There’s a movement underway since the inauguration of President Donald Trump to feature Muslims in marketing and advertising campaigns.
Some of the biggest American brands have made Muslim men, women and children the focus on their marketing, including CoverGirl, Hyatt and Chevrolet. The brands don’t purport to be political; they’re highlighting diversity and inclusion as a way to weave the brands into today’s polarized climate.
Super Bowl 50 last month, and this month’s Oscars, both offered viewers plenty of inclusive advertising.
Hyatt’s new 30-second ad—“For a World of Understanding” by MullenLowe—appeared during the Super Bowl. The spot shows a woman wearing a hijab sit down on a bus across from a blonde haired woman. The blonde woman, at first looks skeptical, but then the two women smile at each other as the Muslim woman hands her a scarf she has dropped on the floor.
But not everyone is accepting of Muslim marketing. Last month, a billboard in Australia that promoted Australia Day was removed by the agency, QMS, after it received threats because the ad included Muslim women wearing hijabs. The threats came amid a rash of nasty comments circulating on social. And a Honey Maid ad that took on Islamophobia about a Muslim woman getting to know her neighbors was also attacked on social media. Even so, the Muslim marketing movement is not slowing down.
Last year, Cover Girl named Nura Afia, a hijab-wearing beauty blogger, as an ambassador, joining the ranks of superstars like Christie Brinkley and Ellen Degeneres. Afia appeared in TV commercials and on billboards in New York’s Times Square.
The author from this DigiDay article, Tanya Dua, explains that marketing to Muslims makes good business sense. The U.S. Muslim population will double by 2050 and their spending potential is powerful. Read the article …
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