With so much changing in the marketing world on a day to day basis, it can be quite challenging to keep up, let alone stay ahead of the curve. While developments and changes to the marketing landscape in a Jewish context are less pronounced and perhaps take place at a bit of a slower clip, things still move quite quickly. New opportunities are constantly arising in terms of emerging platforms, markets, and categories. Therefore, it is important to stay up to date on the latest happenings to ensure that you are propelling your business or organization towards continued growth in this potentially lucrative market.
In the spirit of keeping those interested in Jewish-focused marketing up to date, we will discuss and overview some of the latest Jewish advertising and related trends that we have been seeing and include our near-term predictions.
Pursuit Of Native Style PR
As the marketing world sees the value in advertising that is native in form, we are seeing an increase of movement towards PR related opportunities such as advertorials, influencer based marketing, and native PR pieces. With consumers becoming increasingly savvy and less interested in “in your face” advertising, subtle ads that are more akin to standard content or perhaps editorial in nature are hot commodities for those looking to reach the Jewish audience.
The main challenge for such native advertising is formulating a story about your offering that is of natural interest to the publication or platform most relevant to the product or service at hand. Pursuing this strategy for PR opportunities allows for a win for both you and the publication or platform in question. An engaging story for the publication’s audience means increasing their standing while getting valuable native style promotion. Finding this balance can be most difficult for offerings that are not of great interest to a broad and general audience. Simultaneously, choosing a creative and interesting angle for the story and seeking out the right publication will increase such native style opportunities.
Growth In Modest Fashion & Localized Boutique Brands
With the unique needs of the orthodox cross-section of the Jewish population, we see continued growth in a wide variety of categories relating to fashion. These include clothing brands catering to the modest clothing preferences for much of the orthodox population and shoe and jewelry brands. These largely localized and boutique-style brands have a presence that is a mix of solely online, solely brick & mortar, as well as hybrids of dual online/brick & mortar operations. As can be seen in the general market, the Jewish landscape sees an increasing shift of established brick & mortar venturing into the world of e-commerce, thereby creating a more competitive marketplace for targeting this niche demographic. We see the most growth of these fashion-focused brands in the usual population hot spots such as Lakewood, Brooklyn, & Monsey.
Kosher CPG’s & Restaurants
One of the largest growth categories in the broader Jewish market can be found in CPG’s relating to food and both fast food and wine & dine style kosher restaurants. With more efficient and advanced distribution networks, such as those provided by Kayco, solely kosher CPG focused brands see more growth potential that can be effectively and profitably scaled and executed upon. We are also seeing an increased focus from kosher CPG brands coming up with new, seasonal offerings and marketing aggressively based on that season’s nature. In addition to those kosher brands native to the Jewish community, we see a steady uptick in interest and subsequent execution of national and international food purveyors becoming kosher certified for either some or all of their product lines.
The kosher restaurant space is also seeing more competition and an increase in count. Growth in fine dining and fast food categories is booming in Lakewood and Brooklyn, with less but still impressive growth in some other major Jewish communities. Some traditionally non-kosher establishments have also made the transition to being kosher and are reaping the profitable rewards. This has led to a bit of a domino effect, causing other food establishments who have witnessed this alluring success to also make the switch to obtaining kosher certification. Some of these establishments find it challenging to come to terms with the strict guidelines of having kosher certification. This includes mandatory closure on certain Jewish holidays and on-site supervision, which takes a substantial chunk out of an establishment’s bottom line.
The community event space is also seeing an uptick in volume. From industry exclusives, charity events, and for-profit parties, success is being seen for well-executed launches. Those with limited marketing strategies are experiencing difficulty attracting sufficient interest and subsequent attendance.
Influencer Marketing Is The Rage
While still in its infancy, influencer-based marketing makes substantial gains in popularity among marketers and is increasingly playing a vital role in many marketing mixes. The reason for its almost meteoric rise is simply because it brings an impressive ROI when backed by prudent strategy.
The reasons for such great results from influencer marketing are numerous. Still, some of the main factors include the authority and loyalty that influencers bring to the table and the native style promotion that influencer hot spots such as Instagram provide. For example, 40% of people say they have bought an item after seeing it used by an influencer (Twitter/Annalect, 2016). Perhaps that influencer marketing brings 11X greater ROI than traditional forms of marketing. (TapInfluence/Nielsen, 2016)
Some of the offerings that can benefit the most from influencers are those with physical products, tech and digital offerings, and events and those in the broad food category. Two of the most important aspects of a Jewish-focused influencer campaign include ensuring that you choose the most strategically relevant influencer partner and properly formulating the promotion structure.
B2B & Enterprise Level Business Growth
As we see the economy shift to stressing the value and allure of an entrepreneurial approach, we see such changes in the broader Jewish community. Independently owned Jewish business growth is seeing a surge in various sectors and geographic locations. Healthcare, various B2B outfits, and other enterprise-level organizations are increasing in great numbers in and around the New York Metro and Lakewood, NJ.
Marketing opportunities for this business growth are numerous but depend on what the specific offering is. The opportunities are practically endless, from capitalizing on new construction to accommodate this growth to offering other business-related services.
Lakewood Is The Land Of Opportunity
It can be hard to comprehend the growth taking place in and around Lakewood, NJ, for someone that has not actually seen it firsthand. A relatively quiet town only 15 years ago is now a bustling center of Jewish life and a real opportunity for marketing your offering to a very concentrated cross-section of the Jewish population.
Some of the strongest opportunities center around the large average family size of Lakewood residents and the population’s relative youth. Also, Lakewood sees substantial growth in various business sectors. We are helping numerous clients take advantage of these opportunities in various forms ranging from B2B offerings to construction.
While describing Lakewood, NJ, as the land of opportunity is not an exaggeration for properly executed marketing campaigns, there is substantial room for pitfalls that can derail a campaign. These range from not taking into account the ultra-orthodox tradition for most of the population to not understanding how to formulate your message properly and where actually to amplify that message.
Health & Life Sciences
As we see a continued trend towards new developments in health and related treatments, this category is also growing in the context of the broader Jewish community. Genetic testing out of both curiosity and for prevention of potential passing on of hereditary disease to future generations is an area that has been garnering considerably more interest over the last few years. With these concerns playing a role and a generally health-conscious population, biotech, pharma, and supplement companies see the Jewish community as a potential growth market.
When marketing these health and related offerings to the Jewish community, the number one priority should be the formulation of messaging and tone. This is primarily because of the sensitivity that often accompanies health-related matters, especially when they are potentially hereditary in nature. The idea of profiting from another’s misfortune and being looked at as simply another opportunity to increase the bottom line is something that should be avoided. Instead, approaching marketing for these offerings from an angle of assistance, prevention, and informative messaging can be both a win for the community and subsequent contributions to the bottom line.
Lifestyle Offerings
While this has been a growing category for some time, lifestyle-related offerings are on the uptick as well. From luxurious summer getaways to networking and industry type events, there seems to be a new player in this market popping up every week. In response, we see corresponding marketing to cater to this growth. From airlines and car companies to event spaces and caterers, there is a unique ecosystem forming around, making this category one that will continue to grow and develop in the coming years.
Improving UX & Site Speed
As more stress is put on user experience online, those in the e-commerce categories and others realize the importance of having a website that is up to standard. Through our web development practice, we have been assisting various clients with ensuring their digital assets align with best practices, including ensuring websites are secure, fast, and offer a streamlined experience for customers. In turn, we see results in the form of increases in sales due to improvements in search engine ranking and a decrease in website bounce rates.
Community Engagement & Charitable Giving
Although charitable giving and related community engagement have always been alive and well in the broader Jewish community, as the digital revolution increasingly revolutionizes this category, we see an associated rise in community participation. Some examples include charitable crowdfunding platforms native to the Jewish community and gamified “contest like” fundraising tools. One of the most notable is the Bike4Chai initiative, founded by the Chai Lifeline charity that has seen great success to such an extent that other charities have followed suit with similar campaigns.
Interest In New Tech-Based Offerings
With a new tech-based offering coming out daily, our lives change on a scale that we have never seen. Numerous such tech-based offerings are being marketed to a Jewish audience for a variety of reasons. The most successful campaigns in this category stress the convenience that the offering will bring to the potential user. Once that selling point has been made clear, we see the Jewish community being quite interested in trying new and innovative offerings and engaging with them further after an initial positive experience.
Gen Z Rising
While past discussion of generational segments has usually been focused on Baby Boomers and, subsequently, Millennials, we see a trend to reach Generation Z. This segment of those just reaching their 20’s is very relevant to certain offerings is, therefore, a hot commodity. Growing up in the digital age, those in Gen Z, including from the Jewish community, are tech-savvy and value different things than Millennials.
A Granular Focus & Hyper Segmentation (Mass Market Is Dead)
As more companies and organizations see the value of a tailored and personalized approach to marketing, we see a continued shift away from a mass-market advertising approach to a marketing strategy that is more granular and segmented. As such, regardless of the specific population segment being targeted, whether it be a specific ethnic group or other demographic combination, campaigns are becoming more focused and subsequently more effective.
Data, Data & More Data
The wealth of data now being collected through marketing campaigns has allowed for huge advancements in making advertising spend more efficiently and effectively, thereby substantially increasing ROI. The possibilities for more streamlined campaigns are practically endless, from data allowing for targeted re-marketing to the addition of specific data points that allow for marketing based on personal information and preferences. As data silos are constantly expanding and sharing information across organizations starting to take place, we are seeing the marketer’s tool chest substantially improving. This improvement is especially apparent in a targeted arena such as Jewish centric marketing.
Supermarket Competition At All-Time High
With the proliferation of big players such as Amazon and other on-demand outfits offering services traditionally filled by local kosher supermarkets, the supermarket landscape is bound to change. While these services are still in their infancy and are still limited regarding the kosher selection they offer, competition among supermarkets serving the Jewish community is at all-time highs. This is largely due to the recent increase in the number of kosher supermarkets entering the landscape over the past few years. In Lakewood, NJ, this is especially apparent with the addition of more than 5 large scale markets over the past 3 years.
Those supermarkets who can provide discount pricing, such as Bingo, and a 5-star shopping experience, such as Pomegranate, can draw and keep kosher conscious customers from the competition. While substantial population growth can arguably keep these supermarkets afloat, as the Amazons of the world increase their selection, footprint, and delivery capabilities, we envision a further dent to kosher supermarket bottom lines.
Opportunities Abound Waiting To Be Capitalized On
As we continuously work with different businesses trying to reach the Jewish community, we are surprised at the broad spectrum of use cases for Jewish centric marketing. While we understand that the opportunities are practically endless, being reminded how many opportunities there actually are for companies and organizations of all sizes and types within the broader Jewish market is always interesting.
As experts in helping various clients reach their most relevant Jewish audience, we understand the importance of thinking creatively about how to effectively and efficiently reach your Jewish audience. Based on our experience, a successful Jewish marketing campaign has two primary fundamentals present. The first is a comprehensive understanding of the Jewish segment that is being marketed to. The second is a thorough familiarity with the available platforms and channels to reach the targeted audience.
We are confident that there is a possibility for almost any business to capitalize on opportunities present in the Jewish community. By adopting a creative and strategic approach, the right opportunities can be recognized and capitalized on, thereby increasing growth.
