Advertising to Muslims
A commercial about shampoo sans hair. Unilever
A New York Times article details the culturally aware techniques Western companies are using to sell their brands to non-Western audiences, in this case women who wear tudungs, a traditional head scarf used by Muslim women in Malaysia (the shampoo product in the ad specifically addresses the effects of the tudung on hair and scalp). In the past, many companies would enter new countries and offend consumers through advertisement and marketing that lacked sensitivity to societal and religious norms. Now, marketing experts know “rule No.1 is to avoid causing offense.” Furthermore, the global Muslim population is over 1.5 billion, and John Goodman of Ogilvy & Mather says there is no excuse for not considering culture when building brands and marketing campaigns:
It’s like being in 1990 and telling people that China doesn’t matter. Twenty years ago you might have said that, but now you’re being foolish.
A lack of cultural knowledge is clearly unacceptable to consumers in any market, but how can we learn to sell to and interact effectively with people from around the world? How do we develop and sustain cultural competency in a world that is constantly changing?
Sean
