Entering a competitive sharia multi-finance market requires more than a distinctive brand identity with vibrant and dynamic brand expressions, it must embark from a great brand strategy that complements business objectives with on-target positioning to capture and win consumers’ choice at point of purchase. The rebranding of Al Ijarah marked the business’ bold transformation and aggressive move to branch out from corporate to consumers financing and make great brand impacts in the process.

Branding Scenario Al Ijarah is a multi-finance company and a subsidiary of Bank Muamalat, the leading and largest Sharia bank in Indonesia. Currently focused in corporate financing, Al Ijarah plans to enter the ever-growing and highly competitive consumer retail financing market targeting at virtually all consumer segments in Indonesia. This business plan called for developing a retail sharia multi-finance brand for universal consumers under Al Ijarah current corporate brand structure.

Branding Challenge Being a relatively new player in multi finance industry with only offering corporate financing product under the brand, Al Ijarah is known amongst corporations but for the retail market it is an unknown entity. In light of their plan to enter the retail market, a considerable challenge considering how competitive the market actually is. Furthermore, Al Ijarah brand name may easily perceived as being “exclusive” for the moslem consumers while the plan is to open its door for all types of consumers regardless of their religious beliefs. This required the brand to gain greater insights in how to strongly appeal to the diverse Indonesian consumers having different backgrounds, cultures and buying power. Al Ijarah entrusted MakkiMakki to lead their brand development, prepare the winning brand strategy and road map for an aggressive market entry and grow the brand to become a strong retail consumer financing player in the market.

Branding Solution MakkiMakki’s initial step was to gather comprehensive business, market and consumer insights. The BrandDiagnostiX™ findings and analysis lead us to recommend a revolutionary approach that required a complete (corporate and product) brand transformation and positioning it as a dynamic, versatile and aggressive retail consumer financing brand player in the market. Anchored on the recommended “Enabling Anyone Anywhere To Own Anything Their Heart's Desire For A Meaningful Life” brand vision, Al Ijarah’s brand’s central idea, strategy and road map was eventually build and developed around this premise.

The bees, as expressed in Quran’s Sura Al Nahl, inspired Al Ijarah’s new brand identity, depicting (1) its critical and beneficial role in ensuring world’s balanced ecosystem (2) its fast, nimble and agile movement capabilities, (3) its obedient, disciplinary attitude and (4) its co-operative nature in working together to achieve a common goal. The new brand identity vividly symbolized these qualities and vibrantly expressed using the entire color spectrum to depict its consumer’s diversity. Al Ijarah’s brand expression and communication strategy would extensively explore the bees’ nimble movement capabilities throughout the diverse brand applications and expression materials.

Al Ijarah’s new brand strategically positions itself to aggressively penetrate the retail consumer finance market with consumer-oriented-and-driven paradigm that promises consumer added value benefits and enables consumers to live a meaningful life.