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Stereotypes are the enemy of good marketing. And nowhere does this mantra strike more true than for Kazakhstan. This relatively unknown place came infamously to prominence in 2006 with the satirical character Borat from the film of the same name.

In fact, Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world in terms of geography. And what is even more interesting to us here at OgilvyNoor is that of its 16.4 million inhabitants, approximately 70% are Muslim.

So it was a fascinating place to hold this year’s World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) which took place earlier this month. As the 7th annual gathering, it has been growing in size and sophistication, and provides a showcase for industries and individuals from around the world. It’s also a great way for Kazakhstan to introduce itself to the world ‘in person’, so to speak. It’s a canny piece of marketing.

Perhaps they’ve been following the advice from our Branding Toolkit which can be found in our groundbreaking publications “Brands, Islam and the New Muslim consumer.” One of the key tools is supporting the role of the community, by working closely with key religious and social influences, as well as engaging in active partnerships with the youth. By hosting the WIEF which encompasses both these goals, Kazakhstan should reap the benefits of their branding investment towards Muslim consumers.