 2007). Halal businesses in Brunei needs to see what other Muslim and non-Muslim companies are doing (interviewees’ input; mentioned 10 times). Benchmarking and continuous improvements are critical; and much learning, applications and benefits can be derived. It is interesting to observe foods and consumables labelled Halal which is now being done by the Malaysian government. This is of great interest in the international arena since no global common standard exists for it at this time. Establishing a global standard would make marketing of such products simpler and open up new possibilities for the creative and innovative strategies in Islamic branding (Young, cited in Nair-Gheswalla, 2007). Under the people aspect of brand marketing of Halal products, anyone that is directly or indirectly involved to the Halal business should give an overall ‘safe and comfortable’ perception and ‘quality’ impression, and that can have profound loyalty effects on buyers. To enhance that impression, employees must thus be properly trained. Indeed benchmarking, learning and applications as strategic brand management coincides with Young’s remarks (cited in Nair-Gheswalla, 2007) that Malaysian Airlines: MAS, Petronas and Proton are companies that are examples of seemingly Islamic brands, which have gone global. They can thus be emulated and, in fact, such an area in that direction can be the scope of future research. The fact that the majority (73.52%) of the interviewees claimed Halal companies need to look at other Muslim and non-Muslim companies in the region also point to strategic alliances and collaborations; these should be applied and stepped up. Halal businesses, facilitated by the Brunei Halal body and/or Brunei Government, should work more on this. 46
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Such an example includes the project, which is being currently run by the Brunei Government and is being coordinated in Australia by Elders, can help to fill the gap in the Halal market (Sheridan, 2007). Brunei Halal brands can indeed gain market share as well as a win-win for both countries.
Conclusion In short, businesses and marketers should realize that Halal marketing is very much like ordinary marketing and apply the 4Ps aptly. They should also recognize that Muslim consumers would be loyal and perceive that they have bought the right product brand when: •
•
•
•
They always get the product they want. (Ease and convenience to customers is also enhanced). They always get quality (They match with their religious beliefs and values; they feel psychologically and physically safe; they feel comfortable.) The supplier has kept his promise, supplying the right quality products and building the customer’s trust in them. The
Halal nature
of the product is beyond doubt, there should be some form of Halal certification, and some respectable authority stands behind the producer’s claims.
The positioning of Malay Islamic Monarchy of Brunei, together with the people’s way of life or lifestyle can be a strategic option to market Halal products, since it is aligned with the Halal brand. The reputation of the country too helps in the marketing of the Halal brand in Brunei and the region. And indeed, by focusing on and growing its Brunei Halal brand, Brunei Darussalam can, in fact, further diversify and grow its non-oil and gas industry, moving away from the dependence on its oil and gas industry while strengthening its economy.
Limitations and Benefits of the Study All the respondents in this research were Muslims and Bruneians. The study however would have yielded more and varied answers should it be conducted among non-Muslims as more out-of-the-box brand paradigms, marketing options and/or fresh strategic responses and perspectives may perhaps emerge. If the above is the case and if assessed as yielding benefits, researchers may consider this avenue or pool to tap when doing such a research in the future. If the latter is adopted, as a word of caution—the author wishes to advise researchers to note a caveat here as Muslim scholars may point to the fact that non-Muslims are not aware of the practices of Islamic teachings. Although research has yielded much result, the study could have been expanded to increase the pool and numbers of respondents. However, this is in most ways acceptable and understandable given the fact that the study was conducted at the researcher’s personal expenses, and without any help or sponsorships from other organizations. The Brand Marketing of Halal Products: The Way Forward
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In any case, the study is apt and, indeed, helpful. After all, there is a growing influence of Islam on brands and there is the rise of Shariat or Islamic finance; there is Halal compliance in food and cosmetics; there is a whole culture of branding that corporations are unaware of or are struggling with. True, it may also be quite a controversial topic but mainly because there has been so little talk about it in the past and never at all in public (Young, cited in Nair-Gheswalla, 2007). The study can, in some ways, too raise the awareness of a growing influence of Islam on brands. References
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