Halal Branding: New Book Probes The Sticky Intersections Between Retail, Religion & Pop Culture

It’ll probably be of little surprise that the author of a book that kicks off with the question, “What the Halal is going on?” and follow-up statements including “Muslims are the new exotica” may be a slightly colorful character. An accessible mélange of urban-erudite-flamboyant, Professor Jonathan Wilson is a globe-trotting academic who prides himself on bleeding his past/other lives directly into his work as an award-winning branding expert and trainer; lives that include years sweating it out in bands in Britain’s Hip Hop, Asian Underground and Indie scenes (chunks of rap lighten up the book’s more complex hypotheses), ensconced in martial arts and a critical conversion from a quietly Christian Caribbean-Scottish upbringing to Islam shortly after the millennium. As one of only approximately 100 BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) professors in 20,000 in the UK, he’s long warmed to the buzz of underdog status - devoted to finding alternative ways to review, frame and predict the movements of brand land and its affiliated pop cultural phenomena, even when they’re emerging at lightning speed.

Such is the pace of this digitally interspliced world, combined with Wilson’s personal sensitivity towards faith-connected consumption, that Halal Branding (Halal meaning what is permissible according to traditional Islamic law) should be considered less a tome of silver bullets for those wanting to instantly infiltrate Muslim consumers’ actions/wallets and more a prescient manual for re-thinking branding in general, at a time when traditional marketing wisdom is still largely affixed to a Western perspective . As Wilson says in the book, “Because the vast majority of top brands, scholars and literature hail from or are educated in the (Christian) West and use terms such as icons we therefore tend to view branding through a Western Christian lens.”

To put the need for a rethink into perspective, here are some stats on the religion or the culture (as Wilson prefers to contextualize it for a branding debate) in hand: 25% of world’s population is now Muslim, a figure expected to increase 35%+ in the next 20 years, with spending power of $3trn forecast by 2023. Food, drink, clothing, entertainment, travel, and pharmaceuticals and cosmetics are the key sectors, in that order. By 2070 it looks destined to be the world’s largest religion. If that weren't enough, right now half the Muslim population is under 25 years old - a white-hot indicator of where global brands across the spectrum should be training a respectful gaze.

But it’s about far more than a sheer numbers game. There are, suggests Wilson, attitudinal traits with increasing cross-cultural resonance creating what he describes as the “Halal X-Factor”; Gen Z, let’s not forget, is increasingly described as Gen Sensible - a group notably shorter on vices and keener on discipline than the relatively ambivalent Gen Y and downright hedonistic Gen X. Therefore, systems, including branding, that reinforce the satisfaction that can come with perimeters - especially if there’s an obvious connection between mind, body and spirit - are big on provenance, accountability, community values and/or move away from the high sensationalism of mindless marketing may all appeal.

“I think the desire for a system involving such scrutiny of products and practices and services combined with an appetite for rigor or enlightenment in some way is growing in the West simply because people want an alternative perspective, the possibility of a new way of doing or looking at things and which is based in day-to-day life and so feels accessible. Therefore, the notion of Halal, as a cool byword for ‘this is okay’ just as Kosher was used before it, is effectively fulfilling another cultural remit. And that’s why it’s starting to permeate wider culture.”

As evidence of that filtration he cites American pop star Cardi B singing the lyrics, “Eating a Halal, driving a Lam[borghini]” to her song I Like It  (2018) to which Twitter , it seems, largely rejoiced.

Of course, it must be noted that it’s not a directly transferrable appeal because Halal criteria does not inherently conflate with, for example, those looking for generalized eco-ethical regulations. The pursuit of purity on which Halal is based is specific to Islam and not a co-opt-able brand component, but the overlaps are likely to build. Consider truth tech tools such as blockchain - an immutable ledger system that shows exactly what processes and even businesses are involved in every type of brand activity. While it will be extremely useful to Muslim-centric brands, especially those involving clear cut ingredients such as food or beauty, the universal rise of risk aversion will unite and intertwine numerous groups.

Intertwining is something Wilson says is imperative for brands dealing with Muslim audiences now, as the borders between pop culture, ethnicity and religion become increasingly blurred, rendering lazy classification a loser’s game ; “I’m seeing split identities everywhere, people behaving conservatively at home but being a wildcat in the club, appreciating and appropriating more than ever. In many ways it’s a sense of dual cool.” For brands that means treading a line that delivers cultural respect and inclusivity but dodges the kind of cheesy one-model-to-represent-each-nation tokenism that smacks of a consumer land-grab.

Wilson cites an A/W18 Versace campaign spotted in Kuala Lumpur that subtly plays with varying degrees of modest fashion (a sector where spending is scheduled to rise from $243bn in 2015 to $368bn by 2021) that aren’t even labelled as such, as opposed to pitching a non-Muslim model next to her Modest mate or the ‘one girl for one persona’ marketing beloved of so many brands trying to hit all the right inclusive marks. Reminiscent of the ‘80s London label Bodymap - famous for being the first to use Lycra to create catwalk-to-club ready fashion worn by those bigger than sample sizes - the imagery shows one model in mini skirt, neck-shielding headscarf and beret; another in a headscarf, jacket and frayed bottom skirt that could conceivably be considered modest if worn with opaque tights; a borderline genderless model in a tuxedo and red beret and another in full bodycon. It’s a pick-and-mix for mutable identities:

“While not strictly modest wear, it’s tapping into the idea of inclusivity, fitting in, aspiration and status,” says Wilson. “Muslims don’t want to be aliens, they want to be themselves, and accepted on their terms. It’s a nod to the fact that you’re acknowledged and part of the gang. It’s effectively a way of co-branding.” Nike ’s focus on New Jersey-native Ibtihaj Muhammad, the female Olympic fencer for whom it created an elite sports suitable hijab, is another example of such blended inclusivity.

Being part of a gang, specifically shifting focus from a solo megastar to a coterie of talent, connects to another area of Islamic philosophy that Wilson believes will slide into wider branding perspectives. According to Wilson, for a culture that forbids the worship of additional icons it will be more palatable for brands to present multiple voices including grass roots role models. He points to Adidas ’ use of street football in brand campaigns albeit, it must be said, alongside deity-like global superstars such as Lionel Messi, which makes for a slightly shaky analogy. However, in an era where vlogging has to an extent democratized communications and younger consumers are beginning to exchange the super social networks of Facebook for more private, smaller communication groups there is a logical ring to the potential progression.

It nods to the growth of modesty as a more expansive concept, something else Wilson believes will experience a renaissance, citing Japanese brand Muji (the name itself is derived from the words Mujirushi Ryōhin meaning No Brand Quality Goods) and Uniqlo , another Japanese brand that's softly promoted a modest fashion range that was launched in Malaysia but also sells on London’s Oxford Street. Alternatively, consider the white lab coats worn by the staff of French fashion brand Maison Margiela - a carefully engineered symbol of the power of anonymity.

Other areas of Islamic culture that Wilson points to as a space he believes will impact a wider consumer mindset is the fascinating premise of going beyond After-Sales Service into Customer After-Lifetime Value , a topic Wilson has previously published a paper on. In short, this means expecting brands to assist you (your family) in their duty of care after post-mortem, cultivating a brand-consumer relationship of relatively extreme depths: “If you believe in the afterlife it makes sense that you expect brands and businesses to be linked to accountability forever (this life and the hereafter),” says Wilson. While this may sound wild it is already happening; Denver-based luxury travel provider Exclusive Resorts offers five- to 30-year travel packages, enabling its clientele to visit up to 40 destinations within that time period. Clients can opt to leave memberships to children in their wills.

Any other tricks that may have be being missed? Apparently, there is one: “If you believe in a higher being why be so competitive in such an ugly and essentially deceitful way?” asks Wilson. It’s an idea which markedly extends beyond the naked ambition of gun-for-hire style collaborations such as Louis Vuitton partnering with skate brand Supreme into supposed frenemy territory: “For instance, you have Samsung in the backroom developing screens for Apple ’s iPhones. Why not have an Apple/Samsung phone at some stage? Halal exists as a phenomenon, in fact a noumenon, regardless of what labels people put on things so this isn’t about trivializing or ruthlessly capitalizing on religion, it’s about considering its role in the brand world to see what positives can come of it.”