oxford islamic branding and marketing forum report

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THE INAUGURAL OXFORD GLOBAL ISLAMIC BRANDING AND MARKETING FORUM26�–27 July 2010, Oxford, England

EDUCATING LEADERS FOR 800 YEARS

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

FORUM REPORT

THE INAUGURAL OXFORD GLOBAL ISLAMIC BRANDING AND MARKETING FORUM02

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSI would like to thank you all for making this Inaugural Oxford Global Islamic Branding and Marketing Forum the success it undoubtedly was. The contributions of the distinguished speakers, moderators and delegates were rst class and ensured that the two days were an enjoyable and memorable learning experience. I hope that this summary of proceedings will serve as a reminder of many of the key points that were made during this groundbreaking event, and look forward very much to seeing you at our next Forum.

Paul Temporal, Forum Director

THE INAUGURAL OXFORDGLOBAL ISLAMIC BRANDINGAND MARKETING FORUMReport from a Forum held 26�–27 July 2010Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

03WWW.SBS.OXFORD.EDU/ISLAMICMARKETING

NOTES ABOUT THIS REPORTSince the development of the Islamic marketing and branding industry is at an early stage, there is variation in opinion on market and revenue sizing, as well as different perspectives on the activities of existing players in these elds. All information in this report is recorded as delivered by the participants in order to re ect accurately their delivery, and the variation in opinions that currently exist. This is the reason that gures vary or may even disagree. Further, the information is preserved as speakers delivered it, and has not been normalised against market data. Therefore some information may be at odds with more widely available information. If readers wish to verify data, they are encouraged to contact the Saïd Business School and follow up with the conference organisers or the speakers themselves.

04 THE INAUGURAL OXFORD GLOBAL ISLAMIC BRANDING AND MARKETING FORUM

FOREWORD

I was delighted that the University of Oxford hosted the Inaugural Oxford Global Islamic Branding and Marketing Forum.

Oxford scholars have long had a deep interest in Islam, including its culture, learning and civilisation. We are equally interested in the nature of contemporary business and in connections between business and the wider world.

My predecessor, Dr John Hood, wisely observed that �“A full and informed understanding of Islam is a major priority for us in the West. Universities like Oxford have an important role to play in the development of that understanding�”.

The Forum was a great success, and I am pleased to introduce this summary of its proceedings.

Professor Andrew Hamilton, FRSVice ChancellorUniversity of Oxford


ABOUT THE FORUMThe Inaugural Oxford Global Islamic Branding and Marketing Forum brought together business and thought leaders to discuss and debate the opportunities and challenges of engaging the growing Muslim market. Held at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, on 26�–27 July 2010, it was attended by over 230 delegates from across the globe.

Although the rise of industries characterised as �‘halal�’, �‘Islamic�’ and �‘shariah-compliant�’ have increasingly made headline news, this was the rst forum of its kind focusing speci cally on the branding and marketing aspects of addressing Muslim markets and consumers.

The Forum was structured to look at several different perspectives of Islamic branding and marketing. What do we mean by Muslim markets and brands? What are the challenges, how can they be overcome and how to build customer loyalty? How are Muslims perceived today when it comes to religion, culture and branding and what are the challenges of engaging Muslims in a multicultural global world? What can we learn from the development of the Islamic nance industry, and where next for this sector? What innovation can we hope for in the future and what trends will shape the Muslim markets of the future?

Keynote addresses were delivered by global leaders such as Rt. Hon. Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister of Sarawak, Malaysia; Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Minister in the Prime Minister�’s Department, Malaysia; Miles Young, CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide; Shri K. Rahman Khan, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and MP Indian National Congress; Tan Sri Dato�’ H. Muhammad-Ali, President and CEO, Johor Corporation; Roy Michel Haddad, Chairman and CEO, JWT Middle East and North Africa; Shaukat Aziz, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan and HRH Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, Crown Prince of Perak, Malaysia.

Several key themes emerged, and these are elaborated on in the Executive Summary:

�• The conference was the rst of its kind in bringing together thought leaders, business pioneers and entrepreneurs to focus entirely on Islamic branding and marketing

�• Market de nition and sizing, as well as consumer data and segmentation show considerable variation due to the nascent nature of the industry

�• Muslim consumers, both globally and nationally, are not a homogeneous entity. Their diversity demographically, ethnographically and by gender must be recognised and understood.

�• Islamic branding and marketing can be used to tackle wider global issues affecting Muslims at a political and international level

�• A positive change of attitude towards innovation, risk-taking and business aspiration is required to inspire and nurture Muslim entrepreneurs

�• Strong value propositions will be key to the success of Islamic brands


TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD ............................................................................................................................................ 04

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................ 09

FORUM PROGRAMME ............................................................................................................................. 14

SESSION 1: OPENING SESSION ............................................................................................................. 16

SESSION 2: THE MUSLIM BUSINESS WORLD �– MARKETS AND BRANDS ............................................... 18

SESSION 3: THE BRUNEI HALAL BRAND: BUILDING ISLAMIC BRANDS FOR NICHE MARKETS .............. 21

SESSION 4: THE HALAL CITY OF THE FUTURE: BUILDING A CITY�’S ISLAMIC BRAND AND THE MARKETING CHALLENGES FACED ........................................................................................... 22

SESSION 5: WINNING AND RETAINING CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN A DIVERSE MARKET ............................ 23

SESSION 6: MARKETING CHALLENGES OF THE GLOBAL HALAL INDUSTRY. WHAT MUST WE DO? ......... 24

SESSION 7: THE MUSLIM WORLD TODAY: PERCEPTIONS AND PERSPECTIVES ...................................... 25

SESSIO 8: DINNER KEYNOTE ADDRESS: MUSLIMS IN TODAY�’S INDIA ................................................... 26

SESSION 9: THE FUTURE OF ISLAMIC FINANCE: TRENDS, GROWTH, INNOVATION ................................ 28

SESSION 10: INNOVATIVE GLOBAL MARKETING DEVELOPMENTS .......................................................... 30

SESSION 11: REACHING THE MUSLIM MARKET: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES ........................... 33

SESSION 12: ANTICIPATING THE FUTURE: WHAT ARE THE FUTURE TRENDS IN GLOBALMUSLIM MARKETS? HOW SHOULD WE PREPARE FOR THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME? ..................... 35

SESSION 13: RELIGION, CULTURE AND BRANDING: THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDINGAND THE CHALLENGES OF ENGAGING A GLOBAL MULTICULTURAL WORLD .......................................... 37

SESSION 14: CLOSING REMARKS .......................................................................................................... 39

PARTNERS .............................................................................................................................................. 42

CONTACT DETAILS .................................................................................................................. BACK COVER


EXECUTIVE SUMMARYTHE CONFERENCE WAS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN BRINGING TOGETHER THOUGHT LEADERS, BUSINESS PIONEERS AND ENTREPRENEURS TO FOCUS ENTIRELY ON ISLAMIC BRANDING AND MARKETINGAccording to the Pew Research Center a comprehensive demographic study of more than 200 countries nds that there are 1.57 billion Muslims of all ages living in the world today, representing 23% of an estimated 2009 world population of 6.8 billion. Not only is the Muslim population a signi cant percentage of the global population, but AT Kearney also point out that the market for shariah-compliant products or services totals USD$2trillion annually and is growing rapidly. As Muslim countries develop, there is an expressed need to develop and market their own brands to the rest of the world. Additionally, there is substantial interest amongst non-Muslim companies in how to enter and penetrate this global market, which spans many industries, including nance, food and beverage, cosmetics, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, logistics, tourism, fashion, and others.

The Oxford Forum was the rst to bring Muslim and non-Muslim leaders and companies from a variety of public and private sector organisations together to discuss how to develop better trade and business relations and to learn from each other about the markets involved and the techniques required. Referring to the Islamic Branding and Marketing Research and Education Project which organised the Forum, its Project Director Dr Paul Temporal commented that: �“The Forum is the Project�’s rst signi cant event at a time of rising interest.�”

Gay Haskins, Dean of Executive Education, welcomed everyone, and Professor Hamilton, the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, noted that �“As the �‘global village�’ increasingly takes shape at the start of the 21st century�” Oxford University was a natural place to create a full understanding of Islam in the West, and that this innovative forum was part of a centuries-long quest to deepen relations with the Muslim world.

Javed Husain, co-founder and director of the Media Reach agency felt that it was interesting that the debate about Islamic branding being hosted by the Forum �– the rst of its kind �– was being held in the West rather than the traditional Islamic lands of the East.

Miles Young, CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, noted that the appreciation of this growing market is only slowly beginning to dawn on the commercial world: �“It was when we sent out a mailer recently, describing Muslim consumers conservatively as the �‘third one billion�’ that the bells started nally to ring in the global HQs of some of our clients. Yes, this is a market bigger than India or China is, and yet it receives a tiny fraction of the attention.�”

MARKET DEFINITION AND SIZING, AS WELL AS CONSUMER DATA AND SEGMENTATION SHOW CONSIDERABLE VARIATION DUE TO THE NASCENT NATURE OF THE INDUSTRY

Speakers throughout the conference were conscious of the variation in market sizing data that they quoted in their analysis. The Muslim global population was variously quoted as ranging from between 1.57bn to 1.9bn, the global halal industry was estimated from USD$150bn to anywhere up to USD $632bn, and the Islamic nance industry was quoted at between USD$1 trillion and USD$2 trillion. Not only were the numbers themselves different, it was clear that the de nitions of terms like �‘halal�’, �‘shariah-compliant�’ and �‘Islamic�’ were used with variation.

The analysis of both the size and the breakdown of the Muslim market was of evident concern in sizing the commercial opportunities available and the best way to tailor products and brands to meet those opportunities. As Sarah Joseph, Editor of EMEL Magazine, explained: �“investors should not be fooled into thinking the big numbers that were being quoted are one market �– rather they comprise lots of markets with great variation.�” However, she noted more optimistically that �“the unifying factor was that values do travel across sectors whereas cultures do not.�”

For the industry to develop it was clear that more work on sizing and analysis would need to be undertaken. However, there was a challenge to source actual and reliable data. Professor Cedomir Nestorovic of the ESSEC Business School in Paris gave the example of France: �“There are no real gures to size the market, and these will be dif cult to obtain since 90% of halal food is sold in small shops.�”

There was general consensus on the key segments that were ripe for targeting. Dr Temporal explained: �“The �‘halal industry�’ focuses on ve segments: Islamic lifestyle products, food and beverage, nance, education and internet and digital brands.�” Young noted the ranking of �“the importance of shariah-compliance increases with the body sensitivity of the product where food, dairy, beverages and oral care score highest, followed by fashion, personal


care and �‘regular�’ nance and nally airlines, resorts, nancial and insurance products. Some products are considered neutral of the halal/haram criteria such as software.�”

Two of the world�’s leading global marketing and advertising agencies �– Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide and JWT, the former using the Forum to highlight the launch of their specialist Islamic Branding agency Ogilvy Noor - presented their research into the Muslim market, along with their own consumer segmentation.

Research by Ogilvy Noor identi ed six consumer segments, of which three, when grouped together as �‘Futurists�’ are of most interest to marketers. They are individualists who �‘choose�’ Islam. Their pride is intense, regardless of the extent to which they would be categorised as �‘devout.�’ They believe in education and question intention. In particular they challenge the use of �‘halal�’ to make sure it is not just a logo. Where information on �‘halal�’ status is not available the company�’s reputation for shariah-friendliness is key.

JWT commissioned the rst commercial research into sizing the Muslim market. The aim was to identify the common values at the market�’s core in order to create relevance for the community at large with the ultimate goal of ne-tuning propositions across regions and countries. �“Can we segment the Muslim world into groups that brands can be anchored on?�” asked Roy Michel Haddad, Chairman and CEO JWT Middle East and North Africa.

THE MUSLIM CONSUMER IS NOT A HOMOGENEOUS ENTITY. THEIR DIVERSITY MUST BE RECOGNISED AND UNDERSTOOD

Dr Basil Mustafa, Nelson Mandela Fellow and Bursar, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, captured the mood of the Forum with the sentiment of diversity that was repeated by almost every speaker: �“Muslims are a mosaic of views on �‘halal�’, on culture, attitudes, economics, poverty and other demographics. This mosaic includes Muslims who live in both majority and minority Muslim countries.�” He warned that the �‘Islamic branding�’ discussion must avoid lazy stereotypes of monolithic Muslims or �‘Islam vs. West�’ dichotomies. Drilling deeper into the differences that are worth noting, Dr Temporal mentioned: �“diverse locations, languages and dialects, cultural and lifestyle differences, degrees of religiosity, education, af uence and marketing sophistication.�”

Haddad went further still stating that: �“There is no single Muslim consumer, only a consumer to whom we have to respond, who has wants, needs and desires. Ramadan is the only time that the �‘Muslim consumer�’ exists. Instead we must ask: can these consumers be reached based on their Islamic identity despite cultural and geographic differences?�”

Young offered advice to western marketers, who in his view face two big challenges when it comes to addressing the diversity of Muslim consumers: �“First, most companies operate on a geographic basis, but the �‘Islamic conscience�’ is something that is a more centralised concept. The best way to capture this is to move from localised management, to a centralised product management function to invest the Islamic brand into products from their very core. Second, Muslim consumers are not a segment that differs by one variable from the norm, such as the �‘pink dollar.�’ Muslim consumers are an alternative norm where the starting point is Islamic identity, and everything else ts into it. Muslims�’ own belief in the signi cance of Islam in their lives is pervasive, and for them, this �‘sincerity�’ is key in marketing practice.�”

It was not only Western marketers who needed to be conscious of this diversity, but also Muslims themselves, according to HE Shri K. Rahman Khan, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and MP Indian National Congress. He spoke of this challenge when it came to the huge Indian Muslim population which is nonetheless classi ed as a minority: �“The world Muslim community has generally ignored Indian Muslims even though they are the second largest Muslim population in the world. For example, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and Islamic Development Bank concentrate their activities on Muslim countries, so a small Muslim nation of two million will have a say in those forums, but a minority Muslim population like India�’s of over two hundred million Muslims will have no say.�”

The Rt Hon Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister of Sarawak, Malaysia, had some further words of advice, cautioning that �“the international community must be mindful�” of the diversity and that �“to take advantage of this the commercial world needs to develop regional trade as well as inter-regional trade. It needs to recognise that the halal market is growing and seek out Muslim consumers, whether the companies are Muslim-run themselves or not.�”


ISLAMIC BRANDING AND MARKETING CAN BE USED TO TACKLE WIDER GLOBAL ISSUES AFFECTING MUSLIMS AT A POLITICAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

Sir Iqbal Sacranie argued that the issue of Islamic branding affects both �‘halal�’ products, and Muslims and Muslim countries. Negative media coverage makes Muslims feel fearful and want to hide. In Sacranie�’s view one of the responsibilities of the Islamic branding industry is to address the wider issue of negativity.

The Rt Hon Taib Mahmud complimented the Forum on its role which he felt extended beyond just branding and marketing: �“When it comes to Muslim nations issues are raised such as poverty, deprivation, terrorism, extremism and other forms of negative stereotyping, but by focusing on the economic angle, this inaugural Islamic Branding Forum offers a fresh way to tackle those issues,�” noting that �“an Islamic lifestyle does not mean an anti-western or anti-modernity lifestyle.�”

As an example of how commerce could work towards addressing political problems, Dr Mustafa described the rise of coffee as a consumer product as one model for building Islamic brands. In the 17th century it was rst introduced to Europe from the Muslim world. Some Europeans were enamoured of it, others saw it as the sinful drink of in dels. Today coffee is a highly desirable commodity.

Effective Islamic branding and marketing would be borne by nurturing Islamic entrepreneurship, according to Tan Sri Dato�’ H Muhammad-Ali, CEO of Johor Corporation. Such entrepreneurship was ethical based, and community-centric and hence would tackle the lack of even wealth distribution, mass poverty and global con icts. He went further to say that Islamic products and brands could be used to tackle general challenges wider than that of just Muslim consumers, addressing issues such as sustainability, nancial crises, the rich/poor divide, and ethics in business.

HE Shaukat Aziz, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, elaborated on this by saying that: �“At a global level, Islamic marketing and branding must be part of the work to tackle terrorism. Deprivation is the most likely root cause of terrorist acts �– lack of income, justice, freedom, peace and harmony. Islam encourages peace, harmony and tolerance. Not terrorism!�”

HRH Raja Dr Nazrin Shah added optimistically that �“Growing commercial opportunities can bind Muslims and non-Muslims in a common humanity even though till now religion has long been considered taboo in mass marketing.�” But he warned we should be cautious in how far we pursue segmentation on religious lines, if the Islamic brand proves a turn-off for non-Muslims. Caution must be exercised of the inherent dangers of widespread use of faith-based brands which in the worst-case scenario could feed into Huntington�’s polarising �“clash of civilisations�” thesis. He explained that political negativity could spill over into commercial negativity towards Muslims brands, making it dif cult for Islamic products to penetrate Western markets. In his view Muslim businesses already in the West were best-placed to counter such negativity.

A POSITIVE CHANGE OF ATTITUDE TOWARDS INNOVATION, RISK-TAKING AND BUSINESS ASPIRATION IS REQUIRED TO INSPIRE AND NURTURE MUSLIM ENTREPRENEURS

When it comes to developing world class products, Ra -uddin Shikoh, CEO of DinarStandard, noted that none of today�’s global brands are from a Muslim country. He explained: �“Innovation is being held back in Muslim companies by fear of failure, small thinking and a lack of critical thinking.�” Haddad added a lack of creativity to this list, which he felt stemmed from a poor understanding of Islamic culture. This lack of creativity was demonstrated through the stereotypical and shallow symbolism that exploited tired imagery like the crescent and the arch. It was time to �“move beyond traditional expressions,�” he added.

One of the challenges according to Tan Sri Muhammad-Ali, is that in South Asia business is seen by Muslims as a negative matter, something that is �‘worldly�’ and detracts from the spiritual. He coined the strapline �“Business Jihad�” to encourage Muslims to think of business as a religious duty and so work on changing perceptions. He emphasised that �“Muslims are no less entrepreneurial, however their businesses are not organised.�” For example, 95% of Middle East businesses are family owned. Though highly pro table only 6% lasted to the third generation, and only 2% beyond that.

He cautioned that for entrepreneurship to be Islamic it cannot just copy conventional models because of the risks of placing pro t over people and being unsustainable. Conventional entrepreneurship was also exclusive to those


with access to capital and networks and so the challenge for Islamic entrepreneurship is to nd ways to encourage entrepreneurs from people with the lowest levels of capital and networks.

Mohamed El-Fatatry, CEO of Muxlim, said that �“obtaining funding is challenging�” as was nding �“the right talent that has the passion for what you are doing.�” Khalid Sharif, CEO of Ummah Foods, noted that part of the attitude change required was an acknowledgement that whilst trillion dollar estimates were thrown around, there must be consciousness of the various political and economic problems facing Muslims such as poverty: �“It is social improvement not greed that must be the driver for the development of the industry.�”

The Forum showcased two examples of innovation that brought community bene t: the Brunei Halal brand and the �‘Halal City�’ of Tanjung Manis, in Sarawak, Malaysia. Hajah Normah SH Jamil, Director of Agriculture and Agrifood, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources in Brunei Darussalam, explained the philosophy of the former: �“As a Muslim country, Brunei sees it [delivering halal food] as an obligation to Muslims�” and its brand will �“provide a platform for the development of local products and SMEs�” and will open global doors for smaller corporations that �“may not have the budget or leverage to otherwise gain access to international markets.�”

The �‘Halal City�’ is a green zone promoting sustainability and community development, two criteria that Datuk Hajjah Norah, Executive Chairman of Tanjung Manis Food and Industrial Park explained were inherent to the �‘halal�’ brand. One of the programmes had been to invest in farming tilapia sh. However, to improve sustainability and quality, investment was made in innovative processes so that the sh produced were not low-grade commodities, but high level luxury products. As far as community upliftment was concerned the halal city was premised on corporate and aesthetic value �“because it is crucial in an area like Sarawak that young people feel a strong pull to remain in their communities and not leave them. By making the halal city attractive and investing these strong principles into it, there is the hope that they will feel strongly bound to their communities.�”

STRONG VALUE PROPOSITIONS WILL BE KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF ISLAMIC BRANDS

�“When it comes to Islamic branding and marketing, there are two challenges,�” explained Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Minister in the Prime Minister�’s Department, Malaysia. �“First, is the need to develop a comprehensive range of products that are universally accepted by all Muslims. Second, value propositions are required that will appeal to non-Muslims�” which would move the addressable market from 1.6bn Muslims to the full global population. �“Islamic branded products offer a better future for all, as they are based in the values of goodness and justice.�” But such products needed to be competitive and the substantive bene ts had to be obvious. To achieve scalability, added Tan Sri, rst a common �‘halal brand�’ needs to be established, and then �“local and theological variation could be easily introduced.�” To achieve this, global standards would be helpful, and would require a global consensus in order to build the industry and avoid duplication.

Nestorovic explained that �“bringing Muslim brands from Muslim countries would be challenging.�” Muslim brands need to think carefully about who their propositions are aimed at and whether the context is a majority or minority Muslim country. Muslim brands must choose whether to target Muslims or non-Muslims. For example, should a halal certi cation logo be placed on the product? In the case of France, it �“already has a volatile environment when it comes to Islam, and this could exacerbate it. The best rst step might be for such brands to be marketed to Muslims only,�” he advised.

Local propositions are increasingly popular as long as they deliver quality. John Timothy, International Corporate Affairs Manager, Tesco, explained that the �“local approach is key. In Malaysia it will allow Tesco to become part of Malaysia�’s plan to export their halal products. In Turkey, the local approach is also used. To serve customers better the company has been broken into regional groups, and stores are localised for local taste.�”

Young explained that �“Global brands are liked for their quality, innovation and heritage, but the sincerity of their halal-friendliness is doubted. Local brands are considered to have more insight and evoke pride, but raise concerns of quality and helpfulness. Global brands need to communicate their sincerity, local brands need to show quality, innovation and transparency.�”

He added that for any kind of Islamic value proposition the qualities it would need to demonstrate would include: �“honesty, respect, consideration, kindness, peacefulness, authenticity, purity, patience, discipline, transparency, modesty, community, dignity.�” The aim of an Islamic value proposition was �“not to measure devoutness but to understand how devoutness, regardless of intensity, affects the lives of people as they work, play and consume.�”


An ethical approach to proposition development would reap rewards with non-Muslim as well as Muslim consumers, noted Afaq Khan, CEO Standard Chartered Saadiq. �“Non-Muslim countries are also interested in Islamic nance as they want the most ef cient use of capital and to facilitate their own growth they need to engage with the commercial opportunity of Islamic nance in the Muslim world.�”

Muslim consumers needed education in Islamic value propositions. Khan gave the example that consumers were not always clear about what bene ts Islamic nance brought them. Layla Mandi, CEO of OnePure, noted that for a proposition to be Islamic, it did not need to have the word �‘Islamic�’ in its name offering her own example: �“OnePure does not advertise that it is �‘halal�’ on the label, but is positioned in a premium space so its halal message can be explained clearly to consumers.�”

�“The challenge is to educate consumers and to avoid the creation of technically halal products that miss the point,�” explained Joseph. �“Much of the groundwork for these values has already been laid by the development of the ethical industry, the green movement, animal welfare and so on. The halal market is not the �‘big idea.�’ Instead we need to focus on the �‘big ideal�’ of sustainable industry.�”


FORUM PROGRAMMEDAY ONE

Session 1: Opening Session

WELCOME REMARKS, Ms Gay Haskins, Dean, Executive Education, Saïd Business School

OPENING REMARKS, Professor Andrew Hamilton, Vice Chancellor, University of Oxford

OPENING SPECIAL ADDRESS: The Role of Muslim Nations in Rebuilding Today�’s Global EconomyRt Hon Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister of Sarawak, Malaysia

OPENING SPECIAL ADDRESS: The View from Muslim Southeast AsiaTan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Minister In The Prime Minister�’s Department, Malaysia

Session 2: The Muslim Business World �– Markets and Brands

FORUM SCENE SETTING, Dr Paul Temporal, Associate Fellow, Saïd Business School and Project Director for Islamic Branding and Marketing

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Brands and Muslim ConsumersMiles Young, CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide

PANEL DISCUSSION with Miles Young, CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide; Professor Cedomir Nestorovic, ESSEC Business School, Paris; Shaista Gohir MBE, Executive Director, Muslim Women�’s Network UK; Khalid Sharif, Managing Director, Ummah Foods and Editor, The Muslim Paper, and moderated by Linda Scott, Professor of Marketing, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Session 3: The Brunei Halal Brand: Building Islamic Brands For Niche Markets

KEYNOTE ADDRESS, Hajah Normah SH Jamil, Director of Agriculture and Agrifood, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, Brunei Darussalam

Session 4: The Halal City of the Future: Building a city�’s Islamic brand and marketing challenges faced

KEYNOTE ADDRESS, Datuk Hajjah Norah Bte Tun Abd-Rahman Ya�’kub, Executive Chairman, Tanjung Manis Food & Industrial Park Sdn Bhd, Malaysia

Session 5: Winning and Retaining Customer Loyalty in a Diverse Market

PRESENTATION, John Timothy, International Corporate Affairs Manager, Tesco followed by Q&A

Session 6: Marketing Challenges of the Global Halal Industry: What must we do?

OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION with Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Minister in the Prime Minister�’s Department, Malaysia; Datuk Hajjah Norah Bte Tun Abd-Rahman Ya�’kub, Executive Chairman, Tanjung Manis Food & Industrial Park Sdn Bhd, Malaysia; Hajah Normah SH Jamil, Director of Agriculture and Agrifood, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, Brunei Darussalam and moderated by: Dr Jonathan Reynolds, Academic Director of the Oxford Institute of Retail Management, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Session 7: The Muslim World Today: Perceptions and perspectives

PANEL DISCUSSION with Sir Iqbal Sacranie, founding Secretary General, Muslim Council of Britain; Dr Basil A J Mustafa, Nelson Mandela Fellow and Bursar, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies; Dr Walter Armbrust, Albert Hourani Fellow, Middle East Centre, St Antony�’s College, University of Oxford and moderated by Mishal Husain, International Broadcast Presenter

Session 8:

DINNER KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Muslims in Today�’s IndiaShri K Rahman Khan, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and MP Indian National Congress followed by Q&A and moderated by Mishal Husain


DAY TWO

Session 9: The Future of Islamic Finance: Trends, growth, innovation

WELCOME REMARKS, Richard Briant, International Director, Saïd Business School and Chair of Day Two of the Oxford Global Islamic Branding and Marketing Forum 2010

KEYNOTE ADDRESS, Afaq Khan, CEO Standard Chartered Saadiq

OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION with Afaq Khan, CEO Standard Chartered Saadiq; Usman Hayat, Director Islamic Finance and ESG Investing, CFA Institute; Walid Sarieddine, Head of Islamic Finance, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation; M Iqbal Asaria, Associate, Afkar Consulting Ltd and moderated by Paul McNamara, CEO and Editorial Director, Yasaar Media

Session 10: Innovative Global Marketing Developments

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Islamic EntrepreneurshipTan Sri Dato�’ H Muhammad-Ali, President & CEO, Johor Corporation

OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION with: Tan Sri Dato�’ H Muhammad-Ali, President & CEO, Johor Corporation; Mohamed El-Fatatry, Founder & CEO, MUXLIM; Ra -uddin Shikoh, CEO, The Dinar Standard; Layla Mandi, CEO and Founder, OnePure Halal Beauty and moderated by Dr Pegram Harrison, Fellow in Entrepreneurship, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Session 11: Reaching the Muslim Market: Opportunities and challenges

KEYNOTE ADDRESS, Roy Haddad, CEO, JWT MENA

OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION with Roy Haddad, Chairman & CEO, JWT Middle East & North Africa; Sarah Joseph OBE, CEO and Editor-In-Chief, Emel; Javed Hussain, Director, Media Reach and moderated by Linda Scott, Professor of Marketing, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Session 12: Anticipating the Future: What are the future trends in global Muslim markets? How should we prepare for the shape of things to come?

KEYNOTE ADDRESS, HE Shaukat Aziz, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan

OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION with HE Shaukat Aziz, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan; Arif Zaman, Advisor, Corporate Governance, Commonwealth Business Council; Shah Hakim Zain, Group CEO, Scomi Group Bhd and moderated by Andrew Critchlow, Middle East Managing Editor, Dow Jones Newswires

Session 13: Religion, Culture and Branding: The importance of understanding and the challenges of engaging a global multicultural world

KEYNOTE ADDRESS, HRH Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, Crown Prince of Perak, Malaysia, introduced by Dr A Al-Akiti, KFAS Fellow, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and Lecturer in Islamic Studies, Faculty of Theology, University of Oxford

Closing Session

CLOSING REMARKS AND FORUM REPORT, Dr Paul Temporal, Associate Fellow, Saïd Business School and Project Director on Islamic Branding and Marketing


SESSION 1: OPENING SESSIONWELCOME REMARKS, Ms Gay Haskins, Dean, Executive Education, Saïd Business School and Chair of the Oxford Islamic Branding and Marketing Forum 2010

OPENING REMARKS, Professor Andrew Hamilton, Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford

OPENING SPECIAL ADDRESS, The Rt Hon Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister of Sarawak, Malaysia

OPENING SPECIAL ADDRESS, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Minister in the Prime Minister�’s Department, Malaysia

WELCOMEMs Haskins welcomed the Forum by noting the groundbreaking and global nature of the participants on stage and in the audience, bringing together business leaders, branding and marketing experts and thought leaders.

OPENING Professor Andrew Hamilton

Professor Hamilton opened the Forum by outlining that Oxford has a long and deep relationship with the Islamic world, taking its rst international student in 1190, and continuing this interaction with many and diverse faiths throughout its history. Universities like Oxford have an important role in deepening the understanding of Islam, and Oxford does this through institutions such as the Oriental Studies Faculty, the Middle East centre which will soon celebrate its 50th anniversary and the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. It is therefore timely and appropriate for Saïd Business School to be holding this forum.

THE ROLE OF MUSLIM NATIONS IN REBUILDING TODAY�’S GLOBAL ECONOMYThe Rt Hon Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud Muslim nations have shown resilience in the face of both the Asian and the current nancial crisis, becoming more integrated into the global economy. The combined GDP of the OIC nations is USD $5 trillion. When it comes to Muslim nations issues are raised such as poverty, deprivation, terrorism, extremism and other forms of negative stereotyping, but by focusing on the economic angle, this inaugural Islamic Branding forum offers a fresh way to tackle those issues.

It is important to note that an Islamic lifestyle does not mean an anti-western or anti-modernity lifestyle. Muslims are becoming active consumers and active in the economy as bankers and investors. Both these hark back to the golden era when Muslims dominated global trade by virtue of their geographic position. Whilst geography is no longer as signi cant today, the cultural, historic and religious connections that Muslims share across the globe are an important asset for commercial markets.

The Islamic lifestyle means many different things across the diversity of Muslim countries and cultures and the international community must be mindful of this. This means that there is no single �‘halal hub�’. To take advantage of this the commercial world needs to develop regional trade as well as inter-regional trade. It needs to recognise that the halal market is growing and seek out Muslim consumers, whether the companies are Muslim-run themselves or not. One example is Nestle which has delivered halal certi cation across 75 factories.

There are three industries where Muslims seek out special products: food, nance and fashion, and this halal market is estimated at USD$1�–2 trillion. When it comes to Islamic nance, it will grow from USD$1 trillion in 2010 to USD$1.3 trillion by 2012. Islamic mutual funds are growing at 23%pa and the Takaful industry is growing at 13%pa. Centres like London, Hong Kong and Tokyo are already positioning themselves in Islamic nance markets, and such non-traditional players can bring fresh skills to the industry. In addition, there is a need to mobilise enough capital through Islamic routes and this means that a new co-operation between Muslim


nations and global players is necessary. Islamic nance also faces challenges. Scholars need to rethink traditional structures. There will be higher demand for products, which will require scalability. And there will be higher demand for products that can be sold across Muslim and non-Muslim markets.

Muslim consumers must be targeted through a core product brand that stands up across a variety of markets, both Muslim and non-Muslim. Also, there must be a clear understanding of the position of the corporation in the Muslim consumer�’s mind. The corporation can be easily affected by social movements such as boycotting companies for their social actions. Political situations can also affect them, such as the rise of �‘Islamic�’ colas. Finally, these can all lead to a nancial risk. For example, Nike had to recall 38,000 pairs of shoes when the logo was declared by the Council of American Islamic Relations to be offensive to Muslims as it resembled the word �‘Allah.�’ In summary, courting the Muslim market is no different to other markets.

THE VIEW FROM MUSLIM SOUTHEAST ASIATan Sri Nor Mohamed YakcopIslam embraces multiculturalism, since it is a Qur�’anic principle. The view from South East Asia is to manage plurality as a positive thing. In Malaysia, the population is majority Muslim, but the constitution safeguards non-Muslims the right to practice freely. Indonesia is a Muslim country. The Philippines is Catholic and Thailand, Buddhist.

When it comes to Islamic branding and marketing, there are two challenges. First, is the need to develop a comprehensive range of products that are universally accepted by all Muslims. Second, value propositions are required that will appeal to non-Muslims also.

When it comes to developing a comprehensive range of products, the Islamic nance industry is an excellent example to consider. At the moment there are more than 400 Islamic banks in over 50 countries. More Muslim consumers are demanding shariah-compliant products, and so banks have to step up to serve all consumer segments, not just one or some of them. Thus comprehensiveness is key to the Islamic nance proposition. In developing Islamic industries, such as nance, it is important to note that desire to ensure compliance with faith should not impose a prohibitive cost on developing products or on consumers purchasing products. In the Islamic nance industry, economies of scale are required to ensure products are competitive, and this means that global institutions are required. Although each market may have different nancial regulations, there are universal values that apply to Islamic nance across markets, which would then allow for local customisation.

This universality of Islamic nance can also appeal to non-Muslims, because its core values �– just equitable sharing of risk, and discouragement of excess leverage �– are very appealing to consumers who are disillusioned and disadvantaged by the �‘pro t at all costs�’ mindset that has triggered the latest nancial crisis. Thus shariah-compliancy can be branded as ethical investment and appeal to Muslims and non-Muslim consumers. The key to such products is that they must be competitive in order to appeal to consumers, and that they must have a strong value proposition so that the substantive bene t is obvious. The product must not appear to be a mainstream product with some �‘tweaking.�’

Muslim consumers want Islamic products across the whole spectrum. When it comes to food, how should they be convinced by the halal certi cation process? In a Muslim country this might be done by a national board, but what about products from non-Muslim countries? To this end, global standards would be helpful, and this will require a global consensus in order to build the industry and avoid duplication. However, halal certi cation is not just about the slaughter process, but needs examination of the whole food process from farm to table. This means tackling issues such as food safety, chemicals used and environmentally sustainable farming methods. Again, including this is not only of interest to Muslims, but also meets other non-Muslim consumer concerns too. Other companies may take up halal products as a competitive advantage due to these other ethical and value proposition elements.

Broadening the comprehensiveness of the halal product range will help Muslims to practice their religion more freely. If emerging Muslim countries embrace the opportunity to create halal products this is a big commercial opportunity. In fact, Islamic branded products offer a better future for all, as they are based on the values of goodness and justice.


SESSION 2: THE MUSLIM BUSINESS WORLD �– MARKETS AND BRANDSINTRODUCED BY: Dr Paul Temporal, Associate Fellow, Saïd Business School and Project Director on Islamic Branding and Marketing

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Brands and Muslim Consumers Miles Young, CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide

PANELLISTS:Miles Young, CEO, Ogilvy & Mather WorldwideProfessor Cedomir Nestorovic, ESSEC Business School, ParisShaista Gohir, Executive Director, Muslim Women�’s Network, UKKhalid Sharif, Managing Director, Ummah Foods and Editor, The Muslim Paper

MODERATOR: Linda Scott, Professor of Marketing, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

SCENE-SETTINGDr Paul TemporalThe Islamic branding and marketing programme began in 2008 and is designed to be of practical use to both policymakers and practitioners, and to act as a focal point for companies to share their expertise. It was a response to demand for more knowledge about Islamic markets from non-Muslim organisations, and an expressed need from Muslim countries and companies to acquire the skills to build their own brands and diversify. The Forum is the programme�’s rst signi cant event at a time of rising interest. It aims to build links with other educational institutions, to give partners access to research to improve effectiveness and to offer education for companies and executives.

In 2009 the Pew Centre provided the rst accurate gures for the Muslim population, but the picture is complex. The global Muslim population is 1.57 billion (23%) spread across 200 countries, of which 300 million (20%) are in Muslim minority countries. Of these, the Indian Muslim population is the largest comprising 161 million. 62% are in Asia, 20% in MENA, approximately 15% in Sub-Saharan Africa and only 2.7% in Europe and North America, with small numbers in South America and Australia. There is a clear divide between rich and poor, most of these populations being relatively poor. The Muslim populations across markets show a number of similarities: common faith, values and identity as Muslims; similar lifestyle as well as halal dietary requirements, and a strong sense of community and welfare. However, the differences are worth noting of diverse locations, languages and dialects, cultural and lifestyle differences, degrees of religiosity, education, af uence and marketing sophistication.

The �‘halal industry�’ focuses on ve segments: Islamic lifestyle products, food and beverage, nance, education and internet and digital brands. Strategic brand and marketing opportunities lie at country level, industry level, corporate level including mergers and acquisitions, product and service levels.

BRANDS AND MUSLIM CONSUMERSMiles YoungMuslim consumers �– known as �‘the third billion�’ �– are starting to resonate with our clients at their global HQs. Bigger than India or China they receive a tiny fraction of the attention. The GDP of the ve large Middle Eastern countries is the same size as India, but with one third of its population. Most global enterprises, whether from the West or the East, have a BRIC strategy, and many are starting to look at N-11 in the same way. 53% of the population of the N-11 are Muslim. Muslim countries are some of the youngest in the world with more than 750 million Muslims under the age of 25, representing 43% of the global Muslim population, and 11% of the world�’s. This population and economic growth has been accompanied by an Islamic renaissance.


Western marketers face two big challenges when it comes to addressing Muslim consumers. First, most companies operate on a geographic basis, but the �‘Islamic conscience�’ is something that is a more centralised concept. The best way to capture this is to move from localised management, to a centralised product management function to invest the Islamic brand into products from their very core. Second, Muslim consumers are not a segment that differs by one variable from the norm, such as the �‘pink dollar.�’ Muslim consumers are an alternative norm where the starting point is Islamic identity, and everything else ts into it. Muslims�’ own belief in the signi cance of Islam in their lives is pervasive, and for them, this �‘sincerity�’ is key in marketing practice.

There is no such thing as a Muslim brand, and brands do not have religious beliefs. One demonstration of this is the failure of �‘Islamic colas�’, which did not exhibit sincerity. As Shelina Janmohamed remarked, �“What was Islamic about them except their name? They cashed in on a moment of political history. They misunderstood what it was to be a brand: what brand equity is, and what is the relationship between it, the category bene ts and the consumer needs are.�”

Ogilvy Noor de nes Islamic branding as �“branding that�’s empathetic to shariah values, in order to appeal to the Muslim consumer, ranging from basic shariah-friendliness to full shariah-compliance in all aspects of a brand�’s identity, behaviour and communications.�” Shariah is not limited to qh (law) but includes values such as: honesty, respect, consideration, kindness, peacefulness, authenticity, purity, patience, discipline, transparency, modesty, community, dignity. Its aim is not to measure devoutness but to understand how devoutness, regardless of intensity, affects the lives of people as they work, play and consume. Ogilvy Noor commissioned research in four key Muslim markets �– Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan and Malaysia and then quali ed and sense checked the results in other both majority and minority markets. The report is entitled: �‘Brands, Islam and the New Muslim Consumer.�’ Six segments were identi ed looking through the lens of the role that religion plays.

The �‘Connected�’ (27%) see themselves as part of the web-like network of the Ummah, saying �‘religion connects me.�’ Technology is positive, and compassion ranks highly. The �‘Grounded�’ (23%) say �‘religion centres me.�’ Islam is their anchor, religion and culture are inseparable. They seek peace and closeness to Allah. The �‘Immaculates�’ (11%) say �‘religion puri es me�’ are younger, seek discipline and perfection, and may incline towards rejecting the impure. These three segments have a more �‘Traditionalist�’ mindset; a desire for harmony and belonging; quietly proud of their faith; aligning with values of tolerance and compassion.

But marketers should focus themselves on the other three segments, which are identi ed by the �‘Futurist�’ mindset who see themselves as steadfast followers of Islam in a modern world. They are individualists who �‘choose�’ Islam. Their pride is intense, regardless of the extent to which they would be categorised as �‘devout�’. They believe in education and question intention. In particular they challenge the use of �‘halal�’ to make sure it is not just a logo. Where information on �‘halal�’ status is not available the company�’s reputation for shariah-friendliness is key. �‘Identi ers�’ (27%) wear Islam with pride: �‘religion identi es me�’ and want it strengthened and defended. The �‘Movers�’ (6%) say �‘religion enables me.�’ They are internet savvy and act as change agents. The �‘Synthesizers�’ (6%) are pragmatic, and adapt religious practice to their needs saying �‘religion individuates me.�’ Futurists want the brand to be their friend, not see them as a market opportunity.

The importance of shariah-compliance increases with the body sensitivity of the product where food, dairy, beverages and oral care score highest, followed by fashion, personal care and �‘regular�’ nance and nally airlines, resorts, nancial and insurance products. Some products are considered neutral of the halal/haram criteria such as software.

Global brands are liked for their quality, innovation and heritage, but the sincerity of their halal-friendliness is doubted. Local brands are considered to have more insight and evoke pride, but raise concerns of quality and helpfulness. Global brands need to communicate their sincerity, local brands need to show quality, innovation and transparency.

One of the other outputs of the research is the Noor Index �– a quanti ed ranking of brands�’ perceived shariah-friendliness. For companies entering this market, while rules matter, they are not the whole picture. Intention matters more. Second, the branding must be world-class �– Futurists will not tolerate second-rate standards.


PANEL DISCUSSION Nestorovic offered France as an interesting case study into Muslim consumers. It has the largest Muslim population in Europe, but has some quirks. �“It offers three university level degrees in Islamic nance, but does not have an Islamic bank�” he noted. It is home to the luxury industry estimated at USD$145bn, and the automotive industry brings in USD$900bn. Yet the halal industry is worth USD $800bn and there are no real brands in France to deal with this industry.

He noted three challenges. There are no real gures to size the market, and these will be dif cult to obtain since 90% of halal food is sold in small shops. Some halal certi cation is also considered dubious. Second, whilst the Islamic nance industry has been training individuals to enter the industry, there are no such training institutions for the halal industry, so no labour is ready. Finally the halal industry is fragmented compared to the Islamic nance industry and consolidation is required.

He added that bringing Muslim brands from Muslim countries would be challenging. Whilst there was a �‘golden age�’ where Islamic products were accepted, this was no longer the case. Muslim brands must choose whether to target Muslims or non-Muslims. For example, should a halal certi cation logo be placed on the product? France already has a volatile environment when it comes to Islam, and this could exacerbate it. The best rst step might be for such brands to be marketed to Muslims only.

Young explained that the research commissioned by Ogilvy Noor was to offer some intelligent analysis of the Muslim consumer market and how to maximise opportunities. Whilst earlier research by JWT had looked at sizing the market, this was one step further in analysing and segmenting consumers. The aim of the research is to help clients better talk to their consumers both locally and globally. Since the whole Ogilvy Noor programme was initiated and driven by Muslims from within the organisation, Young emphasised that it was aimed at better serving the Muslim community and not exploitation.

Sharif attempted to add some nuance from his own personal transition from Muslim consumer to Muslim producer, explaining �“Today�’s Muslim renaissance is happening because Muslims are trying to overcome problems.�” This needed investment in smaller upcoming companies, not just big global corporations. Other problems include the poverty which affects a huge number of Muslims, and this fact must be front of mind as trillion dollar market estimates of Muslim commercial opportunities are quoted. It is social improvement not greed that must be the driver for the development of the industry.

He also disagreed with earlier statements that boycott brands do not work, and are not �‘Islamic.�’ He responded to Young by stating that failure of products like Islamic colas was not due to brand issues but rather having the wrong business model. Boycott products were born out of Muslim memories of being treated badly, and even a small error on the part of a company could trigger a boycott. Sharif went as far as to say that the Noor Index as developed by Ogilvy Noor should not include any companies at all that showed hostility to Muslims or Muslim causes, even if other parts were halal compliant.

Gohir ew the ag for Muslim women. �“Where is the Muslim consumer�’s purchasing power?�” she asked. �“With women!�” Two values that were not mentioned by Young in his keynote address which she felt would speak directly to Muslim women as consumers: equality and empowerment. Young responded that their research and work in other countries had shown that those two qualities were indeed important and were in fact being used in the relationship with Muslim women consumers.

Gohir then turned to challenge the experts from within the Islamic nance industry and asked where the acknowledgement of women in Islamic nance consumption was. She also counselled organisations wishing to target Muslim women to consider doing so through their corporate social responsibility programmes. Investing in Muslim women through such avenues would ultimately bring bene t to the brands when it comes to product purchase.


SESSION 3: THE BRUNEI HALAL BRAND: BUILDING ISLAMIC BRANDS FOR NICHE MARKETS

KEYNOTE ADDRESS Hajah Normah SH Jamil, Director of Agriculture and Agrifood, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources in Brunei Darussalam

THE MUSLIM POPULATION AND THE HALAL MARKETThe world Muslim population is approximately 1.9 billion, with an estimated growth of 2.5% pa. The halal industry is worth USD $560 billion and the halal food industry is worth speci cally USD $150 billion, with a predicted growth of 2% pa.

ISSUES IN THE HALAL CERTIFICATION PROCESSThere are many halal labels across the world. The label indicates who has certi ed the product to be halal. For example in Brunei the label is purple with a blue background. In countries like Brunei and Malaysia it is the government that certi es the halal status, but in non-Muslim countries it may be a local mosque or organisation.

There are a number of challenges for the halal certi cation and labelling process. First, how is the credibility of such agencies established? How are the halal processes used to produce the products properly audited? How is the logo protected? And what mechanisms are in place to prosecute any infringement?

BRUNEI HALAL BRAND AND ITS CREDIBILITYThe Brunei Halal brand was launched last year to address these issues. In the past there was only real consumer concern about meat being halal. However, consumers have an increasing awareness of all ingredients and show concern over whether they are halal or not. Since often detailed lists are issued by scholars, checking every product for its halal status can be a challenging process for the average consumer. The Brunei Halal brand is given to products considered to be of high quality and halal. This makes it easier for Muslim women and wives to select suitable products. It is its own private brand which comes with a halal certi cation label. This is important because consumers need to know who it is that has certi ed the product as halal, and the Brunei Halal brand clearly does that.

WHY BRUNEI HALAL BRAND?Brunei Darussalam is a Muslim country with a population of 381,000. The rst Muslim arrived in 907 and in 1368 the rst Muslim ruler, Sultan Muhammad, embraced Islam.

As a Muslim country, Brunei sees it as a �‘fardu kifayah�’ �– an obligation to Muslims �– to make safe, high quality halal food readily available.

The development of this brand also gives Brunei the opportunity to diversify its economy away from its core products of oil and gas. Also it will provide a platform for the development of local products and SMEs.

The target market for the brand includes the regional market, the GCC and European and American markets.

THE CERTIFICATION PROCESSThis is an 8-step process. Companies must begin by submitting an application which is processed by the Halal Food control division. A desk audit is then followed by an on-site inspection. A report is submitted to the religious council who will issue their decision based on the ndings. If everything is in order, the applicant is issued the certi cate and halal permit upon payment.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIESCompanies that have been certi ed can avail themselves of the international pro le of the Brunei Halal brand. This is particularly valuable for smaller corporations that may not have the budget or leverage to otherwise gain access to international markets. Or, if they don�’t wish to use the Brunei Halal brand they will bene t from the halal certi cation.

Brunei is now constructing the Brunei Agrotechnology park, where facilities for R&D and production will be available to all companies, not just those from Brunei. The hope is that this will bring investment to Brunei.

If a halal product is good quality �– and those are the values that Brunei Halal brand is built on �– then it is suitable for Muslims as well as non-Muslims.


SESSION 4: THE HALAL CITY OF THE FUTURE: BUILDING A CITY�’S ISLAMIC BRAND AND THE MARKETING CHALLENGES FACEDKEYNOTE ADDRESS Datuk Hajjah Norah Bte Tun Abd-Rahman Ya�’kub, Executive Chairman of Tanjung Manis Food and Industrial Park Sdn Bhd, Malaysia

Tanjung Manis is in Sarawak, and is approximately the size of Taiwan. Proposals for 16,000 hectares of the area to be turned into a Green Special Economy Zone are being submitted, and this is being combined with the idea of �‘halal.�’

Traceability and biosecurity are two of the key factors underpinning the development of the area. One of the goals of the project is to ensure water quality is maintained along with the quality of production. This is part of the overall ethos of having a local responsibility to community development, and this is born out of the concept of halal. As a result of the goals of biosecurity and, community development Sarawak continues its policy of maintaining the rainforest which has been in place since the 1950s.

This policy of sustainability will be extended throughout the Green Zone with methods such as organic farming, green feed, green roadworks, green buildings. For example, any roadworks that are undertaken must have a life span of 30 years. The airport will be relocated out of the Green Zone. That is to say that all activities must conform to the highest environmental standards. For example, water management must meet world class levels. However, to deliver against all these policies can be expensive.

Companies are invited to set up in the Green Zone, however, if they are unable to meet the policies outlined above they are turned down, and this has already happened. For example, ship building was declined as an industry for the area.

One project which has shown great success in integrating these criteria and the ethos of the Zone described earlier is the Tilapia sh project. As mentioned, the area needs food security but also cost effective food production. This project was able to deliver to those goals. This was done by partnering with a sea technology company from Taiwan, which as it happens is not Muslim. This is worth noting. The project had the support of the Vice President of Taiwan. The company was selected because of their zero-waste policy �– everything would be used. In establishing the project, the company spent a year with local villagers and got involved with the community in order to better understand the environment and their needs and to secure mutual support.

Tilapia is normally considered a low end, low value product. However, in this project, high quality methods were used in order to reposition the sh from a low end cheap commodity to something of suf cient quality to be used for high end products like sushi. This new process was developed in conjunction with the company and the IP was shared with them. The process involved introducing corella algae which is expensive but reduces white spot disease, cholesterol and improves the quality. It is expensive, but the whole process injects value into the product.

Part of the issue of food security is that food should be affordable, and this is a principle of �‘halal�’, and food security and affordability are also part of the development of the Green Zone. These are subjects at the heart of the �‘Halal City�’ along with the green and organic initiatives outlined earlier. The Halal City will focus on sports tourism, food production and lifestyle companies. It will be marked at its entrance by a green gate after which point no fossil fuel cars will be permitted in the Zone. Only transportation like solar, battery �– or even horse and cart! �– will be admitted.

Side by side with this, the Halal City must have both corporate and aesthetic value because it is crucial in an area like Sarawak that young people feel a strong pull to remain in their communities and not leave them. By making the Halal Ccity attractive and investing these strong principles into it, there is the hope that they will feel strongly bound to their communities.


SESSION 5: WINNING AND RETAINING CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN A DIVERSE MARKETKEYNOTE ADDRESS John Timothy, International Corporate Affairs Manager, Tesco

Muslim consumers are becoming an increasingly important demographic. Increasing awareness of religious obligations is creating greater demand for halal food and other consumer goods. The needs of Muslim consumers are not the same the world over. The key for a corporation like Tesco is to understand consumers and respond to their needs in order to earn and retain loyalty.

Tesco is present in 14 markets. In the UK, Tesco is the leader in the UK grocery market with 2,482 stores. Approximately 10% of the UK population is from ethnic backgrounds including European migrants, and these groups also have higher birth rates.

Due to the diversity of Tesco�’s UK customer base, the World Foods line was developed which carries 1,800 products and is accessed by 5 million customers weekly. In localities with higher ethnic demographics, the World Foods team is also involved in store design. There are trends such as price still being key, some independent retailers purchase their stocks from Tesco, and World Foods buyers prefer packaged to fresh goods so that they can be stored for long term use.

One third of the UK Muslim population is under 18 and two thirds under 30. Research shows that younger shoppers prefer supermarkets. The average Muslim household is 4.2 people versus 2.2. In areas of high Muslim demographics stores will have a halal counter, and will feature a Ramadan aisle, which is the largest event in the World Foods calendar. This year the Ramadan product line will grow from 50 to 85, and year on year spend will be doubled.

Malaysia was the rst Muslim country to be addressed and the market entry strategy was a joint venture in 2004. Today 4 million customers are served weekly. A wide range of halal certi ed food is key, and to do this local suppliers such as halal poultry suppliers have been sourced, and a Halal Advisory Board has been set up to steer the company. Since Malaysia is only 60% Muslim, non-halal aisles selling products such as alcohol are segregated, and those products are only advertised in English and Chinese.

This local approach is key. In Malaysia it will allow Tesco to become part of Malaysia�’s plan to export their halal products. In Turkey, the local approach is also used. To serve customers better the company has been broken into regional groups, and stores are localised for local taste.

The global halal industry is worth USD $632bn versus the US Kosher market of USD $100bn. Currently there are 86 kosher products for every 1 halal product.

Q&AWhen asked if negative PR affects Tesco in countries like the UK and USA as a result of its operations in Muslim countries, Timothy responded that Tesco always retains a local feeling and is run by local staff. As a result, the local aspect overshadows the international corporate nature of the business, and as such there have been no negative repercussions.

A number of issues around establishing and diversifying the halal product line were asked: how does Tesco decide what is �‘halal�’? Why did it take so long to establish a halal line, will there be crossover products between halal and organic and will other lines such as fashion and gifts be added to the halal portfolio which currently focuses on food? Timothy clari ed that Tesco does not take theological decisions in determining what is halal, but is guided by experts such as the steering group in Malaysia. Although he felt unable to answer the point of why it took so long to develop halal products for the UK he commented that consumers should exercise their power to ask for products they want. However, new developments can take time. For example, halal organic products would need to be developed and sourced from new suppliers. Other options for diversi cation would also be on the table, but these would be determined as commercial decisions on a store by store basis as dictated by customer demand.


SESSION 6: MARKETING CHALLENGES OF THE GLOBAL HALAL INDUSTRY. WHAT MUST WE DO?PANELLISTS:Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Minister in the Prime Minister�’s Department, MalaysiaDatuk Hajjah Norah Bte Tun Abd-Rahman Ya�’kub, the Executive Chairman of Tanjung Manis Food and Industrial Park Sdn Bhd, MalaysiaHajah Normah SH Jamil, Director of Agriculture and Agrifood, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources in Brunei Darussalam

MODERATOR: Dr Jonathan Reynolds, Academic Director of the Oxford Institute of Retail Management, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

LOCAL AND THEOLOGICAL VARIATION VS ONE HARMONISED GLOBAL HALAL STANDARDTan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop was of the view that once a common �‘halal brand�’ is established �– and this needs to include the criteria of shariah compliance but also encompass other points such as product quality �– then local and theological variation can be easily introduced.

He dispelled ideas that Islamic nance products were particularly contentious: �“98% of all Islamic nance products are acceptable across the world.�” It was only the perception of variation that had to be challenged and that this range of products and authorising bodies were just symptoms of an emerging industry, and that over time this would become streamlined. Datuk Hajjah Norah commented that �“The Pope even says that Islamic banking is the way forward because it is real,�” adding that global standards and authority for the �‘halal brand�’ could meet growing Muslim lifestyle needs and would also dispel irrational fears held by non-Muslims that �‘halal�’ is connected to terrorism.

Hajah Normah preferred to emphasise that the rst duty upon Muslims is to help other Muslims to ful ll their religious obligations to observing halal standards, and that this was the approach that the Brunei Halal brand was adopting. Their services and facilities would be open to anyone to use in order to acquire halal certi cation. But the aspiration was that this would be a particular stimulus for the development of local Brunei SMEs onto a world stage.

ENCOURAGING CREATIVITY AND INNOVATIONAll panellists agreed that there was a blossoming of creativity and innovation in the halal marketplace and that the geographic origin was not necessarily relevant. �“We don�’t know where creativity will come from, and it doesn�’t matter,�” commented Tan Sri Nor Mohamed. He demanded greater creativity for a bigger audience: �“We need to move to a value proposition�” that appealed not only to 1.6bn Muslims, but to the world population of 6.8bn.

One of the challenges of the explosion of innovation, in Datuk Hajjah Norah�’s view, was that there were no hubs of industry, and that there was still a huge range of bodies simply discussing what �‘halal�’ actually means. Her counsel was that emerging companies should group together to build momentum.

BUILDING THE �‘HALAL BRAND�’Tan Sri Nor Mohamed�’s view was that Muslim countries need to come together to discuss what �‘halal�’ really means and to establish some kind of consensus on how to manage its perception. Hajah Normah felt that the Brunei Halal brand was already helping individual businesses to build their commercial success by promoting a consistent message about the �‘halal�’ brand to international markets. This consistency was backed up by using the same messages about �‘halal�’ to local communities and mosques.

�“Can the halal brand be co-marketed with other brands, like kosher?�” asked Dr Reynolds. Datuk Hajjah Norah was emphatic: �“As people of the book we should allow the kosher brand to sit next to the halal brand.�”

A nal note was made by the audience that perhaps overall campaigns to promote the �‘halal brand�’ per se were necessary, in much the same way as other industries band together to promote all suppliers, such as the campaigns to promote milk.


SESSION 7: THE MUSLIM WORLD TODAY: PERCEPTIONS AND PERSPECTIVESPANELLISTS:Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Founding Secretary General, Muslim Council of BritainDr Basil A J Mustafa, Nelson Mandela Fellow and Bursar, Oxford Centre for Islamic StudiesDr Walter Armbrust, Albert Hourani Fellow, Middle East Centre, St Anthony�’s College, University of Oxford

MODERATOR: Mishal Husain, International Broadcast Presenter

�‘ISLAMIC BRANDING�’ AFFECTS MUSLIMS AS MUCH AS IT AFFECTS ISLAMIC PRODUCTSSir Iqbal Sacranie argued that the issue of Islamic branding affects both �‘halal�’ products, and Muslims and Muslim countries. Negative media coverage makes Muslims feel fearful and want to hide. In Sacranie�’s view one of the responsibilities of the Islamic branding industry is to address the wider issue of negativity. �“How do we go about changing the brand that people perceive about Islam?�” he asked.

MODELS FOR DEVELOPING THE ISLAMIC BRANDING INDUSTRY, BASED ON THEIR DIVERSITY, VALUES AND GLOBAL PRESENCEAccording to Dr Mustafa, the �‘Islamic branding�’ discussion must avoid lazy stereotypes of monolithic Muslims or Islam vs. West dichotomies: �“Muslims are a mosaic of views on �‘halal�’, on culture, attitudes, economics, poverty and other demographics.�” This mosaic includes Muslims who live in both majority and minority Muslim countries. He described the rise of coffee as a consumer product as one model for building Islamic brands. In the 17th century it was rst introduced to Europe from the Muslim world. Some Europeans were enamoured of it, others saw it as the sinful drink of in dels. Today coffee is a highly desirable commodity. He extended the coffee analogy to Islamic nance products: �“If managed properly [they] can show the same success.�”

ISLAMIC BRAND VALUES MUST EXTEND BEYOND THE PRODUCT AND BE PERVASIVE IN THE VALUE CHAINSir Iqbal Sacranie noted that the brand of Islam must be practiced as real if Islamic products are to carry legitimate weight. The discussion is not about creating a separate commercial ghetto for Muslims, nor is it about polarising Islam vs. the West. This issue of social purpose for Islamic brands was echoed by Dr Mustafa who added that there was a need for �“quality and social responsibility�” not just economic bene t, and that this focus applies to all parts of the supply chain including elements such as advertising. For example, the marketing campaign for a truly Islamic product would not appeal to vanity or sexual attraction. Instead it would project the goodness of values such as moderation and balance. Such a market entry strategy must avoid producing sub-standard products, and must be accompanied by long-term investment.

A GROWING CONSCIOUSNESS OF �‘ISLAMIC�’ PRODUCTS IN HIGHLY SECULARISED STATESDr Armbrust described perceptions in Egypt that the cities �– which are growing �– are seen as �‘no Islam�’ areas and do not represent living the Islamic �‘good life.�’ In fact the main media channels propagate the view that Egypt is a secular state. However, the �‘Islamic�’ product perspective is widely seen in print, and with the increase in the number of satellite channels, the Islamic message is getting through on TV as well. There has also been growth in �‘Islamiyyat�’ books, and on the internet where there are no gatekeepers as there are in the broadcast media.

�‘HALAL�’ IS THE DEFAULT SETTING FOR PRODUCTS IN ISLAMIC COUNTRIESThere is a distinction to be drawn between �‘Islamic products�’ and �‘halal�’ products when it comes to Muslim majority countries, in Dr Armbrust�’s view. �‘Halal�’ is the default expectation of consumers when it comes to food, and �‘halal�’ is assumed, whereas in Muslim minority countries Muslims would expect halal food to be appropriately marked. It is probable that food imported to Egypt is not halal, but consumers operate under this assumption that all food in Egypt is in fact halal.

Yet some companies have distinguished themselves as promoting �‘Islamic�’ values, without using the word �‘Islam�’. An example is �“Al-Tauhid wa al-Nur�” (The Oneness and Light of God) which has built its brand as an ethical company that you can trust. Although it does not use the word �‘Islamic�’ in its title, it is widely known that it is an Islamic brand, having started up as an outlet for women�’s modest clothing.


SESSION 8: DINNER KEYNOTE ADDRESS: MUSLIMS IN TODAY�’S INDIA

KEYNOTE ADDRESSHE Shri K Rahman Khan, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and MP Indian National Congress

MODERATOR: Mishal Husain, International Broadcast Presenter

Shariah is a set of rules and directions to be adopted in daily life for the overall bene t of human society. The nancial world was initially sceptical of Islamic nance but now

sees it as a viable alternative. Halal products and Islamic branding will follow suit in the future, appealing to both Muslims and non-Muslims, if we can build on the strength of the product rather than on emotion and religious duty.

The world Muslim community has generally ignored Indian Muslims even though they are the second largest Muslim population in the world. For example, the OIC and IDB concentrate their activities on Muslim countries, so a small Muslim nation of two million will have a say in those forums, but a minority Muslim population like India�’s of over 200 million Muslims will have no say. Muslims in non-Muslim countries make up 20% of the world Muslim population and so it should be noted that they will play an important role in promoting Islamic nance and other Islamic and halal products. Further, if the Islamic world invests in resource development of Muslims in non-Islamic countries then those Muslims will provide resources to the entire Islamic world.

Islam came to India during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and has spread across the full geographic, ethnic and linguistic breadth of the country. Muslims are the country�’s second largest religious community and are an integral part of India�’s heritage, culture and civilisation. Kashmir is the only majority Muslim state. Muslim minorities in other states vary from 5% to 35%, and the states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar constitute nearly 74% of India�’s Muslim population.

A number of historic factors such as partition, successive governmental neglect and lack of the community�’s own initiative have led to Muslims�’ poor economic and political representation. The current government is taking steps to change this in line with the growing recent economic activity in the country. A large Muslim middle and upper class is emerging as a powerful economic and political entity, making up 15% of this segment of nearly 500 million. They spend their income on consumer goods, food items, domestic appliances, housing, jewellery, apparel and healthcare products offering a big market for halal products.

India has a thriving import-export market, and apart from China is the only market to avoid the recent global economic meltdown, keeping a GDP growth rate of 7 �– 8%, expected soon to reach double digits.

India�’s constitution provides wide freedom to religious minorities. It has the largest number of madrasas and mosques in the world, and the government allocates Rs. 200 billion annually to 150,000 hajj pilgrims, along with educational scholarships to Muslim minority students. India has three Muslim presidents, several chief ministers and cabinet ministers at central and state level and a Muslim Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Upper House. Riots, discrimination and harassment do occur but these are inevitable in any multicultural society, and are not con ned to Muslims.

The Muslim market must be targeted through identifying niche markets with potential areas for success in marketing, modernisation, training and welfare. Examples are brass, copper and glass-work, silk, wood and carpets, tourism, sheries and rubber as well as halal meat and chicken.

Along with opportunities in traditional industries, there are newer arenas such as IT, and ITES (IT Enabling Services). Azim Premji is a leading entrepreneur having created the global IT company Wipro. Other areas for pro t and community upliftment include educational infrastructure, setting up of innovative Universities of Science and Technology, distance education based on modern IT and communication methods and development of mass media, particularly FM and TV stations oriented to the Muslim population such as Urdu E.TV.


WAKF Property development, on the principles of Build, Operate and Transfer are also open to investment with 100,000 commercially viable properties waiting for development. The land is available free to construct on, and the investment required for building is only 30%, offering high returns and also long term community bene ts.

Muslim entrepreneurs, industrialists and real-estate investors are also being encouraged to turn their businesses into corporations to better access national and global markets, and to this end, efforts are being made to establish a Muslim Chamber of Commerce and Industry. These initiatives stand side by side with efforts for a master plan for the socio-economic and educational upliftment of the Indian Muslim community in sync with the National Five Year Plans of the central government. If the global Muslim community gets involved in this, it will make a tremendous impact on one of the world�’s largest Muslim populations.

SESSION 9: THE FUTURE OF ISLAMIC FINANCE: TRENDS, GROWTH, INNOVATIONKEYNOTE ADDRESS Afaq Khan, CEO Standard Chartered Saadiq

PANELLISTS:Afaq Khan, CEO Standard Chartered SaadiqUsman Hayat, Director Islamic Finance and ESG Investing, CFA InstituteWalid Sarieddine, Head of Islamic Finance, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking CorporationM Iqbal Asaria, Associate, Afkar Consulting Ltd

MODERATOR: Paul McNamara, CEO and Editorial Director, Yasaar Media

THE FUTURE OF ISLAMIC FINANCEAfaq KhanThere are more than 1000 Islamic nancial institutions over ve continents, but only 8% of the global Muslim population of 1.4bn is being served by Islamic nance products. Shariah compliant assets are estimated at USD$1trillion with asset and revenue growth rates of 32% and 44% respectively since 2003, encouraged by support from regulators. The industry is expected to double in ve to seven years and reach USD $2 trillion. Further growth will be fuelled by product innovation. 80% of global Islamic nance assets are in the GCC and Iran which comprise 6% of the Muslim population. (Sources: Bankscope and Oliver Wyman analysis, Thomson Reuters Lipper.) In 2008, the estimated size of Islamic banking assets were: Saudi Arabia 60%, Kuwait 35%, Qatar 26%, UAE 15%, Bahrain 10%, Malaysia 20%, Pakistan 4%, Indonesia 2%. (Sources: Islamic Finance Outlook 2010 by Standard & Poor�’s; Saudi Arabia percentage is based on Standard Chartered estimation; State Bank of Pakistan).

The UK is seen as the European hub for Islamic nance, with the rst fully- edged Islamic bank in 2004. Germany opened its rst Islamic bank in 2010, and with ve million French Muslims there is increasing demand in France. Hong Kong is seen as a bridge for Islamic nance in China. There is untapped potential in Africa with unexploited raw markets, and negligible presence of Islamic banks to cover the population�’s needs. There have been efforts from central banks in Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya to promote Islamic nance through new regulation.

Non-Muslim countries are also interested in Islamic nance as they want the most ef cient use of capital and to facilitate their own growth they need to engage with the commercial opportunity of Islamic nance in the Muslim world. New nancial instruments are being developed, and conventional banks are opening up to Islamic nance.

Ethics is critical in Islamic nance. There is a ban on riba (usury), on gharar (uncertainty in contracts) and on maysar (gambling, short-selling). Also prohibited is investment in detrimental industries like gambling and pornography. Other ethical values to be supported are encouragement of savings, job creation, and equality of rights and obligations between lenders and borrowers. The emphasis is collective bene t to wider society rather than the pure pursuit of short-term pro t. Islamic business ethics re ect the moral principles and standards that Muslims must follow. In view of the increasing global in uence of Islamic nance, companies aiming to do business with shariah-compliant organisations should gain some understanding of their guiding principles and ethics.

Trends in the industry include the move from simple to complex products designed to support aviation, shipping, project and structured nance, hedging and investment products, FX rates and commodities hedging solutions. There are also industry bodies promoting standardisation. Also we see windows for tremendous investment ows. Pension and sovereign wealth funds such as GCC SWFs are the biggest among Arab countries and are managing around $1.4 trillion. Most of their investments are directed towards conventional products/transactions. They could be attracted to invest in shariah compliant assets to boost the Islamic nance industry.

There are a number of challenges: disparate shariah opinions, a lack of quali ed Islamic bankers and shariah advisors and the need to grow and expand to attract and absorb sovereign wealth fund investments.


PANEL DISCUSSIONSarieddine immediately tackled the accusation that Islamic banking simply mimics conventional banking. �“Both are human functions�” he commented, and so similarity should offer no surprise. He added that Islamic banking is an evolutionary concept, and it is only recently that we have seen the modern international application of general nance principles rooted 1,400 years ago.

Asaria discussed the idea that the value proposition for Islamic nance must be presentable to those who do not share Islamic beliefs. Trade with the Muslim world on terms that the Muslim world operates on has been done historically, so could be done so again.

Hayat asked whether the Islamic nance industry should be branded �‘ethical�’ or �‘Islamic.. This was an issue only in multi-faith countries, he noted. Where Muslim minorities were small, �‘ethical�’ branding might open up the marketplace to more consumers. But �‘Islamic�’ has a more restrictive de nition than �‘ethical�’ excluding industries such as alcohol which ethical investors might not object to. And more philosophically, it depends what you mean by �‘ethical�’ just as much as it depends on what you mean by �‘Islamic�’ as to whether the two overlap.

Khan added that when Standard Chartered was naming its Islamic banking division, they went through a process to nd a name which resonated with their values that Muslim populations could relate to, and which wouldn�’t need local language translation. They asked themselves �“What are we promising? What do we want to stand for?�” and chose the name Saadiq (truthful). Sarieddine noted the opposite trend with Qatar International Bank that has recently changed its name to Qatar Islamic Bank, and actively uses the word �‘Islamic.�’

All the panellists noted that levels of knowledge and perceptions amongst consumers varied considerably. Asaria felt that some consumers saw Islamic nance simply as �‘qard e hasana, a good loan. Such consumers needed to be educated that Islamic nance is nonetheless a pro t making enterprise. Hayat�’s view was that some terminology has multiple meanings causing confusion to the consumer. The word �‘interest�’ is an example used in different ways by the bank and the consumer. Khan suggested that the rst step to gaining consumer con dence would be to introduce them to the religious scholars on the board of the organisation as this ultimately will affect their trust in the organisation.



SESSION 10: INNOVATIVE GLOBAL MARKETING DEVELOPMENTSKEYNOTE ADDRESS Tan Sri Dato�’ H Muhammad-Ali, President and CEO, Johor Corporation on �‘Islamic Entrepreneurship�’

PANELLISTS:Tan Sri Dato�’ H Muhammad-Ali, President and CEO, Johor CorporationMohamed El-Fatatry, Founder and CEO, MuxlimRa -uddin Shikoh, CEO, The DinarStandardLayla Mandi, CEO and Founder, OnePure Halal Beauty

MODERATOR: Dr Pegram Harrison, Fellow in Entrepreneurship, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

ISLAMIC ENTREPRENEURSHIPTan Sri Dato�’ H Muhammad-AliWealth is not evenly distributed globally resulting in a rich-poor divide, and people feel angry as the system only seems to serve the rich. To the poor it feels like �‘westoxi cation�’ �– that is to say that wealth creation is both intoxicating and toxic. The capitalism is corrosive, and greed and moral indifference de ne today�’s corporations. The circumstances that demand Islamic entrepreneurship already exist: mass poverty, global divides, con icts and crises, global resource grabs, multinational companies�’ global domination, climate change and �‘westoxi cation.�’ To do nothing about all of these is not an option.

For entrepreneurship to be Islamic it cannot just copy conventional models because of the risks that it will bring with it. Conventional entrepreneurship is often uncaring, unsustainable, greed-driven, crisis-prone, damages ecology and is exclusive to those with access to capital and networks. To address the latter we need to address the issue of how to encourage entrepreneurs from people with the lowest levels of capital and networks. For example, the approach that Johor Corporation has taken is to grow Muslim Malay entrepreneurs in order to bring them up to the level of the mainstream.

One factor in this discussion that has not been raised before is the shape and role of the corporation. In many Muslim countries, the model of the corporation is copied blindly, but although it has some good things, it has problems too, and we shouldn�’t jump on the bandwagon without evaluating the risks.

Islamic entrepreneurship must be sustainable. Britain�’s fourth richest woman �– Anita Roddick �– is a pioneer of green capitalism �‘capitalism with a conscience, however, she described turning her business into a corporation as �‘a pact with the devil.�’

Is Islamic entrepreneurship a valid and relevant concept? The answer is an obvious �‘yes�’ when we think of example segments like �‘halal�’ and Islamic banking. But it is even more valid when we consider the �‘Muslim predicament�’: again mass poverty, internal divides, �‘westoxicated�’, lethargic, fossilised, economic powerlessness, endless subjugation and violent extremism. By contrast, Islamic entrepreneurship brings wealth creation and value enhancement. Wealth is rahmah (mercy) for life on earth and a spiritual source of energy and motivation. The Prophet said 90% of livelihood comes from business. Thus, the risk-taking of entrepreneurship is in fact a form of �‘rizq-taking�’. (taking of livelihood allocated by God). Further, it is a way to move away from violent extremism.

For all these reasons we can consider Islamic entrepreneurship as a form of �‘business jihad�’ �– which is a controversial term! But then being an entrepreneur is all about taking risks! Johor Corporation has demonstrated in business and corporate practice that the principles of Islamic entrepreneurship are feasible and do-able. Johor Corporation�’s �‘business jihad�’ has two principal objectives: to prosper the community and drive economic growth, and second to create a just, equitable and compassionate society through adapting best practice to Islamic ways and institutions. The critical success factors are an entrepreneurship strategy and an organisational strategy such as a waqf corporation.


Johor Corporation was started in 1971 with a RM10 million loan. It has 65,000 employees, 8 PLCs and RM8.4bn turnover. One of the organisation�’s goals is to develop 2,500 young entrepreneurs by 2020, from SME to MNC.

Muslims are no less entrepreneurial, however their businesses are not organised. For example, 95% of Middle East businesses are family owned (source: PWC 2004). Though highly pro table only 6% lasted to the third generation, and only 2% beyond that.

Islamic entrepreneurship is a higher cause than business: it is sustainable reform, business renewal and it is community-centric.

INNOVATIVE BRANDING AND MARKETING DEVELOPMENTSMohamed El-FatatryMuxlim is the largest global Muslim Lifestyle network since 2008, with over 20 million visitors per year from 190 countries and 20 million monthly ad impressions. Based out of Finland it won the Internationalisation Award of the President which was won by Nokia 10 years ago, but has never been won by a start up or immigrant before. The award is a recognition of the global Muslim market as a massive opportunity.

Muxlim aggregates content across web, mobile and TV with key markets in Europe and North America due to its English language medium. It is social media driven, not editorial driven. The USA and non-Muslim markets can see Muxlim as a way to enter Muslim markets. The company started as a consumer facing business but has since diversi ed into B2B after it was approached for consultancy on addressing Muslim consumers. Muxlim offers four components: analyse the market; offer a �‘bridge�’ by de ning strategy; identify the channels to execution and deliver results.

INNOVATIVE MUSLIM BRANDS/OPPORTUNITY GAPSRa -uddin ShikohNot one of today�’s top global brands is from a Muslim country. Nor is any such company on the list of 28 most reputable companies. But many exciting brands are emerging from across the Muslim lifestyle, Islamic nance and OIC markets. To realise full global potential of Muslim brands, they must nurture the unique Islamic soul, �‘rehabilitate�’ an innovation culture and develop competitive, marketing and innovation practices. Bateel (gourmet dates) is an innovative Muslim food brand creating new positioning based on a traditional product. In New York, the �‘Halal Cart�’ is seen on every street corner now. In fashion, Shukr blends faith with fashion. In travel, Tamani hotels offer alcohol free premises with women only oors.

Muslim brands must think big in three ways: Global value proposition with inherent Islamic values, Muslim lifestyle market optimised products, and global business solutions. Innovation is being held back in Muslim companies by fear of failure, small thinking and a lack of critical thinking. There are two major gaps in branding and marketing: disingenuous brand identity and a relative lack of marketing investment.

ONEPURE HALAL BEAUTYLayla MandiOnePure is an Islamic beauty brand targeted at non-Muslims, and has been accepted in international markets such as Gallerie Lafayette and Saudi Airlines. The entire product chain is shariah-compliant. A halal product also must be innovative and better than its competitors at all levels. OnePure does not advertise that it is �‘halal�’ on the label, but is positioned in a premium space so its halal message can be explained clearly to consumers.

Luxury halal brands must be innovative, creative, unique and appealing. They must have consistent delivery of premium quality, tightly controlled distribution, a distinct brand identity, a global reputation, emotional appeal, premium pricing and high visibility. Halal beauty is an untapped market �– combining commercial opportunity targeting af uent Muslims, with social bene t. Today, Muslims lack information and transparency about their beauty products, many containing haram ingredients. The halal beauty industry also needs Imams to discuss current issues with their congregations. Politicians must also understand these issues to provide peace of mind and security to their communities. Individuals should write to magazines, articles, blogs and newspapers requesting guidance and clarity on these subjects.


PANEL DISCUSSIONThe panellists addressed the various struggles that face entrepreneurs. Tan Sri Dato�’ H. Muhammad-Ali tackled the idea that in South Asia business is seen by Muslims as a negative matter, something that is �‘worldly�’ and so the challenge is to change perceptions. That is why the idea of �‘business jihad�’ is powerful, because it reminds Muslims that business is a religious duty. Dr Harrison noted that promoting the success of Muslim brands by developing case studies of those businesses and promoting them in mainstream forums was something that they were focused on at the Saïd Business School, and he invited the panellists to work with him on producing case studies of their own businesses.

El-Fatatry told entrepreneurs that obtaining funding is challenging, and what they need to build is an ecosystem of partners �– of which he felt there was a lack �– although he warned of ensuring that partners did not have different agendas of their own. Entrepreneurs need to nd the right talent that has the passion for what you are doing.

El-Fatatry elaborated on Muxlim�’s own business approach, outlining that the model was to integrate the Muslim experience wherever Muslims go on the web. Muxlim has an exclusive agreement with Nokia as the only provider of Muslim lifestyle content. He also commented that Muxlim was committed to upholding the moral fabric of young people who use the site and works to support and promote other companies working in this area by supporting not replicating their work. However, he added that their initial model had been consumer-centric, working towards a pay-to-use service, but due to changes in the market, and a lack of long-term investment Muxlim has changed its model to B2B and now generates more of its revenue from advisory services.

The panellists were asked where they thought Islamic commercial entities should draw the line in promoting products that may not be good for consumers, such as fast food with high salt content. Mandi responded that the business you engage in shows your stand on those issues, adding that her business did not engage in such activities. Shikoh felt that if the product doesn�’t �‘live the soul�’ of Islam then it is not the right brand. �“Islamic nance is worth USD$1 trillion, but where is the soul of the business?�” he asked. Tan Sri Dato�’ pointed out that when you come into the market late, the quickest thing is to ride on other people�’s brands in order to give you access to resources, and then at the same time, you have to start aligning yourself with Islamic values, otherwise this is not �‘business jihad.�’

El-Fatatry echoed this latter approach with his feeling that the way to persuade existing large corporations to work with something that has �‘Islam�’ in the title will be to have extensions to existing brands. More data about the bene ts of such an approach would be needed to prove the business case for this strategy. However, Shikoh pointed to the example of the charity Islamic Relief which has become a mainstream brand due to the service it delivers, even appearing on the news ticker on Fox News during the Hurrican Katrina disaster.

Mandi offered some advice speci cally to female Muslim entrepreneurs: to be persistent and patient, to stick with your vision, to be consistent, don�’t expect success in year one, and also don�’t expect the journey to be easier just because you have a halal brand.


SESSION 11: REACHING THE MUSLIM MARKET: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGESKEYNOTE ADDRESS Roy Michel Haddad, Chairman and CEO, JWT Middle East and North Africa

PANELLISTS:Roy Michel Haddad, Chairman and CEO, JWT Middle East and North AfricaSarah Joseph, Concept Creator of �‘Muslim Lifestyle�’ and one of the world�’s 500 most in uential MuslimsJaved Husain, Co-founder and Director of Media Reach

MODERATOR: Linda Scott, Professor of Marketing, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

KEYNOTE ADDRESSRoy Michel HaddadAt 1.57bn, Muslims are more than one fth of the world population. 30% are under 14 compared with only 18�–20% in western markets. But we must be wary of collective assumptions that Muslims are a homogeneous whole, or that such a thing as a Muslim consumer exists. There is no single Muslim consumer, only a consumer to whom we have to respond, who has wants, needs and desires. Ramadan is the only time that the �‘Muslim consumer�’ exists. Instead we must ask, can these consumers be reached based on their Islamic identity despite cultural and geographic differences? This opportunity of unmatched

scale has nally made the �‘halal economy�’ be noticed.

JWT commissioned the rst commercial research into sizing the Muslim market. The aim was to identify the common values at the market�’s core in order to create relevance for the community at large with the ultimate goal of ne-tuning propositions across regions and countries. �“Can we segment the Muslim world into groups that brands can be anchored on?�” he asked. After all, building global brands �– Islamic or otherwise �– is about scalability. No brand can be all things to all people. The research focused on the eastern hemisphere where Islam is the predominant religion, using a mix of qualitative and quantitative techniques combined with observations of the macro environment. Five attitudinal clusters emerged based on Geert Hofstede�’s cultural dimensions.

�‘Social Conformists�’ (19%) believe social norms should be adhered to even at the cost of personal choice. They lack self con dence and rely on others for decisions. They are not religious and feel positively about Western values. �‘Religious Conservatives�’ (17%) follow and expect others to follow religious practices, which always override personal choice. They are anti-media and information averse. They support gender segregation. They are not brand conscious. �‘Pragmatic Strivers�’ (24%) are non traditional and ambitious, open-minded and willing to compromise on religious values in order to get ahead. �‘Extreme Liberals�’ (21%) are independent and assertive and not particular about tradition or religious practices. They will explore options even if they do not conform to religious or societal norms. �‘New Age Muslims�’ (19%) are traditional and religious but do not expect others to be so. Whilst religious, they believe in gender equality, are pro-media and pro-Internet.

This analysis produced some surprising revelations. The need for respect of individual opinions is considerably higher than the need of belonging to a group or sharing group views. 90% of all respondents think it�’s good that today�’s generation voices opinions they strongly believe in. 79% believe the media is responsible for making today�’s generation smarter. 72% of Saudis believe traditional practices need adapting to changing times. Saudi Arabia has the highest rate of role models that are businessmen, twice as high as the UAE, and Iran has the second lowest rate of religious role models. 83% of Pakistanis want to be part of a social group where they can voice their opinion.

There is a tension between local and international brands. 68% see local products now as good as imported ones. And if the quality matches, the local product is preferred. But if quality fails, so does the brand. Brands must combine fashion with personal values. Saudis are the trendiest consumers. And consumers are increasingly fashion conscious. Examples include the growth of Islamic fashion festivals, and an estimated market size for female Islamic clothing of 250 million women. In the Islamic nance industry assets exceed USD$750bn worldwide with 15% growth p/a (source: McKinsey & Co).


The lack of creativity is the main barrier to addressing the Muslim market, resulting from a lack of understanding of Islamic culture. Marketers abuse the arch and crescent as if they were all that Islamic culture has to offer. But Islam places great weight on beauty �– God is beautiful and loves all that is beautiful. Islam has always sought means of creative expression.

Stereotypical creativity is a source of shallow symbolism, alienates Muslims from their society and is no longer aspirational. We must move beyond the clichés of being Muslim and focus on the mindset not the practice. The goal is not to act as Muslim but help consumers live and grow as Muslims. We must be mindful of the culture, differences, commonalities and nuances. Although values evolve very slowly, the way to express them changes all the time. We must continuously track these modern ways that Muslims are nding to move beyond traditional expressions.

PANEL DISCUSSIONHusain felt that it was interesting that the debate about Islamic branding being hosted by the Forum �– the rst of its kind �– was being held in the West rather than the traditional Islamic lands of the East. He identi ed the success factors for marketing to Muslims as sticking to the core Islamic values; as knowing the heart and soul of the community and being immersed in the community. The missing factor in his view is �‘purity.�’ Speaking of the agency that he co-founded, he spoke of the ethical principles that drove it, and then the subsequent realisation that those principles equated to �‘halal�’. �“A brand that serves, is a brand that lasts,�” he stated, and so the aim was not to exploit the Muslim consumer, but to release them.

Joseph explained how she had created the notion of �‘Muslim lifestyle�’ as a way to embody the hopes, dreams and aspirations of that lifestyle starting even from the name �‘EMEL.�’ Before the creation of this concept, Muslims were seen through a speci cally political or religious framework, but not as a holistic lifestyle. In her view, the challenges facing the development of this market included a lack of information, talent and passion. In particular, as soon as talent is trained, �“it walks.�” There is a con ict with geo-political issues. There is also cynicism about whether this market wants to be approached, and what it will think �– especially because Muslim consumers either think that Islamic products are substandard, or that Islamic branding is promoting consumerism. The challenge is to educate consumers and to avoid the creation of technically halal products that �“miss the point.�” Being at this leading edge of development is expensive, and investors should not be fooled into thinking the big numbers that were being quoted are one market �– rather they comprise lots of markets with great variation. However, the unifying factor was that values do travel across sectors whereas cultures do not. Much of the groundwork for these values has already been laid by the development of the ethical industry, the green movement, animal welfare and so on. �“The halal market is not the �‘big idea�’�” said Joseph. �“Instead we need to focus on the �‘big ideal�’ of sustainable industry.�”


SESSION 12: ANTICIPATING THE FUTURE: WHAT ARE THE FUTURE TRENDS IN GLOBAL MUSLIM MARKETS? HOW SHOULD WE PREPARE FOR THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME?KEYNOTE ADDRESS HE Shaukat Aziz, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan

PANELLISTS:HE Shaukat Aziz, Former Prime Minister of PakistanArif Zaman, Advisor, Corporate Governance, Commonwealth Business CouncilShah Hakim Zain, Group Chief Executive Of cer, Scomi Group Bhd

MODERATOR: Andrew Critchlow, Middle East Managing Editor, Dow Jones

KEYNOTE ADDRESSShaukat AzizThe Muslim ummah is a great business opportunity, with a population greater than 1.8bn, and projected to reach 3bn �– 30% of the world population �– by 2050. Most Muslim countries are emerging markets with high economic growth, resources such as oil, and increasing consumer con dence. To maximise economic growth good governance, transparency, rule of law, the growth of the social sector, justice and reform in the role of women are requirements. Many Muslims live in non-Muslim countries as well as Muslim ones. Muslim markets have unique needs which also offer up unique opportunities, and so the issue of marketing becomes signi cant. The three main areas are: food, nance and personal care.

When it comes to food and personal care, halal products should be �‘mainstreamed.�’ This broader approach will build economies of scale resulting in better products and lower prices for consumers. However, some speci cally niche products will continue to be necessary, such as prayer mats. With regards to Islamic nance, Muslim markets will always require some form of shariah-compliant products but these must be world class, and the ability to regulate them is paramount. Islamic nance products and conventional nance products should be run in parallel so consumers are free to choose.

At a global level, Islamic marketing and branding must be part of the work to tackle terrorism. Deprivation is the most likely root cause of terrorist acts �– lack of income, justice, freedom, peace and harmony. A worrying trend of increasing divisions between faiths is taking root. Islam encourages peace, harmony and tolerance. Not terrorism! Only through good leadership and efforts from each individual can this be tackled.

PANEL DISCUSSIONShah Hakim noted that consumers think that �‘halal�’ refers simply to food. A global standard for halal certi cation like a CE mark would address this issue and make �‘halal�’ a household term across a wider product range. This would also avoid the peril of Islamic brands becoming �‘pigeon-holed�’ to Muslims only. However, neither should Muslim companies expect Muslim consumers to favour them simply for being Muslim. They may be more open initially, but they will not tolerate poor performance.

Zaman suggested moving beyond branding to reputation. In the commercial world, as in Islam, it is perception of character �– not logos �– that is important. Five points are critical:

reputational risk, standards and policy engagement, business schools including more study of the Muslim world, the professional Muslim diaspora being harnessed to help improve the image of Islam and nally, he cautioned that companies taking Islamic brands into non-Muslim countries must understand negative perceptions of Islam in those markets.


Critchlow asked �“What makes a company Islamic?�” Zain distinguished products aimed at the Islamic market, from those owned by Muslims. The company needs to decide on its target audience, and package its products accordingly. HE Shaukat Aziz was clear: if a company is world-class then the question of compromising Islamic values does not arise. The free market approach will determine success �– companies must give customers what they require with professionalism and high standards.

Critchlow raised other signi cant trends in the Middle East which affect perceptions of the region, such as ongoing political risks, the ow of capital out of wealthy Arab nations and the notion that Arab Muslim youth are being radicalised.


SESSION 13: RELIGION, CULTURE AND BRANDING: THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING AND THE CHALLENGES OF ENGAGING A GLOBAL MULTICULTURAL WORLD

KEYNOTE ADDRESS HRH Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah, Crown Prince of Perak, Malaysia

INTRODUCED BY:Dr A Al-Akiti, KFAS Fellow, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and Lecturer in Islamic Studies, Faculty of Theology, University of Oxford

Growing commercial opportunities can bind Muslims and non-Muslims in a common humanity even though until now religion has long been considered taboo in mass

marketing. Muslims are a growing economic force and the demand for shariah compliant products continues to grow from today�’s USD$ 2.1 trillion (source: Ogilvy & Mather). Internationally, multiculturalism brings increased global output and ef ciency in the world economy. Nationally immigration drives politics as new arrivals are blamed for disrupting civil society, being a tax burden and lowering wages. Their presence raises fears in host communities of loss of self-identity, shown in Europe�’s response to its Muslim minorities. Multiculturalism posits people of different cultural backgrounds to have free choice in how they live but national policy makers are concerned with forging a community of shared values and cohesive societies. The challenge: to reach a balance between the two.

Since Independence in 1957 Malaysia travelled the multicultural path towards nation-building through ethnic and religious cleavages, recently arrived immigrant communities with uncertain loyalties, poverty, insurgency and external threats. Religious tensions do exist and are exacerbated by coinciding religious, ethnic and economic fault lines. Integration not assimilation is the approach. Our success is built on celebrating not suppressing religious diversity, and on political wisdom, sound economic policy, effective security strategy and good public governance. Religious diversity and national unity are not incompatible, but enrich each other. We see this in thousands of mosques, churches and temples across the country, and public holidays for each major religious and cultural festival.

One third of all Muslims live as minorities in multicultural societies. (source: Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs) with greater focus on those in Europe and the US since 9/11. They struggle with questions of identity and challenges to retain their faith while integrating into sometimes hostile societies, often leading to alienation from both. Negativity towards Muslims exists in the West, with trends such as the Swiss minaret ban and anti-burqa sentiment in France. In 2006, 63% of British, 87% of French and 88% of Dutch believed Islam to be the religion most prone to violence (source: John Esposito in �‘The Future of Islam.�’). Such hostility has prompted some religious leaders to discourage integration. Such discouragement from both sides only leads to further alienation as seen in the rioting in French ghettoes in 2006. Instead, religious leaders should use their moral authority and religion�’s message of peace to come to the fore of national and global affairs, and preach the Quranic message of multiculturalism: �“O humankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes so that you may know one another. The noblest of you, in the sight of God is the most pious.�”

Political negativity can spill over into commercial negativity towards Muslims brands, making it dif cult for Islamic products to penetrate Western markets. Muslim businesses already in the West are well-placed to counter such negativity due to the ethical underpinnings of their businesses allowing them to act with corporate social responsibility (CSR). Porter and Kramer argue that CSR offers four business bene ts: reputation, license to operate, moral obligation and sustainability. The rst two are typically public-relations exercises, but the latter two prompt a company to reconcile pro t making with greater social good, principles on which Islamic businesses can excel.


The Islamic nance industry is an example of potential growth and challenges for marketing Islamic products to non-Muslims. Industry growth is 15�–20% p/a and there are 300 Islamic banks and rms in 75 countries. Non-Muslims are not interested in Islamic theology and in some cases it can even be off-putting, such as the Dubai Port Authority�’s acquisition of some US ports through the purchase of BP and Oriental Steam Navigation. The USD$3.5bn Islamic bond used to nance the purchase was seen as a threat to US security. Instead by eschewing Islamic jargon and building good products �– which are prized by everyone without labels being necessary - the industry can claim Islamic nance is sound nance as it avoids the excessive risk-taking that precipitated the recent global crisis.

How far should we pursue segmentation on religious lines, if the Islamic brand proves a turn-off for non-Muslims or if it causes other religious responses, such as Stoxx Europe launching a Christian stock index? We must be cautious of the inherent dangers of widespread use of faith-based brands which in the worst-case scenario could feed into Huntington�’s polarising �“clash of civilisations�” thesis. We should heed the advice of the 12th century theologian Ghazali: �“There is no need to quibble over brands, once the point is understood!�”


SESSION 14: CLOSING REMARKSCLOSING REMARKS AND FORUM REPORT Dr Paul Temporal

This inaugural forum on Islamic branding and marketing was a delightful and multicultural event, and it is hoped that it will be the rst step towards developing great brands together.

A number of themes have featured repeatedly throughout the two days, highlighting that there is a huge amount of interest in this area and a wide range of topics to be explored, all of which generate disparate views and opinions �– a re ection of the Muslim world today.

A number of points in particular have been reinforced. Islam is one great religion, but not one homogenous market. The global Muslim audience is a kaleidoscope of many multiculturally diverse countries, rich and poor, majority and minority markets where consumers behave very differently, and this fact gives rise to many marketing and branding challenges that have been pointed out by speakers and in the ensuing debates. But this variety also creates massive opportunities. We have heard from people who have taken on such challenges and succeeded in seizing those opportunities.

The forum has echoed our own research over the last two years that much more information is required, and much more expertise needs to be found.

We hope that this �‘inaugural�’ forum �– that is to say I hope that there will be another such forum - has added value and impetus in this area. We hope that you have enjoyed the forum. On our side, we will continue with our research and education in this area, and we hope that many of you here will join with us as partners and contributors in this area to drive it forward.

FAREWELLRichard Briant, International Director, Saïd Business School and Chair of Day 2 of the Oxford Global Islamic Branding and Marketing Forum 2010I�’d like to thank all our speakers for profound and valuable insights. Our gratitude goes to them, and the moderators who have encouraged and facilitated excellent dialogue. In addition, our thanks to the individuals at Saïd Business School who have helped us prepare for and deliver this conference. In particular to be mentioned are Clare Ruthven-Stuart who have been leading the team, Firoz Abdul Hamid who has been a strong bridge with Malaysia, Allen Lai for keeping order, Paul Temporal for his research that led to this forum. In addition, thanks are due to our sponsors, and of course to the delegates who have attended this conference, for their presence and participation.


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WWW.SBS.OXFORD.EDU Saïd Business SchoolUniversity of OxfordExecutive Education CentreEgrove ParkOxford OX1 5NYUnited Kingdom

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© 2010 SAID BUSINESS SCHOOL. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREG SMOLENSKI [WWW.PHOTOVIBE.NET]

SAID BUSINESS SCHOOLThe Saïd Business School is one of Europe�’s youngest and most entrepreneurial business schools. An integral part of The University of Oxford, the School embodies the academic rigour and forward thinking that has made Oxford a world leader in education. The School is dedicated to developing a new generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs and conducting research not only into the nature of business, but the connections between business and the wider world.

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PROJECT ON ISLAMIC BRANDING AND MARKETINGThe Saïd Business School Research and Education Project on Islamic Branding and Market-ing welcomes contributors and partners who are interested in playing a role in understanding Islamic branding and market-ing. As well as combining the resources of Saïd Business School and the wider University, experts and interested parties from the global private and public sector are encouraged to take part in the research and the building of case studies for educational purposes.

For more information, see: www.sbs.oxford.edu/islamicmarketing

oxford islamic branding and marketing forum report

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