Halal product and its marketing strategies

Halal product
Success in marketing a Halal product can be attributed to a strong brand name and more importantly, knowing what the customers want. When a Muslim consumer buys a Halal product, he is doing so because of his commitment to Islamic principles and teachings, apart from his need for the product.
However, some Halal food producers have developed a patronising attitude towards the buyers, feeling that the consumer’s lives will remain hard and dry since they will not be able to enjoy the product (El-Mouelhy, 2007). Such an attitude needs to be changed. The quality must be there as well as the willingness of the suppliers to supply such quality Halal products.
According to El-Mouelhy 2007, this patronising attitude is very real and a common happening. It has affected the Halal food trade between many countries. He cited that some of the oil rich Muslim countries used to import poultry, meat and dairy products from some of the fellow Muslim countries that were rich in agriculture and cattle.
The exporters had taken the importer’s willingness to buy for granted and on occasions had failed to either maintain the quality or meet various other commitments. Despite numerous complaints, the exporters did little to improve or rectify the situation. Inadvertently, the buyers’ trust is lost, and they started looking elsewhere, including to non-Muslim countries.
El-Mouelhy further argues that the failure of Muslim Halal exporters to recognise that the consumer is in fact the final arbiter had led the switch to suppliers who believed in the ultimate rights of the consumer. Thus, non-Muslim suppliers who may not have heard or eaten Halal food in their entire life, have been very successful in supplying Halal to the Muslim market.
As a result, today in many Muslim countries, Halal poultry, meat, dairy products and other foods are predominantly imported from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and America. And the consumers are happy because they are not only getting Halal food, but also high quality food (El-Mouelhy, 2007).
Halal food production
Halal food production from farm to table involved with many step. As a manufacturer this step is crucial on making product on halal food. Step involved in food production is;

From farm to table taken from Yaakop, 2006.
List of halal and haram ingredient
Indeed understanding on step on crreation product halal food from farm to table, some of ingredient must be looking onto it. The halal product can be haram because the existents of certain ingredient. As a manufacturer of anyone involved with halal product must identify this ingredient to make sure the halal product is completely halal.


The lists below have been taken with permission from the book 'Islamic Dietary Laws and Practices by Mohammad Mazhar Hussaini and M S Ahmad Hussein Sakr, Ph.D .

It should be noted that a product being imported from a Muslim country is not necessarily a guarantee that it is completely Halal. In fact, food is often imported from abroad into Muslim countries without proper checking of ingredients.

AN ALPHABETICAL DEFINITION

An alphabetical list of Halal and Haram ingredients to look out for:
Bacon: A side of pig meat (pork).

Choletsorol: type of fat always of animal origin. If extracted from Zabiha animal, it is Halal.

Diglyceride: Emulsifier. If of animal origin it should be suspected till the source is known.

Gelatin (Jello Gelatin): Usually of animal origin, mostly from pig. If extracted from a dhabiha animal, then it is halal/

Glycerol (Glycerine): It could be of animal, plant or Glyceryl-Stearate synthetic origin. If animal source is used, it is suspected.

Hormones: Usually animal hormones are used for human consumption. One has to find out the source before passing a judgement.

Lard: Fat from swine particulaly found in the abdominal cavity. Totally Haram for us.

Magnesium Stearate (stearic acid): Used as an active ingredient in medicine tablets. Haram when derived from animal source.

Mono Glycerides: When derived from animal source. (Halal when the source is plant).

Pepsin: A digestive enzyme mostly from pig stomach.

Rennin (Rennet): A protein Enzyme. Usually not labeled. (In most cheeses).

Shortening: Fats and oils of animal origin. Animal/Lard

Vanilla: Extracted using alcohol.

Vitamins: Haram when from animal source. Mostly the source is synthetic or plant and are Halal.

Whey: Used in ice creams and yogurt. Haram when from animal source.

2. A PARTIAL LIST OF HALAL INGREDIENTS
S/N Name of Ingredients Code No Brief Description

Antioxidants: Chemical compounds used to protect certain food components from being destroyed or lost through oxidation.

Ascorbic acid: Vitamin C.

Benzoate (Benzoic acid): Benzoic acid and sodium benzoate are used for food preservation.

Biotin: A member of the B complex vitamins.

BHA: An antioxidant, preservative.

BHT: An antioxidant, preservative.

Citric acid: Sources are plant, usually of the citrus family. (e.g. orange, lime, lemon).

Cobalamine: Synthetically prepared Vitamin B12.

Dextrin: An emulsifying, sizing, and thickening agent.

Fiber: Sources are plant. Provide roughage to diet.

Fructose: Fruit sugar.

Gliadin (Gluten): Ptotein found in wheat and rye.

Hydrogenated oil: Vegetable oil being hydrogenated making it solid at room temperature.

Iodine: A nutrient for thyroid gland.

Lecithin: Emulsifier of fat. In the USA, sources are mainly soyabean and egg yolk.

Lipids : Essential fatty acids found in fish, plant and animals. If source is animal; it is suspected.

Malt: A kind of fermented grain.

Molasses: Syrup liquid obtained in refining sugar.

MSG: Flavoring. Imparts meat flavor to foods.

Niacin: One of the B complex vitamins.

PABA: A food supplement.

Pectin: A gelatinous substance extracted from fruits.

Propionic acid: A preservative.

Riboflavin: One of the B complex vitamins. Usually the source is synthetic.

Pure vegetable shortening: Source of this kind of shortening is plant.

100% vegetable shortening: Source of this kind of shortening is plant.

Sweetener: Substance that gives a sweet taste.

Thiamin: One of the B complex vitamins.

Vanillin: Flavoring agent, extracted from vanilla.

Vitamin A: If source are plant and synthetic, it is halal.

Vitamin C: Natural sources are from plant. (e.g. citrus fruit, tomatoes, etc).

Vitamin D: Natural sources are yeast and fish liver oil. Also synthetically produced.

Vitamin E: Rich sources of Vitamin E are vegetable oils. When source is synthetic, it is halal. If source is animal, it is suspected.

Water: The nutrient most vital to man's existence.

Food yeast: Microscopic, unicellular, fungal plant used for fermentation process and in baking bread.
Nevertheless identify the halal product itself is so important. Understanding of halal product and the ingredient involve its can give awareness to people indeed creating new product and high demand for halal product. This is to make sure halal product can be penetrate and saleable to all the market around the world

Product marketing strategy

Product marketing strategy is very important to make the product strong and be able to penetrate the market around the globe. Product marketing strategy classify by website feb-patrmoine.com as it’s perhaps the most important function of a company. It must take in account the capabilities in terms of engineering, of production, of distribution (sales) existing in the company or of time to acquire them (by hiring or by mergers). It must evaluate the customers expectations at the time of delivery. It must guestimate the competition (including new entrants) probable moves to enter the same market.

For the new entrant or small company they must over look their product in any scenario.In a study published in the Journal of Small Business Management, market analysis and market testing of new products were determined to be key to successful new product development, and these were the areas where small businesses were found to be most deficient productstrategy.com. It is therefore critically important that these activities are not glossed over.
Many product managers are familiar with the Ansoff Matrix, although they may not know it by name. The matrix provides a simple framework for analyzing growth opportunities, using the dimensions of markets and products. As one moves from existing products and markets to an adjacent quadrant, risk increases.

The most risky quadrant, labeled diversification in the matrix, is where a business introduces a new product into a new market. Also called the suicide cell, this quadrant represents the highest risk of failure. Some analysts estimate that the probability of success in this quadrant is as low as 5%.
The obvious message for business is to stay out of the suicide cell. Moore advocates growth by aiming for adjacent pins - introducing another product into existing market or finding a new market that also needs existing product with minimal modifications.
However, despite the odds, there will always be companies operating in the suicide cell. Startups often introduce new products in a market that they are just entering. Likewise, established companies can not resist the temptation of developing a new market, which they will hope to dominate, based on the promise of a new technology. The tremendous rewards that come to those who succeed will ensure an endless rush of companies into this high risk zone.
So how can to improve the odds when introducing a new product/technology into a new market. The reseasearch suggest that there are four critical factors necessary for success:
1. Long Term Commitment/Staying Power
When introducing a new product into a new market, it is important to have realistic expectations for the time and resources required to be successful. This is even more critical if new technologies are involved. In this environment, there are a lot of unknowns. There is a good chance that the business plan will underestimate the risks, the competition, the investments required, and the time required to achieve profitability. It is therefore important that the management team has a long term commitment to the endevour and access to funding sufficient for the long haul.
2. Implement Tactics to Quickly Learn Market Requirements
Key to success in a new market is understanding the requirements of a new set of potential customers. Being new to the market yourself, this is especially difficult. You will need to understand the industry and major players, gain access to them and master the industry jargon. The quickest way to do this is to hire one or more employees with experience in the targeted industry. Targeted market research, trade show attendance, industry associations and partnering with other companies already in the industry will also be helpful in getting your company up the learning curve as quickly as possible.

3. Create a Whole Product Solution

It is always important when introducing a new product to create the whole product solution. That includes the supporting integration services, after sale support and services, application software, etc. that will be needed for customers to achieve the desired return on investment. While early adopters and visionaries may be willing to devote substantial internal resources to fill in the gaps of an incomplete solution, the mass market will require a more straight forward and easy implementation. A classic case of this is Apple's I-Tune store, which was a necessary ingredient for the meteoric success of the Apple I-pod. It may be necessary to enlist partners to create all of the components of the whole product solution.

4. Build Credibility in the New Market

Producer may have a great product and still not be gaining traction due to lack of credibility in the new market. Customers are more trusting of the established players, and either are not aware of your company or are afraid to take a risk. In addition to a targeted marketing strategy that includes consistent trade show exhibiting, and other marketing elements such as email blasts and direct mail, there are two excellent strategies to gain credibility. The first is to establish and publicize success with important reference accounts. The second is to partner with other companies that have already earned credibility in the market. I have had success with this strategy in my current company. We recently entered a new market and alligned with the leading accounting software companies in the industry to resell or refer our software. The strategy accounted for more than half of our revenue in the new market.