Jonathan A J Wilson

ABSTRACT This conceptual paper presents a phenomenon, which considers how professionalism encourages athletes to associate image with performance. A by-product of this observes that athletes consider alternative careers, spearheaded by their sponsorship activities. A general assumption exists, that if offered sponsorship, athletes and agents will invariably accept. However, a pilot study conducted with elite athletes, agents, marketers and sports video games manufacturers, using the Socratic elenchus method, reveals that calculating the necessary resources for sponsorship and athlete brand-building activities still remains somewhat of a black box. Furthermore, as personal brand equity is crucial to elite athletes, this paper defines brand-conscious athletes as Sportans. Finally, the authors propose a Rubicon be drawn, in order to preserve athletes' accrued brand equity – whereby Sportans consider retirement and movement into a new career, based upon their commercial successes, rather than sporting excellence. A focus has been given to mixed martial arts (MMA) and ultimate fighting championships (UFC) fighters – due to the higher levels of risk and minimisation strategies observed, which mitigate sporting failure. Biographical notes: Jonathan A.J. Wilson has over 15 years of collective academic and practitioner experience in: the full marketing communications mix; branding; key account management; print and new media; management and training – in both the private and public sector. He is also Editor of the Journal of Islamic Marketing.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to debate what (if anything) is Islamic marketing? And link developments in this field to the wider marketing paradigm.Design/methodology/approachA phenomenological antipositivist review of key case examples, drawing from 40 years of the authors' collective professional experiences; and field notes investigating approximately 1,000 brand marketing media reports, and 32 in‐depth interviews – as industry active academic practitioners. Supporting this, literature searches covered the fields of marketing, cultural studies, anthropology, contemporary religion, post‐structuralism and natural philosophy.FindingsMarketing is both a concept and lived experience, manifest in the competitive exchange of commoditised thoughts, feelings, actions and objects – between engaged individuals and collectives. For many reasons, Islamic and Brand agendas/imperatives have risen in the consciousness and practises of Muslims and non‐Muslims globally, through social i...

A select number of notable Japanese and Western companies have both the pedigree and a proven track record of conducting business in Saudi Arabia. Japanese companies consistently appear to be more successful in their operations. A case in question lies in Honda’s Saudi operation - which is guided by a corporate culture deeply rooted in Japanese society. And yet despite obvious cultural and religious differences Honda appears to thrive in an Islamic state. Whilst Japanese and Saudi cultures both believe in and exhibit strong traits of high-context collectivism; there still remain many differences which it is argued if not considered could cause difficulties. This paper uses a literature survey of academic publications and interviews of senior managers - to look at how Honda’s corporate culture is influencing the company’s operations in Saudi Arabia. The objective of the research is to analyse corporate culture and establish how it has contributed towards the company’s success in Saudi Arabia. The study gives the background of cultural experiences of Japan and the corporate governance system in that country. It also discusses the cultural values of the Saudi Society and then compares these - in order to explore the similarities and differences of the two societies. Findings suggest that both company and country has had to adapt to environmental and regional customs to accommodate successful collaboration.

This paper seeks to explore the methods used for training and developing senior and executive managers across three continents. The paper outlines the methods used to identify training needs, selection of trainers and trainees, curriculum development and implementation of delivery. The paper further considers the evaluation criteria used to gauge the success of training in meeting training needs and provides an insight into the challenges faced by designers and course deliverers.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review current literature and practices concerning the evaluation of a brand’s resonance within brand relationships and communities; and the subsequent reciprocal effects experienced by those consumers and organisations involved. The aim is to both stimulate discussions and encourage further thinking - in a field where globalisation and cross-cultural interactions appear to be impacting on how brands are defined, perceived and consumed. Design/methodology/approach: Inductive reasoning and syllogisms, as a basis for conceptual metaphor theory and critical discourse analysis. Evidence gathered from structured and systematic literature reviews - supported by anecdotal evidence; personal observations and experience; and existing empirical data. Research limitations/implications: As this is a conceptual paper, it is limited at times by reviewing existing empirical data and having to draw from a wide range of cross-disciplinary sources. Practical implications: It is suggested that further empirical research in this field is required; in order to fill gaps in understanding, consolidate existing thinking, and devise additional theoretical frameworks. This would prove of benefit to both academics and practitioners alike. Originality/value: A new perspective is being proposed as to how a brand’s value, its personality and resonance amongst consumers can be evaluated. From this, a new dimension is being added to the way in which brand value is perceived and subsequently communicated. Furthermore, it is felt that brand value calculations should be reflective of the more figurative and symbolic effects possessed by the brands themselves, which gift them unique and vertical success factors. The authors introduce two new terms into the field of branding: Brand Polytheism and Brand Worship – as dimensions housed within a paradigm that draws from Douglas B. Holt’s cultural approach to branding.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to bring together the thoughts and opinions of key members of the Journal of Islamic Marketing's (JIMA) Editorial Team, regarding the recently branded phenomenon of Islamic marketing – in the interests of stimulating further erudition.Design/methodology/approachThe authors adopted an “eagle eye” method to investigate this phenomenon: Where attempts were made to frame general principles and observations; alongside a swooping view of key anecdotal observations – in order to ground and enrich the study. The authors participated in an iterative process when analysing longitudinal and contemporary phenomenological data, in order to arrive at a consensus. This was grounded in: triangulating individual and collective researcher findings; critiquing relevant published material; and reflecting upon known reviewed manuscripts submitted to marketing publications – both successful and unsuccessful.FindingsThe authors assert that a key milestone in the stu...

... 3003–7, Amsterdam: Elsevier. Biography Jonathan Wilson is a senior lecturer in Advertising and Marketing Communications. Previously, Jon has worked full-time for Emap Advertising (now Bauer Media), Haymarket Media Group and on the CBI's journal. ...

ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to document a reflective commentary on observations concerning the phenomenon of researching and practicing Islamic marketing, in the absence of dedicated formal courses and instruction. Design/methodology/approach ‐ Grounded theory phenomenological critical reflection; based upon academic and practitioner anecdotal evidence and experiences. Findings ‐ Whilst there is a growing body of literature and scholarship specific to the field, mirrored by an increase in consumption and commercial ventures, comparably there appear to be a paucity of dedicated courses tackling the same area in equivalent depth. Intuitively and inductively, it is argued that there is both a need and demand for Islamic marketing courses, which at the very least, present commercial market opportunities. Research limitations/implications ‐ Without remedying this gap, practitioners and academics are impoverished ‐ through a lack of dedicated platforms for disseminating findings, knowledge sharing and problem solving. Furthermore, without ratification through formal instruction and courses, there is a risk that the subject may remain on the fringes. This is in spite of growing empirical evidence indicating that the demand is great: within mainstream marketing as a subject, not to mention the demand from audiences ‐ ranging from practitioners and consumers, right through to curious and inspired students. Originality/value ‐ This paper aims to raise the importance of teaching and learning up the agenda ‐ hopefully encouraging more academic institutions and training providers to develop and deliver dedicated courses. Furthermore, summary guidance is offered on potential key areas of focus.

ABSTRACT Customer lifetime value (CLV) is an established relationship marketing-centric approach to evaluating performance: based upon the significance of a customer, and what resources should be allocated towards maintaining relations - beyond short-term transactional views. The conceptual argument presented in this paper contributes one very simple, yet significant argument, which is both transactional and relational. Namely, a large portion of humanity believes in a life beyond current existence - the afterlife. Therefore, death in the psyche of such a person does not terminate benefit seeking, and there is value in the afterlife. The aim here is to refine value-based calculations, drawing from varying religious perspectives: reincarnation, heaven, and enlightenment, amongst others. A particular focus has been given to Islamic schools of thought and practices, as a test case and in response to market growth and interest trends. The method adopted uses a conceptual Socratic elenchus approach - drawing from interpretive phenomenological analysis and syllogisms, building on allegorical anecdotal evidence. The paper ends with a proposal for a four-step managerial decision model that may reformulate branding strategies, based upon maximising the sum of CLV and customer afterlife time value (CALV).

Ever since Veblen and Simmel, luxury has been synonymous with conspicuous consumption. In this conceptual paper we demonstrate the rise of inconspicuous consumption via a wide-ranging synthesis of the literature. We attribute this rise to the signalling ability of traditional luxury goods being diluted, a preference for not standing out as ostentatious during times of economic hardship, and an increased desire for sophistication and subtlety in design in order to further distinguish oneself for a narrow group of peers. We decouple the constructs of luxury and conspicuousness, which allows us to reconceptualise the signalling quality of brands and the construct of luxury. This also has implications for understanding consumer behaviour practices such as counterfeiting and suggests that consumption trends in emerging markets may take a different path from the past.

‘Halal’, an Arabic word from the Muslim holy book of the Qur’an, can be translated simply as meaning permissible, according to the teachings of Islam. However, the call to certify products and practices formally, and subsequently then label them has given rise to a new cultural phenomenon. Demands to carry overt labels and messages; and expectations as to what Halal is and should be are on the increase inside and outside of Muslim geographies across the globe. For economic and technological reasons, this is also transferring the domain of halal more and more to a vanguard of businesses; as opposed to being just a religious imperative driven by the clergy.  Furthermore, the current landscape of the halal industry has arrived at a crossroads: where debates consider whether halal offers opportunities for product and brand extensions, rendering it as a niche marketing approach; or if in fact it presents the opportunity to create a new business paradigm. This article offers practitioners and academics an overview and insight into an industry that has been assessed as having a worldwide value of USD $2.3 trillion.

Rather than just being a marketing tool and commercial commodity, Hip hop is presented here as offering two new contributions to knowledge: Firstly, how an ethnocentric sub-culture can make it mainstream – bridging racial, cultural, language, age and class divides globally. Secondly, how its ethos, approach and delivery provides a fertile ground for brand managers and designers to learn new ways of being creative.

Adele Anouarbekova interviews Dr Jonathan Wilson (written in English and Russian) following his,
(1) speech:
"The Intersection Between Transformational Leadership, Corporate  Communications And Cultural Branding – Closing The Delta"
(2) One day workshop:
"The Art, Language & Mindset of game-changing / Branding, Public Relations & Corporate Communications"

At the 'Almaty PR Experience', Kazakhstan 6th & 7th February 2013.

http://www.thepworld.com/pevents/event/12/almaty-pr-experience

The interview talks about:
- Current trends in the Public Relations industry, as an academic and practitioner
- Employment prospects
- And suggestions to develop the Kazakh PR industry, market and national brand

The term ‘Halal’ is becoming more visible: as an ingredient brand, a label and as a seal of approval. However, it is debatable whether current branding approaches encapsulate the full nature and spirit of what Halal is and means. The implications being that concepts of Halal will be changed and even eroded – affecting Muslims, brands and businesses.

Much has been written about the ‘Holy Grail’ of branding and the iconic status of brands in the modern world. Within the language used lies the allusion that powerful brands are western-centric and marbled with Christian symbolism and underpinnings. However, a key question remains as to whether these concepts can be applied to, or embrace the rise of Islamic marketing and Muslim consumer behaviour – especially concerning concepts of risk, decision-making and emotion.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to bring together the thoughts and opinions of key members of the Journal of Islamic Marketing's (JIMA) Editorial Team, regarding the recently branded phenomenon of Islamic marketing – in the interests of stimulating further erudition.

Design/methodology/approach – The authors adopted an “eagle eye” method to investigate this phenomenon: Where attempts were made to frame general principles and observations; alongside a swooping view of key anecdotal observations – in order to ground and enrich the study. The authors participated in an iterative process when analysing longitudinal and contemporary phenomenological data, in order to arrive at a consensus. This was grounded in: triangulating individual and collective researcher findings; critiquing relevant published material; and reflecting upon known reviewed manuscripts submitted to marketing publications – both successful and unsuccessful.

Findings – The authors assert that a key milestone in the study and practice of marketing, branding, consumer behaviour and consumption in connection with Islam and Muslims is the emergence of research wherein the terms “Islamic marketing” and “Islamic branding” have evolved – of which JIMA is also a by-product. Some have construed Islam marketing/branding as merely a niche area. Given the size of Muslim populations globally and the critical importance of understanding Islam in the context of business and practices with local, regional and international ramifications, scholarship on Islamic marketing has become essential. Western commerce and scholarship has been conducted to a limited extent, and some evidence exists that research is occurring globally. The authors believe it is vital for “Islamic marketing” scholarship to move beyond simply raising the flag of “Brand Islam” and the consideration of Muslim geographies to a point where Islam – as a way of life, a system of beliefs and practices, and religious and social imperatives – is amply explored.

Research limitations/implications – An “eagle eye” view has been taken, which balances big picture and grassroots conceptual findings. The topic is complex – and so while diverse expert opinions are cited, coverage of many issues is necessarily brief, due to space constraints.

Practical implications – Scholars and practitioners alike should find the thoughts contained in the paper of significant interest. Ultimately, scholarship of Islam's influences on marketing theory and practice should lead to results which have pragmatic implications, just as research on Islamic banking and finance has.

Originality/value – The paper appears to be the first to bring together such a diverse set of expert opinions within one body of work, and one that provides a forum for experts to reflect and comment on peers' views, through iteration. Also the term Crescent marketing is introduced to highlight how critical cultural factors are, which shape perceptions and Islamic practises.

Jonathan A.J. Wilson, (Marketing Department, University of Greenwich, London, UK. Jonathan A.J. Wilson is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: j.a.j.wilson@gre.ac.uk), Russell W. Belk, (York University, Toronto, Canada), Gary J. Bamossy,, (Georgetown University, Washington DC, District of Columbia, USA), Özlem Sandikci, (Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey), Hermawan Kartajaya,, (Markplus Inc., Jakarta, Indonesia), Rana Sobh, (Qatar University, Doha, Qatar), Jonathan Liu, (Regent's College London, London, UK), Linda Scott, (Oxford Saïd Business School, Oxford, UK)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to debate what (if anything) is Islamic marketing? And link developments in this field to the wider marketing paradigm.

Design/methodology/approach – A phenomenological antipositivist review of key case examples, drawing from 40 years of the authors' collective professional experiences; and field notes investigating approximately 1,000 brand marketing media reports, and 32 in-depth interviews – as industry active academic practitioners. Supporting this, literature searches covered the fields of marketing, cultural studies, anthropology, contemporary religion, post-structuralism and natural philosophy.

Findings – Marketing is both a concept and lived experience, manifest in the competitive exchange of commoditised thoughts, feelings, actions and objects – between engaged individuals and collectives. For many reasons, Islamic and Brand agendas/imperatives have risen in the consciousness and practises of Muslims and non-Muslims globally, through social interactions. These have placed Islamic, brand and marketing practises in the spotlight, singularly and collectively. On the surface, many have considered whether Islamic marketing is a truism, a phenomenon, a noumenon, an ideology, or even a paradigm? The paper suggests that it represents a new focal phase “torchbearer”, as a conspicuous and necessary challenger strain towards convention, supporting fit for purpose marketing – just as “green” and “digital” marketing have previously, and continue to do so.

Research limitations/implications – This is a viewpoint piece, which whilst based upon the experiences of two authors, draws from their varied practitioner-engaged action research, as collaborators and participants. To this end they adopt a standpoint, which argues for marketing being an applied science, rejecting approaches that encourage academic/practitioner divides.

Practical implications – Scholars and practitioners should resist the temptation to study and practice the field with a silo mentality. Marketing is not monolithic, nor is Islamic marketing necessarily a new phenomenon, or discrete sub-set. Muslims have always engaged in marketing practices – offering symbolic and functional value globally.

Originality/value – The paper presents the following key argument: that Islamic Marketing is (while connected to the Islamic faith, heritage and cultural milieu) most usefully described and analysed as a differentiated wave within marketing activities and consumption, spearheaded currently by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. And hence that it can be related to other developments in the marketing field, where marketing moves through evolutionary and revolutionary phases of meaning and practice, while grappling with new challenges and channels, in order to maintain its relevance and efficacy.

If marketing is all about needs and wants: is it more about meaning-making, communal communicating, and social transactions – instead of just simply commerce? With so much noise, so much information, and so much competition: is marketing the silver bullet? And, as marketing is so important and such a basic function of human existence, should we all study it? Shouldn’t at least all professionals receive marketing training - especially with so much talk about the importance of personal branding and marketing yourself? Read on and find out why…

As brands push the agenda towards developing relationships and friendships, psychological contracts are formed alongside physical ones. However, what happens when things go wrong. For example, will consumers seek compensation - even when products or services are ‘technically’ sound, but they feel that the brand has been less than a friend, betraying their promises and friendships?

Branding and Marketing are now awash with books and articles impressing the importance of: humanized brands; the brand experience; employees that personify the brand; personal branding; relationship marketing; co-creation and reciprocity – all of which in particular seek to empower the consumer. The key concept underpinning these lies in the ability to deliver consistent and coordinated: compelling, cogent, relevant, timely, valuable and authentic communication – across integrated interactive platforms and from a range of sources. The in vogue term for this approach is perfection of ‘the Art of Storytelling’.

Culture and Marketing make us human. Without culture, can there be any such thing as marketing? Without marketing, does culture survive? In the widest sense, we are all producers, consumers, and marketers of culture. At the time of writing this article, the cherry blossom blooming outside of my window gave me inspiration. Like culture, cherry blossom epitomizes both transience and symbolic transcendence, governed by environmental factors - with the petals symbolizing the connected and overlapping levels at which culture exists. Furthermore, in Asian culture, the cherry blossom marries power (most notably by the samurai), and femininity. My message and allegory is simple: C.H.E.R.R.Y. – Culture Has Environmental Reliance Relevance & Yield. Culture will blossom in the right conditions - it is hardy, whilst also being delicate. However, it begins to have value beyond its functionality and the potential to spread and grow when it is owned, cultivated and used.

Much is written about youth culture and it’s strong relationship with brands. The observations often espoused are that the younger generations consume brands conspicuously and with avarice. What I want to discuss here in more detail is what that actually means, and how it is shaping our lived experiences. Furthermore, conspicuousness doesn’t apply to anything and everything, nor does it mean there for everyone to see. Youth, especially, form nomadic urban tribes that roam a virtual landscape – mindsharing and creating sub-cultures. If we are to track and understand them, then a searching for what I call their social fingerprints needs to begin…

Talk from the 4th Kellogg Innovation ASEAN Forum 2014, hosted by MarkPlus Inc., in Jakarta Indonesia at the @america venue, 12th December 2013.
Dr Jonathan A.J. Wilson, University of Greenwich, London UK, talks about how Brands are meaning creators, language shapers, and game changers. He also stresses the importance of diverse sociocultural networks - what they say about us and how we should use them.
A final summary is offered by Professor Robert C. Wolcott, from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Illinois USA.

Rahilla Zafar, Co-Author of Arab Women Rising; Muhammed Mekki, Founding Partner of AstroLabs in Dubai; and Jonathan Wilson, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Islamic Marketing, and the University of Greenwich, London; join Peter Bryant, Partner at Clareo to discuss how to forge ahead, innovate, start and grow businesses in the rapidly changing Islamic world.

Halal Branding is a culturally-centric approach to championing branded lived experiences and intersectionality. Professor Wilson offers a nuanced and fresh philosophical approach - packed with branding toolkits, practical advice and a touch of creative hip-hop/grunge flair, on how clusters of people, influenced by Muslims and Islam, can build authentic brands and profit from Prophethood.