3. FAITHFACTURING
Keep the (modern, urban) faith.
In 2014, watch as age-old faith reinvents itself for its
progressive Asian followers – with an entire selection of
faith-based products, services and media tailored to modern
lifestyles, technologies and expectations.
From Jakarta to Jaipur, many young and affluent Asian
consumers are becoming increasingly liberal, try-out-prone
and urbane – yet faith remains a cherished part of their
socio-cultural identity. Some numbers:
“Asia is home to 62% of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims, 99%
of the world’s 1 billion Hindus and 99% of the world’s 500
million Buddhists.”
“90% of Muslims in Southeast and South Asia say that
religion is ‘very important’, compared with only 30% of
people in Europe and 56% in the US.”
(Pew Research Centre, December 2012)
64% of young Millennial consumers surveyed in China &
India want to ‘keep’ their traditional (or inherited) religious
observations, despite globalization.
(JWT, September 2013)
Indeed, brands hoping to remain relevant, accessible and
empathetic to these enthusiastically modern yet committed
consumers in 2014 should focus on bringing religious
consumers the relevance, choice, quality and mobile-led
convenience they’ve come to expect from all other parts of
the consumer landscape.
Crescentratings: Crescent Trips
App helps Muslim travelers keep prayer times
Launched in March 2013 by Singapore-based Muslim travel firm
Crescentratings, Crescent Trips is a free mobile app created to help
Muslim travelers adhere to their daily prayer requirements. Passengers
who log their flight details into the app’s prayer time calculator will
receive notifications of prayer times (which depend on the local time on
the ground) and the direction of Mecca.
When traveling for leisure, 67% of Muslim travelers cited
halal food and 49% a Muslim-friendly experience, as
important criteria.
(Dinar Standard & Crescentrating, July 2012)
Peace Mobile
Islamic smartphone contains religious apps and
curated content
Developed by the Mumbai-based Islamic Peace Research in August
2013, the Peace Mobile is an Android smartphone that contains curated
Islamic content, including prayer-based ringtones, wallpaper, e-books
and videos, as well as over 50 customized religious apps. Priced at INR
15,000 (USD 240), the device also features a 4.6 inch screen, a five
megapixel camera and up to 32GB of memory.
Hijabella and Laiqa
Indonesian magazines celebrate ‘hijab’ fashion
2013 saw the launch of Indonesian magazines Hijabella in March
and Laiqa in July. Targeted at modern and urban Muslim women,
the magazines feature hijab (or Islamic headscarf) fashion from local
designers, as well as conservative style lookbooks and lifestyle articles.