Our Blog

We’re almost half way through Ramadan already, and so we’re spending some time this week looking at symbolism, communications and experiences during the month of fasting.

In depth

Ever wondered why the crescent moon seems like it is everywhere when it comes to communications with Muslim consumers? We spoke to Brownbook about designing the moon, offering an insight into its particular significance during Ramadan, and why the crescent is so important to Muslims. Brownbook is an urban lifestyle guide focusing on design, culture and travel across the Middle East and North Africa.

We get some top tips on engaging with Muslim consumers in Ramadan from Ogilvy Executive Creative Director Sadia Qutubuddin who is part of the Pakistan team, and one of the Ogilvy Noor family. She has just been nominated by Campaign Asia as one of Asia-Pac’s Women to Watch in Marketing. We caught up with her to find out more about engaging with Muslim consumers in one of the world’s most populous Muslim nations, as well as how brand’s can cut through the communications noise and clutter during the month of fasting.

Cheat sheet: sharp insights into Muslim consumer markets this week

UAE mosque unites modern materials and traditional devotion.  The architect says that any design should be “true and honest to the time”

AdWeek discusses the controversy over mainstream retailer promoting halal brands and how it improved sales: “Last year, some bloggers gave Whole Foods flak for marketing to Muslims. Now other brands are hoping for same”

UK Muslim charity talks about how to eat ethically in Ramadan through product purchase, and also hosting how to host an ethical iftar

Islamic banks invest in sustainable water and renewable energy projects, the underlying motivator being that caring for the environment is an Islamic responsibility

An Emirati Muslim shares his experiences of Ramadan in the UAE as a Muslim country, and compares it to being abroad in minority Muslim countries

Salamworld – dubbed ‘Islamic Facebook’ prepares to launch

Consumer taste evolution leads to diversification of the halal market focusing on ingredient origin, health benefits, quality, and niche specialisations

AirTel Nigeria offers Ramadan packages with SMS, voice and data along with content such as religious messages, morning wake up calls and Islamic tunes

Muslim women make history at London Olympics, from Zaha Hadid to boxers to weightlifters to runners and more

Egypt tourism addresses ‘family tourism‘ based on halal guidelines. Halal tourism is estimated to grow to $192bn by 2020

Indonesian mosques invest in hi-tech sound systems to improve the quality of the call to prayer broadcast via loud speaker from many mosques five times each day to ‘jazz lounge’ standards. Indonesia has approximately 800,000 mosques

“Fasting and furious: the psychology of reckless Ramadan driving”

“French Muslims demanding halal food” and Ramadan is the peak season, with sales estimates of $430m