2016 was the year that Muslim Americans made an impact in advertising – not just as consumers but stars of their own story, having been featured in major ad campaigns from Amazon, Honey Maid, Microsoft, Chevrolet, YouTube and CoverGirl. Many commend these brands for taking a stand for diversity and inclusivity. “[Amazon] was aware that this was going to cause controversy and they might get hate mail and things like that,” says Rameez Abid, communications director for the Islamic Circle of North America who consulted on the ad. “But they said it’s something that they wanted to do because the message is important.”
According to the New York Times, “several advertising executives liken the movement to the decision by mass marketers to cast same-sex couples and their children in ads for the first time in 2013 and 2014, making inclusion and acceptance a priority over potential criticism from some customers.”
“We’ve gotten a little closer to acceptance, but the Muslim issue in America is still pretty raw for a lot of people,” offers Kevin Brady, an executive creative director at the ad agency Droga5 who worked on the Honey Maid commercial featuring Muslim American neighbors. “I don’t think it should be, but it’s one that I think brands took an extra step of courage to really go out there with in 2016.”
The commercials were a “glimmer of hope in the midst of a greatly traumatic year for Muslims,” says Mona Haydar, an activist and poet, who appeared in a recent Microsoft commercial along with other community leaders. “This normalizes the narrative that we are just human beings.”
