News 24 bureau
New Delhi - In order to tap huge Muslim community of the country, advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather has launched a consultancy service that would help companies to build their brands among the largest minority or second largest majority. The name of the the company would be 'Ogilvy Noor'.
Noor means light in Arabic.O&M will send researchers to Muslim-concentric locations such as Aligarh to discern their likes and indifferences. Given the sensitive nature and homogeneity factor, projects will be more tilted towards on-group and local activities.
Ogilvy Noor is led by a team of experts in key Muslim markets of Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North Africa. “It is an idea whose time has come,” says ad veteran Mohammed Khan, founder of Enterprise Nexus and ex-chairman of Bates Enterprise.
Says ex-IAS officer Zafar Iqbal and now management consultant, "There are more than 150 million Muslims- more than many countries’ population- in India and they have a huge amount of purchasing power. There are three big Id festivals in a year, offering immense scope for marketers of footwear, clothes, food and FMCG products.
Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director for O&M India and South Asia, says Ogilvy Noor is a way of packaging messages to suit the Muslim community’s needs and a whole new way of extending cultural requirements through relevant brands. Islamic branding is a largely untapped global opportunity.
The market for halal food- or, meat slaughtered as permissible under the Islamic law-alone is worth a staggering $2.1 trillion and growing $500 billion a year, according to a research report done by Ogilvy Noor.
There are more than 150 million Muslims — more than many countries’ population- in India and they have a huge amount of purchasing power. There are three big Id festivals in a year, offering immense scope for marketers of footwear, clothes, food and FMCG products.
Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director for O&M India and South Asia, says Ogilvy Noor is a way of packaging messages to suit the Muslim community’s needs and a whole new way of extending cultural requirements through relevant brands.
Unlike in the past when marketers used subtle idioms to target specific communities, ethno-centric marketing is no longer covert. The pulse polio campaign featuring Amitabh Bachchan was an example. Dabur’s Meswak and Hamdard’s Rooh Afza are among brands that have underplayed the cultural overtones.
Mr Pandey says the principle is to identify an important group and communicate to them. “Two decades ago, we conceived a whole campaign for Asian Paints in Tamil to communicate in that market. Ditto was the case of another product for Bengal market,” he points out.
O&M will send researchers to Muslim-concentric locations such as Aligarh to discern their likes and indifferences. Given the sensitive nature and homogeneity factor, projects will be more tilted towards on-group and local activities.