Proud to be halal

Above: Isla Delice’s Ramadan Panels. Left: daytime, the screens are blank. Right: after dark the screens light up with images of the food products, attracting attention.

Above: Isla Delice’s “Proud to be Halal” campaign

This week in Ogilvy Noor’s AdCritique feature we are looking at France, and the growing market for halal products. Although typically we focus on just one marketing campaign, we’ve picked out two complementary ideas from these week’s featured brand Isla Delice, because they promote similar values and build on each other’s communications.

The context: France is a country that has a significant Muslim minority, one of the largest outside of the Muslim world. However, products that cater for their desire for halal food are not part of mainstream advertising and sales.

The concept: The aim of the campaigns was to bring the halal food lines into the public domain, make it interactive and eye catching and to connect to the feelings of pride at being both Muslim and French. The Ramadan campaign featured panels which by day showed no food, but in the evening when Muslims are permitted to eat after breaking their fast, the panels were lit up with images of the food products. The ‘proud to be halal’ campaign featured icons that are recognised as part of French heritage, combined with the strapline.

What we liked: The Ramadan panel campaign is playful and innovative. It is also eye catching and not afraid to show off its products. The panels were displayed in a main square and therefore would have attracted attention from Muslims as well as others.  This declaration of being part of the mainstream is echoed in the second campaign which uses clear direct imagery and text to convey how the products are both halal as well as part of French food heritage. “Fierement halal” is a direct and clear statement to its target audience that halal produce can be bought in the public space and goes hand in hand with their pride in being French. The text is complemented by the image. Not only does the strapline convey this message, but its secondary meaning is clear that the meat is definitely halal and consumers should not worry about its authenticity.