Ramadan - the first thing that would pop into my mind would be - My Lord, Islam, Restraint & Soberness. If I draw the 'schematic memory diagram' (as marketing would put it) -- that would in turn lead to phrases like 'being more religious', 'trying to mould yourself into the frame of Islam', 'refraining from sins', 'thinking about the ones who are starving', 'giving in charity, 'repenting for all the wrong', etc, etc.
Just point out to me if I'm wrong - but that would be the perception of most people around - wouldn't it? Or, putting it better, that would be for people who would know what Ramadan is? And AlhamduliLlah - I guess majority of the people in my country would see it that way.
Marketing focuses so much on customer perception, and how they see things and how they would like to see things and how does it relate to the persona of the customer and so on and so forth. The reason I've started off with all those marketing jargons in this note -- is that I'm trying very hard to relate something that caught my eye this week.
I'm still trying to identify which segment of our market (Bangladesh) would relate Ramadan with the following so very un-related elements - a heavily made-up woman's face from the side, a hair-bun with a red flower, and most significantly of all a red 'tip' (bindi -- yes the round signatures that some ladies put on their foreheads)! Which marketing expert would bring out these 'attributes' of such a holy month?? The biggest failure a media marketeer could face is not knowing what product or service he/she is presenting to the market. It would not even be considered a mistake in this worldly sense! That would be considered as something which would disqualify him/her!
At least whoever made that impression of a lady with a red flower on her hair-bun as a sign of Ramadan-- did one of the most distasteful thing I've come across in my life! You just don't put up such a lady with a seemingly 'calm' expression on her face as the sign of tranquility of Ramadan. If you're doing that, either you don't realise the weight of this holy month or you're mocking the value put into this month by the Lord of the Universe (Who is by the way the Owner of the Brand). If you're doing the former- you're absolutely dumb as both a marketeer and an educated person. If you're doing the latter - you dont know what you're upto.
And how on earth can you put a red bindi (and a very distinctive one which would ensemble something so very opposite) and say it's an attribute of the holy month? Is this some sort of a joke or something? I just can't bring myself to the belief that those people did it out of ignorance. Reporters (yes, it was in a print media) keep themselves very 'englightened' about a wide variety of things and 'Lifestyles'. And this is something so common -- that it would need a second thought to put it the way it was.
We all know that some TV channels have their anchors putting a small part of their saree over their heads as soon as the moon of Ramadan is sighted. We know it's wrong to drop it off again when the moon of Eid is sighted. But at least they associate some sort of significance to the holyness of this blessed month. Yet - this high, mighty and walking-with- their-heads-over-the-clouds media tries to bring out this demeaning image of this month! Lord Save us.
If this group of 'experts' are trying out new things -- they should try with things they have invented entirely or something which is their own property. It's insane to try to modify something which doesn't belong to oneself and try to re-brand it according to one's liking. You see - you're just not the owner of the brand and you're definitely not setting up the marketing campaign for it!
Ramadan is an established brand. It's a brand of the Almighty. It has a defined set of brand attributes. It has its own schematic memory diagram. It has a defined set of offering. The true customers of Ramadan - ones who know and use the product really well and very truly loyal to it - will just throw away what these 'experts' are trying to protray. The 'experts' are breaching the customers' sense of loyalty. And they're definitely breaching their own responsibility. To these brand 'experts' - If you can't do it right - just keep yourself away from it! We don't need your campaign for us to re-think what Ramadan is. The ones who are trying to preach it correctly in it true sense - are the brand ambassadors!
As the following Ayats and hadith state - Guidance, Taqwa (Restraint, Piety or Fearness of Allah) and Forgiveness are some of the brand attributes defined by the Owner (Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) of the brand (Ramadan). Each one of us should try to stick to this brand value. We could then become brands ourselves :-)! May Allah Give us the capacity. Ameen.
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“The month of Ramadhaan in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong). So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadhaan i.e. is present at his home), he must observe Sawm (fasts) thatmonth…”[al-Baqarah 2:185]
“O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it has been prescribed for those who were before you that you may learn self-restraint.…”[al-Baqarah 2:183]"
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah sallAllaahu`alayhi wa sallam said: “Whoever spends Laylat al-Qadr [in the month of Ramadhaan] in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, will be forgiven his previous sins.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1910; Muslim, 760.
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