Being hip and Halal: more than meat and money

In this presentation the author investigates the impact of certifying and branding commodities as Halal, and the growing usage of Halal branding beyond food and finance. At its most basic level Halal is an Arabic word which means permissibility of actions and consumption, as outlined by Islam. The majority view is that Halal is the norm and Haram, or non-Halal, is the exception. In-depth interviews with industry practitioners, certification bodies, and thought leaders were conducted over a five-year period. Whilst the author concurs with this construct as a general principle, it appears that the recent phenomenon of creating Halal logos and branding strategies have created both opportunities and challenges, which are changing classical interpretations and understanding of what Halal is. So much so, that Halal branding is also now practiced in countries with almost exclusive Muslim majorities. The drivers of which are a type of hyper-sensitivity and hyper-interactivity, encouraged by: the commodification of entities, through branding and boundary ownership; increased ingredient scrutiny; mass-manufacture; technological and genetic engineering advancements; challenges by single issue politics and anti-branding movements. Halal labelling is being used both as a hygiene factor and a badge celebrating an Islamic identity—the implications of which on branding strategies poses challenges. Norms and exceptions are being reversed increasingly in consumers—due to brand created traits of risk aversion, attached to fear, suspicion, context and spirituality. A new conceptual argument proposed for the relevance, usage and purpose of Halal branded commodities