You should also make sure that they are OK with an outsider using those terminologies to describe or address them.

Start listening: You will need to join forums, use tools like Hootsuite for social listening, and get directly involved with these different Muslim communities to understand the way they describe themselves and the components of their day-to-day Muslim life.

Brands need to gain the proper knowledge of the basics of Islam to understand what certain terminologies like ‘shariah’ actually mean before talking to Muslims about complex issues like ‘shariah-compliant’ products and services. Get the knowledge: Islam is a straightforward religion and Muslims have grown accustomed to this simple approach. This means you need to be sensitive about the terms you use like ‘Latino’, ‘African American’ etc. You need to cater to Hispanic Muslims, cater to Black Muslims, Asian Muslims, and more. Culture: Where does Islam fit?Ĭater to all ethnic cultures: There is not one majority ethnic group in the United States that dominates the American Muslim consumer audience. Consequently, Muslims in their different societies did not abolish their cultural practices altogether and this is evident with Arab Muslims, Turks, Asians, and Africans.” - Religion Vs. A process of cultural selection went underway to keep what did not contradict Islamic principles. “Throughout Islamic history, Muslims in Africa and Asia maintained their way of life without transgressing the principles of Islam and kept the Shariah intact. You cannot make everyone happy but the terms you use to speak to them or describe them must be balanced properly. Muslims are quite diverse in regards to levels of religiosity, ethnic backgrounds, and demographics. According to Farhana Akthar, Author of The Generational Diversity of Religious Orientations of Muslims in Britain, younger generations want a ‘purified, universally oriented Islamic identity, or, in other words, a religious orientation towards Ummah (Muslim community) nationalism,’ as opposed to the majority of first-generation Muslim migrants who saw Islam as a component of their ethnic identity.Ĭater to diversity within the Muslim community: There is a certain degree of complexity that most marketers and advertisers come up against when engaging with Muslim consumers. We explore how brands can choose terms that best reflect the preferences of Muslim consumers for better engagement with their content and marketing efforts.Ĭater to the Muslim identity: Address them as Muslims first and American/British etc. Alternatively, it can isolate, completely pushing them away from the brand.”- Collage Group The language consumer brands use for a segment’s core identities can make them feel embraced and understood. “A key element of thoughtful, engaging advertising is using the correct terms that resonate with each segment. A study also revealed that “religious consciousness and content quality have a direct positive significant influence on consumer buying behaviour”.Īs a diverse consumer segment, Muslims want to be addressed authentically along two dimensions: the terms they use to describe themselves, and their sentiment toward terms your brand uses to describe them in general. The vast majority of Muslim consumers are young and are looking for brands that speak to them as though they matter brands that understand and cater to their needs rather than force-feed stereotypical media pieces down their throats.

This reflects an 8.9% year-on-year growth from 2020, with Islamic finance growing to US$3.6 trillion in 2021, up 7.8%, from US$3.4 trillion in 2020.” - State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2022. “Muslims spent US$2 trillion in 2021 across industries. If marketers want to engage consumer culture authentically, they must push for diversity, and to accomplish that, they must use the proper terminologies. Race, ethnicity, and in the case of Muslim consumers, religious beliefs are all factors that are becoming more significant to people's identities, and brands already have a sizable percentage of their audience made up of diverse consumers.

An important cultural trend of our day is represented by the rising diversity of American customers.

Muslim consumer group