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(Courtesy pictures)
If you are traveling in Israel, sometimes you won’t need a map to know where you are. It’s enough to take a look at the billboards.
When driving up north on Israel’s main highway, something changes in the commercial scenery when nearing the densely-populated Arab areas.
Pictures of scantily-dressed blond models with glaring slogans in Hebrew lettering, seen abundantly in Tel Aviv, are replaced with more modestly-clothed models with darker complexions and surrounded by Arabic motifs.
Many visitors to Israel are unaware of the diversity of the country’s society. Sectors often referred to as ethnic or religious ‘minorities’ are in fact quite large groups with a strong purchasing potential.
Israel’s ultra-orthodox Jewish community, known in Hebrew as Haredim (‘God fearing’), number about 800,000 people; Israelis who immigrated from the Former Soviet Union after the fall of the Soviet bloc number nearly a million people; and Israel’s Arab population is close to 1.3 million.
Together, these three groups constitute more than 40 percent of Israel’s 6.9 million population.
The advertising industry is becoming increasingly aware of this and many companies are adjusting their modus operandi. They see the need to tap into the purchasing potential of groups that were previously lumped together with the rest of Israeli society, or ignored altogether.
These groups differ from the general Israeli society in their values, standard of living and language. Advertising companies are constantly looking for creative and effective ways to promote a product, while staying attuned to the sensitivities of these populations.
One such company is Publicis Sectors, which is affiliated with the international Publicis advertising company.
Publicis Sectors was formed in 2003 and it specializes in promoting products and services among Israel’s three large ethnic and religious sectors – Arabs, Russians, and the ultra-orthodox Jews.
The company publicizes both local products such as the Pelephone cellular phone company and Tnuva dairy foods, and international brand names like Dove, Knorr, and Coca Cola.
For each sector, a campaign will be launched from scratch, even if they are promoting the same product for the three groups.
Why Invest in Sectors?
There is logic in specializing in a specific sector, said the CEO of Publicis Sectors, Mussa Hassadia.
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Geographically, most of the sectors live in clusters – towns, villages or neighborhoods – a situation that advertisers can make use of for billboard ads or distribution of leaflets.
There is also a language difference. That Arabs speak Arabic and Russians speak Russian is a given, but the Hebrew spoken by ultra-orthodox Jews is also different from that of the general population. “Their language is higher, closer to the bible,” Hassadia said, “and you have to make sure that the language used in an ad isn’t offensive.”
Differing media consumption habits are also taken into account in advertising for the sectors.
“Advertisers who think that if they advertise on Channel Two, they’re reaching the whole population, are quite mistaken,” Hassadia said, referring to Israel’s popular commercial television channel.
All three sectors have their own media outlets, which reflect their language, culture and values.
Ultra-orthodox Jews do not own television sets, so TV commercials are a no-go in these circles.
Differing Values
When it comes to content in sector marketing, commercial agencies are constantly walking on eggshells, in an attempt to respect cultural and religious sensitivities.
The ultra-orthodox Jews and the Arabs are both traditional groups, but the Jews are much more stringent, Hassadia said. “Every word is crucial when advertising in a Haredi newspaper. You can’t show a woman at all, you simply won’t find the picture of a Haredi woman in their papers.”
“When advertising in the Arab sector, there’s no problem showing a woman, but she can’t be too physically exposed. I can’t use motifs that imply something sexy.”
In the Russian sector, he said, the tables are turned. There, an effective ad is a provocative one. “With the Russians you can use sexy motifs more than in the general Israeli population. The Russians are quite open and liberal, and the attitude toward them has to be very open. We used very sexy motifs on Russian television that would never pass on Channel Two.”
Hassadia illustrated how his agency overcame a hurdle in the following commercial, which was aiming for an ultra-orthodox audience. Company employees were racking their brains, trying to figure out how they could advertise a woman’s shampoo, without showing a woman’s hair.
The solution was to use a paintbrush, but with what appears as human hair instead of bristles. The ad, Hassadia said, was a sensation.
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The approach with the Russian population is very different. Although they have absorbed a lot of the Israeli culture, Hassadia noted that it is important for them to preserve their culture. “They see themselves as Europeans, they have a rational and business-like thinking.”
“Anything with an international brand name registers immediately with the Russians,” he said. When advertising Golan Wines in the Russian sector, the company associated the wine with articles that represent high status – an expensive fur coat, a peacock’s feather, caviar.
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If the target audience was not Russian, this ad would probably not impress the viewers.
Know your audience
Publicis Sectors employs 35 people who capture the imaginations of Israel’s large minorities.
Hassadia said this can only be done properly if the employees are from these sectors. They are familiar with the jargon, the culture and know exactly what makes their friends tick. And what doesn’t.
During the month of Ramadan, the company produced an advertisement for the Arab sector, promoting the Israeli dairy product company Tnuva. The slogan was “Breakfast at Night.”
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During Ramadan, Muslims refrain from drinking and eating from sunrise to sunset. They usually wake at about 3am and have a light meal consisting of cheese or other dairy products. “This isn’t something that the general population would understand. Jews wouldn’t understand that,” Hassadia said.
Misconceptions
To the casual observer, it seems odd that these sectors would warrant a separate promotion campaign. The three sectors have a reputation of being at the lower end of the income scale.
But Hassadia, who has been in the advertising business since 1985, said this is a misconception. The power of these sectors should not be underestimated, he said. “They constitute about 45% of the population. And their purchasing power is between 32-35%. They are important sectors.”
The advertising industry is also attuned to the popular commodities in each sector. In the Arab and ultra-orthodox sectors, where families are larger than in the general Israeli population, many of the commercials promote foodstuffs and communication items.
The Russians are big consumers of cosmetics, perfumes, high-quality foods and electrical appliances.
Hassadia, who comes from the Israeli-Arab town Fouradis, says the Arabs living in Israel have different consumerism habits than in the surrounding Arab countries.
“We live in a country that has democracy, we’re exposed to all the developments, we have access to new products and purchasing points. Our income is indeed lower than that of the general Jewish population in Israel, but it’s still higher than the average income in many Arab countries like Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.”