Muslims have been in the United States for a long time but their recognition as part of the fabric of American society has been a frequent topic of discussion - especially after the tragedies of 9/11. Issues of identity and belonging were probed and questions of whether Muslims could ever fit in to American society dominated debate. But a recent NY Times article indicates that this is about to change - at least from business' point of view.
Companies are now realizing that the Muslim market in the US alone has a combined disposable income well in excess of $170 billion a year. On the basis of trade and profit, business and commerce have long contributed to intercultural understanding. Today companies like McDonald’s, Walgreens, and Ikea (specifically their locations in the Detroit area) are learning to cater to their Muslim customers. Picking up on the needs of American Muslim customers the marketing firm JWT recently concluded a survey of American Muslims and plans to encourage clients like Johnson & Johnson and Unilever to market to American Muslims.
To illustrate how this recognition of the American Muslim market segment is part of a larger trend Marian Salzman, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of JWT, pointed to ads in the 1960s that featured Jewish products like Levy’s rye bread, which, she said, helped bring Jews in the US into mainstream advertising.
Challenges for marketers will determine the level and sophistication of their understanding. Addressing the various cultural groups of the American Muslim segment as well will remain a challenge along with the area of Halal standards but the news is certainly encouraging. DinarStandard pointed to the emergence of the Muslim Lifestyle Market™ in a January 2005 article. We look forward to following the continuing recognition and development of the Muslim Lifestyle Market™ globally.
very interesting.
i'm adding in RSS Reader
Posted by: music | January 08, 2008 at 06:33 PM