American Muslim Consumer
The American Muslim Consumer Conference provides the only platform for industry professionals to examine this potent market sector, and explore its rich potential. It effectively raises awareness of the Muslim consumer, their buying power so that the market can gain some visibility and presence in mainstream media, the advertising industry and in-turn influence companies in developing products for Muslims.
It is clear that this market is growing and maturing. The consumer preferences of the world’s nearly 1.5 billion Muslims are faith-based, and largely non-negotiable, and the concept of Shariah-compliance as a marketing strategy has started to take root in the global and national marketplaces.
JWT’s 2007 study of ‘one of America’s biggest hidden niche markets’ revealed that the American Muslim consumers represent “a neglected market with huge potential for brands that are willing to connect with them.”
The report, based on face-to-face and telephone interviews, uncovered various important points about American Muslims attitudes to brands:
- 70% felt that brands play an important role in their purchasing decisions, compared to 55% for the average American
- 59% say they make a point of knowing which brands are popular, compared to a 42% average
- 55% felt that brands make ‘life more interesting’ compared to a 43% average.
- 71% said they rarely see anyone of their own faith or ethnicity in advertising
- 73% said they could not think of one mainstream brand that showed a Muslim in its advertising.
- 77% rated price as important, as against 91% of the general public, making their brand choice less dependent on price/value.
