The Islamic Principles Of Advertising Marketing Essay

The Islamic Principles Of Advertising Marketing Essay Our research is an attempt to establish an advertisement evaluating scale based on  guidelines  provided by the shariah advisors/ Islamic Scholars. Using that scale we evaluated three sectors of Pakistan;  Telecom, Detergent  and Beverages sector. Through  this  scale we were able to conclude which particular companys/sectors advertising  activities  are  complying  or non-complying  with the shariah  guidelines to a certain extent because our variables were limited in number. We  focused our study on the three highest spending sectors on  advertisements. From Telecom sector we picked to evaluate commercials of Mobilink, Ufone and Telenor. From detergent sector we picked Ariel, Surf Excel and Brite Total. From Beverages sector we picked Cocoa Cola, Pepsi and Pakola. Five TV commercials of each company for the year 2009, 2010 2011 were selected for evaluation. Through an in depth study of various related research journals and primary data analysis that included interviews with mufti /Islamic scholars we created a relationship between the above mentioned five levels of  violations  and the elements of an  advertisement.  In order to strengthen our analysis we had our evaluating scales and its variables endorsed by an Islamic  scholar.   Our variables were evaluated based on the five levels of Not allowed/Sins in Islam; which are Haram (Being the highest level of  violation  ), Makrooh-e-Tehreemi, Makrooh-e-Tanzeehi, Dislikes, Not Recommended and Mubaah (considere as breakeven point where there is no sin and no reward).  It also showed how this area of research is relatively new and there is a lot to be explored and worked upon. Our major limitations were the time and human resource constraints The findings of our data collected indicate that Telecommunication sector is the least compliant and Detergent sector being the most complaint comparatively in their marketing activities. We noticed that the most common violation was inappropriate displaying of females in various contexts. It also showed how certain actions and behaviors were promoted that goes against our culture and religion; considering how advertisements is a part of mass communication it plays a major role in shaping a societys social ethics and values . 5. Introduction Companies advertise for three main reasons; to create awareness about their product or service, to influence or persuade consumers to buy their product or service and to provide information about their product features and usage. Every person view advertisements differently for example for some it is a way to inform consumers about inflating prices and some view it as unnecessary hard effort to sell something. Advertisements have taken many forms to communicate to their target audience. Advertising has been revolutionized from past several years specifically in 2006 when YouTube was introduced. After this social media advertising became very famous and companies started going all viral. When a company decides to advertise, a lot of factors come into question. The company policies, industry norms as well as the product features itself play an important role as to what an advertisement is going to look like. Also the current advertising practices have an influence as what kinds of concepts are being currently used by different brands across various sectors. And of course, the legal constituents have to be looked at so that none of the advertising material has any illegal content in it. For this study, we are going to analyze the current advertising content being used in Pakistan by various brands/companies and compare them with Islamic teachings and traditions and establish whether these brands/companies are following the Islamic way considering the fact the Pakistan is an Islamic republic and therefore it can have a huge influence on the consumer mindsets regarding the daily lives as well as their perception regarding the brand/company or product itself. Through this study we also aim to find out how much, if so, are the brands/companies treading over water when it comes to advertising according to Islamic teachings and principles. By selecting particular sectors, we will study which sector has the most frequent use of such practices in their advertising and marketing 5.1 Variables of the study The variables of the study include the following: Factual Information Living thing element Morals and Ethics The Product itself Advertisement of three major sector Factual information: If the claim is not valid and tested by an authority than it is considered to be fraud or malpractice in the religion of Islam. A business or advertisement is required to only make claims that are properly tested by a recognized authority and prove their claims. Also, An advertiser must not lie or cover up information from the consumer. Facts must be presented in a clear and easily understandable manner. Living Thing Element: This element is based on the three perspective of modern, liberal and conservative views of Islamic practices. However we choose to refer to the liberal view as it is neither of the two extreme opinions on the showcasing of living beings Morals and ethics: This is similar to the everyday prescribed Islamic practices as applied to the daily lives of Muslim. Same should translate onto the business dealings, trading and advertising as the basic principles or moral rights, decency, modesty and ethics remain the same. Particular guidelines are established through reference to the Holy Quran and also through the principles and teaching of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Product itself: The product itself must be a halal product and free from haram or un-Islamic ingredients such as alcohol and swine. If a haram ingredient exist in a product it is an internal flaw of the product and this product should not be traded with the Muslim public. However, if the product is Halal and free of haram ingredients but is sold or used in a manner which is considered improper or haram in the Islamic Shariah then, an external flaw is said to exist in the product. Advertisement content: Advertisements were selected based on convenience sampling techniques. We selected sectors with the largest television advertisement spending and therefore highest frequency of advertisement aired in a given period of time. 5.2 Research methodology Only qualitative research shall take place. Preliminary research will be done by interviewing several muftis and Islamic experts in order to know the basic Islamic principle of advertising. Also Fatwas or endorsements by Islamic scholars or experts will be taken from them to strengthen the validity of our research. . Advertisements will be selected from each sectors and evaluated on the basis of a standard checklist to make comparisons. Secondary research will included the research papers and journal papers already present on the subject of Islamic advertising 5.3 Sample size sample techniques We are observing convenience based sampling. We selected the last three years i.e. 2009, 2010, 2011 from which we took the advertisement to evaluate. Also, from each sector we selected three companies with the highest advertising budgets as their advertisements appeared on air the most often. In each year we considered 5.4 Scope of study We selected all the top 3 sectors which contributed highest in the Tv advertisements on the basis of the research done by Pakistan Advertisers Society. We selected top 3 companies from each sector and evaluate their 3 years Tvc on the basis of theoretical framework. This research was done in Karachi with the available Tvc. As we were evaluating ads on the basis of Islamic principle, we need a good insight in Islamic teaching in evaluating Ads for which we interview Mr Irshad Ahmad who is Mufti and Shariah Advisor at Bank Islami. 5.5 Research objectives This purpose of this study is: To establish whether Pakistani advertisements are according to the Islamic principles of advertising. To identify the different sectors advertisements that does not follow basic Islamic rules and regulations. To determine the level of violation committed by the selected companies in the sector. To determine in which areas the most violations occur To determine the nature of the violations 5.6 Research questions What are the basic Islamic principles and parameters an advertiser is required to follow? What is the alignment with Advertisement regulation bodies/system, ethics and Islamic Advertisement? Is the advertisement content supporting or following the Islamic principles? What is the number or intensity of violation committed by the advertisement? 6. Literature review We reviewed articles, journals, books and research paper. All the research and readings were done online using various websites including Online Emeralds Journals, Queensland university of Sydney Online Library and Szabist Digital Library. We came across a definition of Islamic Marketing i.e.The process of identification and implementation of value maximization strategies for the Welfare of the stakeholders in particular and the society in general governed by the guidelines given in Quran and Sunnah (Hassnain, 2011). This helps us in giving a direction of what our research would revolve around and where and how to initiate it. It also provided a basis to carry out our research further and establish the basic parameter to base our finding on. As per research, it shows that this area of Evaluating advertising on the basis of Islamic teachings or perspective is vast. Limited studies have been carried out to satisfy the coverage of all Islamic parameter. Its one of the areas where we see growing interest of researchers, development is also taking place where Islamic standards and parameters are being set for marketers/advertisers who plan to opt for following Islamic way of marketing.   In the studies that are available its noticeably mentioned by Islamic scholars and authorities that advertising/marketing is a practice that has existed since the beginning of the religion itself provided there are fine lines based on Quran, Hadith and interpretations of scholars, with in which every allowed/halal business is allowed to market their product or service. One of the prominent and interesting findings that is relatively new in nature and which we plan to explore further as well is the new concept of two new Ps as per Islamic Marketing. They are apart from the existing 7Ps of marketing known as Promise and Patience. (Abuznaid, 2012, p.7) 6.1 Islamic Principles of Advertising According to Quran and Sunnah, consumers must ensure that all the 4ps of marketing should be according to Islamic principles also if any transaction is occurring than all the parties must benefit from it. All the advertisements should be communicated in a truthful manner rather than misleading or cheating the consumers, also all the dealings should be carried out in a justice way (Hanafy and Salam, 1988) The three key purpose or functions of the advertising is to inform the consumer about products or services and their features whether they are already existing or new products or services launched, to persuade them to purchase and then to repurchase the products, and also to remind them about the product over a period of time (Kotler and Armstrong, 2004). This will lead them to a healthy competition and customers will benefit from huge varieties of products and services (Anwar and Saeed, 1996). Nevertheless Islamic advertising variables are applied to the communication style such as, honesty of communication which includes factual information and truthful representation of facts and figures, acknowledging and appreciating that all human being are different and embracing the diversity of the human race, justice, equality and fairness, the respect and position of women, the parts women play in life, patterns of consumption behavior, ethical values and modesty, and the environment and its wellbeing (Rice and Al-Mossawi 2002) People are trying to identify Islamic ways of consumption and marketing. Muslim consumers are growing due to their purchasing power and this increase in purchasing power is due to development of the middle class and economic systems where people can afford to buy branded products and are particularly brand conscious (Nasr, 2009). Also, Muslim entrepreneurs are also increasing in Muslim societies and they are eagerly following Islamic principles of marketing (Adas, 2006;Osella and Osella, 2009). People viewed Muslims as poor and that they dont have any knowledge about branded products because they were considered as uneducated and militants. ( Said, 1978) The market was on a halt until and unless Muslim consumers were discovered, Islam has become more visible now in many societies and several studies appeared on Islamic movements (Esposito, 1998; Wiktorowicz, 2004; Bayat, 2005).Religious teachings greatly affect the choice of consumers in an Islamic market, any marketing campaign which is haram or not according to Islamic principles will face major problem in an Islamic market (Alserhan, (2010) Showing unnecessary spending on useless things in advertisements is against Islamic teachings. Nevertheless showing price discounts are not forbidden. (Abdullah, 2008). Quran states, Those who, when they spend, are not extravagant and not niggardly, but hold a just (balance) between those (extremes) (Al-Furqan-25:67). 6.2 Islamic Perspectives on Advertising Scholars say that advertising itself is not haram as it just incorporates a medium of giving a message to the general public, they state that preaching can also be considered as a form of advertising but they say that just like preaching, certain ethics should be followed while advertising ones products or services (Nooh, 2009). The main conflicts which arise between ethics and advertising are the exploitation of women and promoting unwanted use of products. Moreover, Current advertising practices are said to contain various social and ethical problems that reflect little knowledge and awareness of the advertiser on how to effectively market to their Muslim target audience in a manner that increases their acceptability. Contemporary advertisements appear to be more focused on materialism. These advertisements promote consumerism rather than adequately informing the user about the functional uses of their product and purposely hide the flaws of the product while exaggerating the benefits. (Bari Zamin, 2011) The core problem apparently lies with two things; issues regarding advertisement that include women exploitation and subliminal perception, Secondly deceptive form of advertising, that is legally staying with the boundaries but ethically not, by taking undue advantage of limitations a person has while viewing different form of advertisement (not able to read between the lines, the special terms and conditions that are hardly visible etc. Advertising also includes the element of informing consumers about products and services according to basic Islam teachings. They represent the basic Islamic teachings of respecting elder people and creating a positive bond rather than showing provocative images, haram products or free mixing of girls and boys which is completely prohibited in Islam. 6.3 Islamic Moral Standards Six ethical principles of Islamic values truthfulness and honesty and being straight forward with all information and dealings. Faith or trustworthiness on the brand developed through Islamic practices; Sincerity and clarity in presentation of facts and conduct. Brotherhood as it is the primary focus of Islamic society and great emphasis is laid on Islamic brethren and brotherhood, innovations and developments in science and technology and the roles it plays, and justice and equality as it is considered a primary basis for all functions in islam. These were ethical principles identified (Hanafy and Salam, 1988)Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said: I have been sent only for the purpose of perfecting good morals. When questioned Which Muslim has the perfect faith? The Prophet (pbuh) replied: He who has the best moral character(Alghazzali, 1983). Emergence of new muslimenrepreneurs is leading to an ethical way of conducting businesses and marketing (Demir et al., 2004; Adas, 2006;OsellaandOsella, 2009). Applying Islamic principles into marketing gives an ethical dimension to margeting campaings as compared to conventional marketing which has an unethical record. Using immoral means in advertising can cause serious downfalls in the structure of a society causing it to deteriorate. Deceptive advertising being one of them is a major cause but sometimes it can be a case of mistaken identity. Sometimes, misinterpretation on the end of the consumer watching the ad can be considered can ill-information in the ad; however it can still cause a negative impact for brands in the minds of consumer resulting in a decline for the brand. In the case of advertising of fast food products, the author argues that the brands are to be equally blamed as much as the advertisers because their marketing strategy itself is based on creating an unwanted need amongst consumers, especially children (Nooh, 2012). Violence is also a major flaw in advertising which can have major effects on young ad viewers like children as it can encourage them to obtain aggressive habits which leads to unhealthy behavior (Nooh, 2012). Subliminal marketing cannot be termed as a practice of unethical advertising. It is merely a practice used by brands to create brand awareness amongst consumers using hidden messages. These ad themselves are not producing any unethical values or behaviors (Nooh, 2012). Sexual appeal used in ads causes young adults to take up celebrities as idols and start mirroring their lives in their own. They follow their fashion trends, lifestyles and make themselves just like the celebrities. Sexual appeal also causes consumers to carry an offensive mindset about a particular brand. Only people who are strong brand loyalists only successfully reject the offensive mindset and focus on the concept of the ad (El Hattab, 2008). Emotional appeal can lead to an increase in unwanted desires and can cause consumers to purchase product which they dont need at all and even cause them harm in the future. This can be particularly seen by the increased consumption of fast food by adolescents and young adults (El Hattab, 2008). The female contingent of the consumers still have a higher tendency to become more offended by unwanted content in advertisements than their male counterparts (El Hattab, 2008). Companies invest heavily in manufacturing certain products; they use celebrities and other famous personalities to feature in their ads. This is not only using emotional appeal in advertisements but this can also be considered as a form of deceptive advertising because the claims sometimes are baseless. This is considered to be completely unethical in Islam (Abbas Bari, 2011). The practice of showing mal dressed women in ads in on an increasing trend in the country but it can vary with the level of tolerance being present in the society. It varies from one country to another depending upon the state of the society in the country. Fairness in an ad is off utmost importance as well as according to Islamic teachings; consumers have every right to be completely informed about all aspects regarding any service or product (Abbas Bari, 2011). Similarly, overstating any products attributes or making claims which are not supported by any kind of proof or research have also been deemed to lie in the same category as deception. Advertisements today are openly spreading values and behaviors which are not acceptable in Islam and even though considering the economic system of the country which promotes a capitalistic nature in the conduct of ones business, it is imperative that all businesses keep in mind the features of the society they are functioning in and similarly the government should also play a key role in determining the right form of advertising starting from the grass root level which is basic education (Abbas Bari, 2011). 6.4 Islamic Ethics In Islam, ethics is more than just what is defined as right and wrong by the society. In Islam, as the ethics are mainly guided by the teachings of The Quran and Sunnah, ethics covers aspects of all physical, emotional and spiritual factors. Evaluating the advertisements can divide the effects into economic, political, cultural and moral effects the advertisements have had on the society (Nooh, 2009). Even though ethics is an integral part of all business aspects and not just advertising, Islam puts a moral barrier on the conduct of ones business related activities which helps a business man earn a rightful living through his transactions. It is unfair for any business to sell its products by false claims and deliberately hiding complete information about the concerned product or service (Akhter et al., 2011). As noted in the Quranic verse ,Standout firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourself, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. (Quran, 4:135). Moreover, the holy prophet(SAW) said The sign of a hypocrite are three 1. Whenever he speaks he tells a lie. 2. Whenever he promises, He always breaks it. 3. If you trust him, he proves to be dishonest (Al-Bukhari, 1.32) and also: Prophet Muhammad (PBUM) forbade the sale of fruits till they are almost ripe. Anas was asked what is meant by are almost ripe He replied, Till they become red Allahs Messenger (PBUM) further said, If Allah spoiled the fruits, what right one would have to take the money of ones brother.(Al-Bukhari, 3.403) From this it can be determined the strict importance the religion of Islam places honesty and truthfulness. Therefore misleading claims and false promises are forbidden and should not be practiced. Advertising controversial products such as contraceptives and alcohol can lead to an offensive mindset in the eyes of the consumers. And not just Islamic consumers but those of every religion present in the world. Similarly, the controversial products identified are: addictive products such as tobacco or alcohol, indecent hygiene or personal products. Undergarments and private products, funeral services or memorial services, games of chance, weaponry and arms, medicines drugs and other pharmaceutical products, societies or parties with political affiliations, religious and ethnical groups, sexually transmittable diseases and viruses and weight reduction plan for overweight people (Edrogan. Et al, 2005) The greatest challenge over here is for marketers to come up with strategies to curb this offensive nature of such advertisements (Akhter et al., 2011). All brands, international and local, should come up with advertisement concepts which would suits the tastes of the majority Islamic public. This would not only create a better brand image in the eyes of the consumers for the brand itself but also help in increasing their sales across the board (Akhter et al., 2011). 6.5 Women in Advertisements It is stated in the Quran, Let there arise of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islam)enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar and it is they who are successful [. . .] (A ˆ  l-Imran 3:104). This shows that all those advertisements are allowed in Islam that shows women in a decent manner with proper clothing and playing positive role both in the society and family. (Rice and Al-Mossawi, 2002). Islamic Tradition emphasizes that women should be modestly dressed and covers themselves according to the principles and guidelines established. It then follows that women if portrayed in advertisement should be dressed according to the Islamic principles. They are required to follow the hijab dress code which entails the covering of the entire body except the hands and face. (HanzaeeChitsaz, 2011) As mentioned in the Quran: O prophet, tell your wives, your daughters and the believing women to draw their veils close to them, so it is likelier they will be known, and not hurt. Allah is the forgiver, the most merciful.( Quran 33:59) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Do not display your finery as pagan women used to do in the olden days of ignoranceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Quran 33:33) And à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Do not reveal their adornment except that which is outward (face and hands); and let them draw their veils over their neckà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Quran 24:33). Islam has protected women and according to Islamic code of dressing women should cover themselves completely including their whole bodies, only their hands are permitted to be visible. Qurans says: And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.) and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent (like palms of hands or one eye or both eyes for necessity to see the way, or outer dress like veil, gloves, head-cover, apron, etc.), and to draw their veils all over Juyubihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms, etc.) and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands fathers, their sons, their husbands sons, their brothers or their brothers sons, or their sisters sons, or their (Muslim) women (i.e. their sisters in Islà ¢m), or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigor, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And all of you beg Allah to forgive you all, O believers, th at you may be successful. [surah al-Noor 24:31] And Quran also mentions in another place: And as for women past child-bearing who do not expect wed-lock, it is no sin on them if they discard their (outer) clothing in such a way as not to show their adornment. But to refrain (i.e. not to discard their outer clothing) is better for them. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower. [al-Noor 24:60] O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever Oft ¬Forgiving, Most Merciful. [Quran 33:59] In Islam a women must not wear thin clothes through which her whole body is visible. Also the clothes must not be skin tight. Western clothes are not allowed as they resemble mans clothing which is forbidden. Along with this the design of the clothes must not attract any man. Islam is very strict in women dressing so that no man is attracted towards women in to a lustful way because Islam protects women from wrong deeds. Ads featuring women should not have any semblance of overt sensuality or sexual connotations as this demeans the woman. Women are not objects and must not be portrayed as such and treated with respect and equality even if the sole objective is to promote and boost sales through their beauty (Anwar, 2011). This goes with all the teachings in Islam that women are to be treated with respect and not exploited in anyway. Women have been given a very high status in Islam and therefore exploiting women sexually or by any other mean in advertising should be considered not only as unethical but also haram as it is portraying a sin. Not only in Islamic societies, in other modern societies as well the exploitation of women is being considered as an unethical act and is being discouraged in all corners of the world 6.6 Islamic Products: Offensive product Vs. Offensive execution American advertisements show those things which are against other religions like Islam. Like the alcohol and drugs activities shows as it is a problem for society however it is less affecting other culture due to its limited scope. (Al-Jenaibi 2008)Drugs and alcohols are the problems and the only way to get rid of these problems is to show it on media and addressing this problem to society. (Al-Jenaibi, 2008) If they will know the problem then they can avoid it. Advertisements on these different problems are important for building on strong values to protect the society. (Al-Jenaibi, 2008) A customer should feel an ethical manner in a banks advertisements in all form of the business (Chachi et al., 2008). The bank should reach a level of ethicality where a customer would form trust, loyalty and satisfaction with the bank all at the same time.Similarly,the product should be perfected at the same time as the advertisement is. If the product has any flaws it will be very difficult for the bank to attract customers no matter how ethical they were being when it came to advertising. In the case of a bank, the company itself might not be at fault but its front end employees who are in direct interaction with the customers might sometimes overstate the value of a particular product to a customer and gain extra profits for sole purpose of their own personal benefit. . In the case of a service, as it can only be experienced the customer will only judge a particular service on the advertisements portrayed by the bank so therefore it is of utmost importance the bank practices complete ethical practices when advertising their products whether in an above the line tool or a below the line tool. In the below the line, the customers expectations are all but the product which the front end employee sells them (Chachi et al., 2008) For instance the basic differen between an Islamic financing tool and product that is financially equal is the interest charged on the financial instruments. The basic idea behing this thinking is that it is unfair to charge an interest or earn a revenue on a product because of its status as being lent to another person as the money that is borrowed should be returned equally as it is in part. Therefore value of the lended or borrowed money should not increase or decrease by Islamic guidelines (Ashraf, 2007). Through this we can deduce that any product which contains ingredients which would be considered as Haraam. According to the teachings of islam as stated in Quran and also observed in sunnah of the prophet it would be considered as an Illegal product. Substances like alcohol and swine have been strictly prohibited as various points in the Quran so we can deduce that any products made from these substances would automatically be considered as haram without any area of considerati on. However, any product that comprises of all legal materials in its making but a brand/ company promotes an unethical use for it through advertisements and marketing may be considered as an un-Islamic product or haram product through the rule of external flaw. Other variables that effect advertising include privacy, inaccurate information religious and social norms. Role of ethics in performance, behavior, decision, attitude, communication and choices are very important. (Sanayei et. al, 2012).Sanayeiet. al (2012) said previously ethics was considered as important but today marketers have violated the main foundation of ethics. All factors are important but according to result most important is privacy, then religious and social norms and thirdly the correct and accurate information. (Sanayei et. al, 2012) Al-Makaty et.al (1996) is based on perception of 2 television advertisements in Saudi Arabia. There is no single Islamic approach to advertising. Contradictory approach firstly