ABSTRACT
The huge demand for Islamic branding expertise which is fuelled by the massive size of the Islamic market, the growing number of multinationals competing there and the newly emerging trend of well-financed companies from the Islamic world targeting non-Islamic markets can only be forecast to increase. Attempting to understand and approach the concept and practice of Islamic branding in the traditional sense of branding will deprive firms of real business opportunities within the attractive Islamic market. Brands endorsed by religion become good deeds which is what all brands that target the Muslim consumer should strive for. Sipping wine, dining on pork and discussing Islamic brands is certainly non-Islamic, and this is probably why Western expertise despite leading the branding efforts in the Islamic world for the last several decades has so far failed to produce the long anticipated wave of Islamic super brands.
