The Ethics of Marketing [Al-Adab At-Taswiq]

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It’s easy to understand why business is sometimes framed with a cautionary tale vis-a-vis religion, and wisely so. When the primary intention is towards profit, the following classic examples can occur:

1. Product: Over-promise and under-deliver, without customers knowing that they have been shortchanged.
2. Price: Over-pricing without real reasons for doing so other than to gain profit, yet nonchalantly and constantly using the reasoning that you’re providing a service.
3. Place: Restricting your channels of distribution towards areas that you’d profit most and not areas where people are wanting your product and you have the ability to deliver.
4. Promotion: Promoting other businesses and items more actively and taking advantage of your customers’ ignorance in exposure to material other than that which they had originally and intentionally wanted.

There are many verses in the Quran as well as hadith sahih which describe exemplary business and marketing ethics. I’d like to mention here of the Islamic scholars of the past, and one in particular whom we are familiar with by name: Imam Abu Hanifah.

Besides being an Islamic scholar, Imam Abu Hanifah was also admired as a businessman. He had four characteristics which made him exemplary:

1. Clear sense of integrity
2. Exemplary honesty
3. Kindness in dealings
4. A view that honest and fair marketing was a kind of worship

He was similar to Abu Bakr in his trading, showing the defects of the items he wanted to sell clearly to the customer and not concealing them, without placing the nicer ones on top to hide away the defects. He took all precaution to stay away from the temptations to cheat. Once an old woman came to him telling him that she was poor and asked if he could sell the dress at a fair price. Imam Abu Hanifah offered 4 dirhams, in which she was offended, thinking that the Imam had mocked and ridiculed her, offering such a low price than expected. Abu Hanifah then explained that earlier, he had another similar dress which was sold at 4 dirhams cheaper than normal, and he was only trying to get his fair share back from the old woman now. In other words, if it were not for that other dress, he would have charged her with nothing. (Pioneers of Islamic Scholarship, 2006).

So great, we have ethics. “The West” is always the one without these things… … right?

Selections from the Code of Ethics of the American Marketing Association (Hair et. al., 2006):

Honesty and Fairness:

1. Being honest in serving consumers, clients, employees, suppliers, distributors and the public
2. Not knowingly participating in conflict of interest without prior notice to all parties involved

Rights and Duties:

1. Products and services offered are safe and fit for their intended uses
2. Communications about the offered products and services are not deceptive
3. All parties intend to discharge their obligations, financial and otherwise, in good faith

(And many others. The list is long.)

So what’s the main difference between an external code of ethics and Islam’s code of ethics? Ours must be practised, there is no separation nor line with our dailiy lives. Because ours is built into our religion. There is no “time for business ethics and time for life stuff” … it’s the same thing.

So if you are someone who is dealing in business and marketing, thread with adab, be on your guard, remember that the luxuries you have are not priviledges but rather tests… and don’t transgress.

‘O believers! Do not consume one another’s wealth through unlawful means; instead, do business with mutual consent; do not kill yourselves by adopting unlawful means. Indeed Allah is Merciful to you.’ (4:29)

Finding Balance

I like looking at the sun and sky during sunsets, the stunning colours and blinding grace of the sky. It reminds me how we rarely look up. How ironically high we think of ourselves sometimes, of how strangely even our necks have been designed to look in all directions relatively easier… than up. There must be a purpose behind it. To humble us? To prove to us that we need effort to look up and be humbled?

Looking up in the sky reminds me often of how we need to wake ourselves up sometimes. Of how humbling the sky is, ever beautiful, silently up there, hovering above everyone, never needing to announce to us humans to stop thinking about ourselves all the time. The sky is God’s creation. It’s a creation teaching us a lesson in humility.

Sometimes people give you credit, and wish they were in your field too. So I often tell my friends “Business is not for everyone.”

Being a businessman, an entrepreneur or any other human-assigned role is not an obligatory duty, a fardhu ain. It’s a fardhu kifayah, the presence of one would cover the obligation of the sum of ummah. Besides, we were never businessmen when we were born. Coming out from our mother’s womb, we had no website, no friends, no academic distinction, no pride nor prejudice. We were all the same. And yes, we even cried together. Really.

And we will return stripped of our posts as well, stripped of our coats, our prizes possessions, our safety zones, to Him.

Don’t listen to entrepreneurs who go around asking people “Why are you still working for others?” They’ve clearly lost their plot and balance. They’ll learn, one day.

Whatever you’re doing now, I hope you find your balance. It amazes me how Islam, emphasizing the middle path, speaks of this justly: the pursuit of balance, never indulging in anything extremely. Do you feel at equilibrium with your lifestyle now? Does your heart tell you that deep down, you have to pack up and go?

There are essentially two ways to achieve work-life balance. Either you

1. Work for years first with full effort and pain, then settle down very comfortably later, or
2. Work and relax simultaneously.

Which way is better? It depends on you. Is the rich businessman staying in the towers better than the wise sweeper who smiles daily? There is no comparison to begin with. We each live our own lives to the best of our ability. Sincerely, we best know ourselves. So lets be more concerned with ourselves. And ask ourselves…

Have we found our balance.

Look to the sky.

Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of Night and Day, there are indeed Signs for men of understanding.

[3:190]

How To Correct People Perceptions

Notice how I used the term ‘people’ and not customers. Because aside from correcting your product image, the following can also be used to analyze and correct your own personal branding.

The word is Perception - What is perceived of you and your product. Why should the stuff that others think about you and your product matter? Should you really be too concerned about the negative chatter? As long as you know you’re alright, nothing else should matter right?

That can be true. However, it matters a whole lot when the people whom you are trying to target, whom you would want to associate with, perceive you and your product in a way which hurts your initial branding ideas. It’s a bitter pill to swallow - realizing suddenly that you might have been caught in your own bubble, thinking that you were alright…

When feedback from people that matter tell you you’re not. It’s a wake up call. Time for marketing mix.

Correct your product’s perception in terms of how you market it. It could be a product problem, maybe the packaging doesn’t deliver the aspiration, may be the product function itself is not living up to promotional promises. It could be a pricing issue… where prices are so high that they simply erase any good feelings anyone might have about the product function. Or how about the place, the fact that yes, your product rocks, but the places which are offering them just give it a poor image association. Or maybe promotions… the communications strategy, the copyrighting perhaps is not well executed to project what you had wanted your customers to think about your product.

The same 4Ps can be applied to you too, if you think of yourself as your main product. While measuring product perceptions can be via marketing research, how then do you measure self-perceptions and try to detect whether or not you are on the right track?

Allah the Exalted says in the Qur’an: “And (remember) the Day when the wrong-doer will bite his hands and say: Woe to me! Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger. Woe to me! If only I had not taken so- and-so as a friend! He has led me astray from this Reminder (the Qur’an) after it had come to me.” [25:27-29]

In an authentic Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said: “A person is likely to follow the faith of his friend, so look whom you befriend.” [Reported by Abu Dawood & Tirmidhee]

Extras:

1. Here’s a tutorial on using a tool called a Perceptual Map. You can find the video here.
2. Check out the support forum for a more detailed description of positioning. View it here.

What is Design? [Design Session 01]

A great tongue and cheek on design. Just like producing a great marketing idea, the key message here is that while good ideas and design (just like marketing ideas) can come out of the blue, it can also stem from a process -ed way of looking at the problem. Sit back and enjoy.

Phases shared in video (in order):

1. Need Finding
2. Brainstorming
3. Prototyping
4. Formgiving
5. Critiquing

Marketing “The High” (How To Sell Ice to Eskimos)

It’s about replicating “the high”.

In a workshop I attended sometime back, I was shocked at the remark given that it’s hard to sell food online because “you cannot taste food online”.

Yes you can. Think of the many closeup photographs in high resolution and saturation. Beauty of taste never felt before = Beauty of exceptional images of food in never before seen angles.

Imagine you’re a shoe seller, and someone comes up with the idea to sell shoes online. A feedback soon will come akin to this: “But customers like the experience of putting on the shoe. You can’t put on a shoe online!”

Yes you can. Think of Nike and their online shoe making site, allowing users to have the freedom to choose what designs can be placed on their shoe. Freedom to put on a shoe = Freedom to customize.

When you require a transfer of your Place distribution, your branding consistency is essential. Part of branding is the experience than customers are used to and expecting of your product. Here are some examples:

• Mark Burnett and his reality tv shows like Survivor and The Contender. Notice how there is always the trademark “boardroom” ? Even the kickboxing show The Contender has a “boardroom” (the ring). And yes, the trademark end scene with the little jingle and credits. Following this template has kept his branding consistent and customer switches from one show to another easier for the customer.
• How about movies which return decades later with sequels or prequels? Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Superman just to name a few (Remember the trademark jingle, and ending of the old superman movies, and how it’s replicated in the new movie).

So is it about tasting the food? It’s about tasting the high.

Is it about wearing the shoe? It’s about wearing the high.

Targeted suggestions for our partners who make great products:

• Having an infotainment and wish to transfer medium to maybe a book? If your videos were fun, make the book fun (pop ups, colours, page slots). If your videos were serious, design the book with finesse (tall books, tall fonts, b n w perhaps)
• Having a good education system and wish to communicate that brand value in your center’s facade? Concentrate on what exactly makes your system work (mantra, communication principles to students, etc) and translate the same philosophy in decor and facade. For example, it could be Trust, in which case now you communicate Trust in your pictures and setting while sticking to your current colour themes (do your current themes convey Trust?).

Taking it a step further, if you are able to not only replicate a high but make the high higher given the medium’s competitive advantage over the old one…

Then you might be able to sell ice to eskimos.

“Switch Off Mobile Phones” [Masjid Poster Review]

This is a mock up of a sign I saw at Masjid Al-Iman (original version in Malay) placed outside the prayer hall to remind the faithful to switch off their mobile phones. Original text read something like “Tiada panggilan lebih penting dari seruan Tuhan.”

I love ads designed with intelligence, and firmly believe that such is the way to go especially when communicating with the opinion leaders of your target audience. Opinion leaders and transmitters view ads as critically as the designers themselves, peeling off layers all the way to intention. They will appreciate ads with beauty and genius - translating well to your product message, in this case a courtesy to silence.

Some of the best copywriting I’ve seen from masjids. Hats off to the masjid and the designer of this poster. MasyaAllah.

Filtering Out Wisdom From Fluff

To begin this article, I think telling a story of how I came to know this particular subject would be most apt.

When I was about 17 years old, I started to pick up books on financial literacy. Now, when you’re 17, with the budget of a typical 17 year old, and you suddenly feel the urge to be educated on what it means to have financial freedom, there are really not many options for you to even think of of where to start learning that on your own. So I headed to the bookstores and grabbed this particular best-seller series which markets itself as the book on financial freedom.

Book 1 was interesting, and was accompanied along with many extras like boardgames and videos. Book 1 was an easy and enlightening read… it got me motivated. And so I read book 2.

Book 2, like book 1, continued to explained the topics with much flow and simplicity. Reading it was really not that difficult. So I moved on to book 3.

It took me awhile to locate book 3, and after purchasing it online a year after reading book1, I opened the covers of book 3. However this time, as I was reading through, something inside me was troubled. Something was fishy. So I decided to do some research on this best selling author…

I never completed book 3.

While I wouldn’t want to go into detail of what I found out, in summary it was a problem with his integrity, of what he said in the book and what he was actually in real life. The initial alarm bells were not so much on his integrity, but on the fact that the models he preached, though enlightening in the beginning, seemed to be going nowhere by the time book 3 was up: there was not much education on finances at all (despite the branding of the book) … it was more like a feel good book.

Earlier this week I visited my friend in his education centre and we then dwelled upon the topic of theories, of how it is there can be differences in the way people perceive simple theories. His point was sound, emphasizing the fact that sometimes, simple theories are the result of genius and intelligence, of making the complicated seemingly effortless.

I agreed, and added that also, sometimes simple theories are bogus as well. We then thought about it, and agreed that having knowledge is your best defence to siff out the wisdom from the fluff.

God places His wisdom in sometimes mysterious ways. As I was reading through this book on Tauhid by Abdul Majid Aziz Az-Zindani on the topic of how we can be sure and have faith on something which is beyond our visual comprehension, there the answer was.

As learners, we can increase our probability of siffing out wisdom from fluff by measuring the information

1. Based on its effects.
2. Based on a source which is reliable.

It was point 1 which ringed my alarm bell to decide to check on the author of the book, and the realization that he did not score well on point 2 that made me decide that that was a lesson in being critical of who you gain the knowledge from. It’s left me wondering how so many depend on his books, so many form advocate groups, which has led to his status as a bestseller.

I conclude by tying it back to the central themes of this site: marketing, motivation, muslim, and focus on the first being marketing and all things business. Coming from business school, I cannot stress enough how so so many books and sites out there preach information on business which is dubious, speculative and hinges around the “simple feel good” concept to gain support. Sometimes the cracks are so jarring, at other times dangerously hidden. It’s disturbing when you sometimes see the many bright sparks out there, eager to learn, and are now being taught by these teachers.

Put on your critical hat everytime you begin to feel that you are beginning to change your viewpoints based on this new fact that you’re seeing or hearing way too fast and too easily. For whatever the teacher or the source is preaching, look for evidence of expertise. Now, we’re not saying that you strictly have to have qualification from some prestigious university to be credible; we advocate the evidence of expertise based on ilm and ‘amal, on both theory and evidence of him putting his teachings into practice and that they work. Keeping an eye on the source of knowledge (from books or through experience) plus evidence of him being successful at what he preaches is one of the few ways I know that you can be safe from the fluff.

Just like we are not kites who fly where the wind feels good, so too shoudn’t we be swayed so easily when confronted with stuff that feels good. Instead. we are the hands which decide where to thrust our kites into the God-given sky, who, even when given a choice between a stormy versus a calm sky, choose to (even then) to pause before deciding, knowing well that it could be that the stormy sky is one which can produce the rainbow, and not the other. God has taught us well in the Qur’an:

“…And it may be that you dislike a thing that is good for you…”

[2:216]

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The Power to Connect the World [Hector Ruiz, TEDTalks]

I am an avid viewer of TEDTalks and their speakers. However once in a while I get the chance to listen to very powerful speeches. This is one such example.

In this video, AMD CEO Hector Ruiz talks about his dream of giving the whole world access to the Internet, emphasizing the importance of passion over instruments of measuring your business such as numbers on spreadsheets. Listen in for the subtle reminder he gives of what one of our primary responsibilities as humans should be on earth.

‘Blade Runner’ Will Run In the Olympics

Empowering. Paralympic champion Oscar Pretorius, a double amputee sprinter, has won the right to compete in the Olympic Games in Beijing after the court of arbitration of sport backed his appeal against a ban initially imposed by athletics authorities. Pistorius, 21, who lost both legs when he was a baby, runs on shock-absorbing carbon-fiber prosthetics. This has earned him the nickname “Blade Runner.”

Questions have popped up as to what then it would mean for sports when Blade Runner is allowed to compete. The struggle seems to be hinged on what exactly does “fairness” mean, and as much as it would be unfair to disallow a disabled to compete against a ‘normal’ playing field, is it then also fair for the ‘normal’ people to compete against a pair of shock-absorbing carbon-fiber running machines?

What do you think?

Starhub Launches Singapore’s First Location Mobile Advertising

SINGAPORE Marketers now have another juicy tool to target consumers in Singapore. Telco Starhub has launched the nation’s first nationwide location based mobile advertising. According to the assistant GM of advertising for StarHub, location-based advertising is easier and more effective than non location based advertising such as direct mailers due to timing and the relevance of the location in which consumers receive the ad.

Mobile advertising has been a rather peculiar topic, with much of the worry stemming from the perception that any advertising which enters “my mobile phone” is spam, spelling trouble for the ad company. The mobile phone is a rather personal object, and is in most owners’ deep personal space. The last thing you would want while waiting for that text message to see if he or she accepts your interest, or the call from the doctor that your spouse is doing well in hospital… is an ad.

Location-based mobile advertising, with its targeted messages and the ability of the consumer to access the product (which would be within the vicinity) may be the way to go for mobile advertising.

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