A closer look at halal brand image: systematic review and future directions Open Access

The global halal economy continues to be driven by halal brands. Across the key sectors of Muslim-friendly travel, halal pharma, halal food, halal cosmetics, modest fashion, Islamic finance and media and recreation, both Muslim and non-Muslims continue to spend on halal brands, resulting in the 9.5% year-on-year growth to US$2.29tn in 2022 (DinarStandard, 2023).

In line with the significance of halal brands to the economy, overall research in this area remains positive with several seminal publications in the past two decades. These include journal papers (Alserhan, 2010a; Wilson and Liu, 2010) and book publications (Temporal, 2011; Wilson, 2018). There is also a journal outlet branded the International Journal of Islamic Marketing and Branding published by Inderscience (Inderscience, 2024). These efforts have culminated in Islamic branding as being one of the key research streams in the halal literature (Putera and Rakhel, 2023). Despite the interest in this research field, there has yet to be a systematic review of the concept of brand image in the context of halal industries.

Amidst emerging developments in the brand landscape including service brands (Huang and Dev, 2019), luxury brands (Wirtz et al., 2020), technology branding (Choi et al., 2022), sustainability branding (Nascimento and Loureiro, 2024) and brand co-creation (Jain et al., 2024), brand image remains one of the most widely studied in the literature (Parris and Guzmán, 2023). Brand image refers to the set of associations and perceptions that consumers have about the brand and can come in the form of attributes, benefits or attitudes (Aaker, 1991; Keller, 1993). Brand image is instrumental in influencing the consumer’s product or brand choice as well as contributing to outcomes such as loyalty (Cho et al., 2015). In terms of its interaction with halal markets, brand image can be particularly relevant in shaping the Muslim consumer’s decision toward purchasing the product or service due to the influence of the halal image (Ali et al., 2017). Accordingly, across halal industries, brand managers can strategically shape the consumer’s perceptions of the halal brand which in turn can produce positive benefits including trust and loyalty (Ab Hamid et al., 2021; Ali et al., 2021; Peng et al., 2019). Overall, the importance of halal brand image necessitates a comprehensive consolidated understanding of this research area. A key research approach that can provide this understanding is systematic literature reviews (SLRs).

SLRs allow for a state-of-the-art understanding of a knowledge domain as well as the discovery of research gaps and new research opportunities (Lim et al., 2022; Paul and Criado, 2020; Paul et al., 2021). Researchers have published several important SLRs on brand image. Plumeyer et al. (2019) reviewed 224 articles between 1991 and 2016 and focused on how brand image is measured. They proceeded to provide a useful resulting roadmap for selecting appropriate brand image measurement techniques. In a recent publication, Parris and Guzmán (2023) analyzed the antecedents, outcomes and measures of brand image along with brand equity and brand loyalty using articles between 2000 and 2020. Their study produced a map of independent and dependent variables of brand image. While these reviews are useful for painting an understanding of the brand image literature in general, what is required to motivate the growth of the halal industry and research is a more nuanced review of brand image in the context of halal markets.

Indeed, in the Islamic marketing literature, SLR contributions have improved the understanding of the applicability of different theoretical perspectives in the halal sector. These include reviews on models related to technology acceptance (Noor, 2024) and consumer behavior (Maminirina Fenitra et al., 2024). These reviews indicate trends similar to non-halal, general contexts and highlight insights unique to the halal context. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is a dearth of scholarly reviews on branding specific to halal industries. The lack of a state-of-the-art review particularly on brand image in halal industries represents a gap in the literature. A systematic review of halal brand image research can also result in new perspectives on conceptualizing brand image in general (Plumeyer et al., 2019).

Accordingly, the objectives of this research are to conduct a systematic literature review of brand image in halal industries and to advance research in halal brand image by identifying the key research trends and factors. This study contributes to the field by addressing the following research questions:

The novelty of this research is in its contribution to the extant knowledge of brand image in halal industries by providing an aggregated discussion of this important brand construct through the halal lens. Such a synthesis of halal brand image research is key to informing practitioners of the factors that can drive halal brand image and the strategic repercussions for the halal business. With a lack of representation in the top global brands (Interbrand, 2024), a better understanding of how to design brand perceptions that resonate with Muslim and non-Muslim consumers is key for brand managers. For researchers, this SLR identifies the research trends, antecedents, outcomes and key research questions based on the gaps uncovered in this review. As established, there remains a critical gap in the literature on critical reviews of halal branding. This study addresses this gap with a thorough review of one of the most important brand constructs that manifests itself in a rapidly growing industry – the halal brand image.

The following section provides further background to the literature on brand image and halal branding before describing the methods used in conducting the SLR. The paper proceeds to discuss the results, findings and conclusions, before concluding with a research agenda to advance the understanding of brand image in halal industries.

The importance and multidimensional nature of brand image have long been established in literature. In their seminal work, Gardner and Levy (1955) highlighted that the brand’s public image comprises more than just the label and technical facts about the product but includes a composition of tangible and intangible associations that inform consumers of the brand. Aaker (1991) suggested that these brand associations are often organized meaningfully to contribute to the brand’s positioning in the customers’ minds, leading to brand equity. Keller (1993) explained how such brand perceptions consist of memory node linkages between information and the brand. He further posited how the strength of the brand image can be affected by the nature of the brand associations, specifically their type (attributes, benefits, attitudes), favorability, strength and uniqueness. While both Aaker (1991) and Keller (1993) advocated the cognitive conceptualization of brand image, subsequent works highlight the role of affective and sensory dimensions in creating the brand image (Cho et al., 2015; Parris and Guzmán, 2023).

In the field of halal branding, research has been relatively recent with key scholarly papers published less than two decades ago. Most notable are the works by Alserhan (2010a) and Wilson and Liu (2010). In both papers published during the same year, the authors attempted to clarify the meaning of Islamic branding. They reached a similar conclusion on the complexity and multidimensionality of the concept that is relevant for both Muslims and non-Muslims. Alserhan (2010a) identified that Islamic brands can be classified as being Islamic brands by compliance, by origin or by customer. This was expanded with the labels “True Islamic brands” (halal brands produced in Islamic countries and targeting Muslim consumers), “Traditional Islamic brands” (similar to “True Islamic brands” with the exception that the brand is assumed to be halal), “Inbound Islamic brands” (Halal brands from non-Islamic countries and targeting Muslim consumers) and “Outbound Islamic brands” (Halal brands from Islamic countries but not necessarily targeting Muslim consumers) (Alserhan, 2010b). Separately, Wilson and Liu (2010) suggested that halal may be considered a form of ingredient branding or co-branding used by brands, although they argued for more investigation into its full conceptualization and operationalization. More recent studies of branding in the Islamic marketing literature have looked at various brand phenomena including brand integrity (Amani, 2024), brand love (Mayasari et al., 2025) and brand verdict (Osanlou and Rezaei, 2025).

In terms of brand image, studies in the Islamic marketing literature have analyzed the relevance of this construct to advance various important research streams. In the area of luxury marketing, Ratnasari et al. (2023) found that brand associations stemming from the brand image can significantly influence Muslim consumers’ intention to purchase luxury cars. In sustainability marketing, Salehzadeh et al. (2023) studied how Muslim consumers’ perceptions of the brand’s environmental aspects (i.e. green brand image) can positively contribute to green brand attitude, brand trust and brand love. In another study, Islamic brand knowledge, comprised of halal brand awareness and halal brand image, was found to positively influence the consumption behavior of non-Muslims toward Islamic brands (Sukhabot and Jumani, 2023). The role of brand image has also been discussed in studies of various key industries including Islamic finance (Feiz and Moradi, 2020; Junaidi, 2022). For wider audiences, key book publications by Temporal (2011) further dive into the different facets of Islamic branding in the global industry. In a relatively more recent publication, Wilson (2018) provides more nuanced fresh paradigms on this subject.

In summary, with scholarly journal papers specific to halal brand image beginning a decade ago in 2014 (Reza Jalilvand et al., 2014; Subramaniam et al., 2014), this research landscape remains fragmented and lacks a holistic view. The importance of brand image coupled with the growth of the halal brand literature necessitates ongoing research on halal brand image for this field to mature. Thus, a broad perspective of the aggregated literature on halal brand image is required for a better understanding of this domain and to identify further research opportunities. The next section describes the methodology undertaken to conduct this endeavor in the form of an SLR.

An SLR guided by the Scientific Procedures and Rationales for SLR (SPAR-4-SLR) (Paul et al., 2021) was used to address the research objectives. SPAR-4-SLR was chosen as the systematic review methodology as SPAR-4-SLR offers clarity and transparency in the assembling, arranging and assessing stages when conducting the systematic literature review (Paul et al., 2021). This framework has also been used in the Islamic marketing literature (Noor, 2025). The key stages of the review using SPAR-4-SLR are summarized in Figure 1.

In the assembling stage, journal articles were searched in the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases with no time limitation. Both Scopus and WoS have been used in past SPAR-4-SLR studies in the brand (Cammarota et al., 2023) and Islamic marketing literature (Liew and Karia, 2024) and are widely used quality journal databases for the use of systematic reviews (Paul et al., 2021). Keywords were selected based on the scope of the review and included the following terms: “halal” or “Muslim*” or “Islam*” and “brand image”. The keyword search was done on the abstract of journal articles. Upon further filtering for only English language articles, a total of 110 articles were retained in the assembling stage.

In the arranging stage, content from the articles was extracted using the theories, contexts, characteristics and methods (TCCM) framework (Paul and Rosado-Serrano, 2019). SLR frameworks such as TCCM have been advocated in the literature due to their robustness and benefits (Paul et al., 2021). In addition, the TCCM framework has been used in brand research together with the SPAR-4-SLR protocol (Ghorbani et al., 2022). The TCCM framework will also allow this study to answer the research questions, including identifying the key antecedents, outcomes and moderators of brand image across halal industries. In the purification phase, 34 duplicates were found. Only empirical full articles that featured brand image as an underpinning theory and were written in the context of halal industries were included. Hence, novel Islamic branding papers such as the study by Zaki et al. (2023) in which a scale for Islamic apparel brand personality was created are excluded from this SLR as the brand image concept was not the focus of their paper. Another exclusion example is the study of the effect of green brand image on Muslim consumers by Salehzadeh et al. (2023); while their paper does focus on the important concept of sustainability in automobiles, their research does not fall within the scope of halal industries as intended in this SLR. Accordingly, a total of 75 articles were excluded and the remaining 35 were included for assessment.

The final assessing stage involved evaluating and reporting the articles in evaluation with the accompanying use of figures and tables. The general information of the articles in review will be discussed, followed by a content analysis based on the categories organized using the TCCM framework-based review. Based on the current research status of brand image in halal industries and the gaps identified, a research agenda is proposed to conclude this paper. The following sections elaborate on the results of the SLR analysis.

This section focuses on the descriptive statistics related to the journal publications, year of publications, article citations and the co-occurrence of keywords of the 35 studies analyzed in this paper.

Table 1 depicts the 35 journal publications based on the articles considered in this study. There are a total of 23 journal titles featured in this study. Most of the publications on halal brand image have been concentrated in the Journal of Islamic Marketing, with 12 out of the 35 articles or 34.29%. In addition to the Journal of Marketing, only the Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research has published more than one article in the area under review. The remaining 21 out of the 23 journal titles had only one publication on halal brand image. Three out of the 35 journal publications in Table 1, namely, the Journal of Islamic Marketing, Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research and International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, are focused on halal or Islamic industries. Journal publications also span several industries including marketing, finance, hospitality, health, tourism and food. This highlights the importance of halal brand image research across the halal ecosystem.

Figure 2 displays the publication trends of the articles considered in this study. Overall, as the first two studies of brand image in the context of Islamic finance and banks in Iran and Malaysia by Reza Jalilvand et al. (2014) and Subramaniam et al. (2014), respectively, research in this field has been ongoing but erratic with several spikes in publications observed in 2018, 2020 and 2022. The peak of publication numbers in this review happened in 2023 with a total of seven articles. At the time of this writing, only one publication has been published in 2024 by Desmaryani et al. (2024) investigating brand image in the context of halal food and specifically rice processing companies. The lack of increasing attention on empirical halal brand image research is concerning given that general brand image research has trended positively (Plumeyer et al., 2019) and that halal brands without a clear brand image are unable to compete effectively in the growing halal economy.

Overall, the 35 articles in the review accounted for 493 citations of brand image in the literature. Table 2 shows the most influential 10 articles by citation. The most influential article on brand image in this review is the article titled “Antecedents of consumers’ Halal brand purchase intention: an integrated approach” by Ali et al. (2018) which acquired 75 out of 493 citations or 15.21%. Published in management decision, their article investigated several brand constructs including halal brand image, halal brand satisfaction, halal brand trust and halal brand loyalty and found that the brand’s perceived quality is an antecedent of halal brand image. This study indicates the importance of understanding the drivers and consequences of key halal brand constructs in the literature such as brand purchase intention.

While Ali et al. (2018) focused on the halal food industry, the second most influential article was by Handriana et al. (2021), with 42 out of 493 citations or 8.52%, looking at the halal cosmetics industry. Further, while Ali et al. (2018) found that halal brand image directly leads to purchase intention, Handriana et al. (2021) enriched this insight by concluding that the relationship between brand image and purchase can be mediated by trust and attitude toward the product. The other publications on this list cover 3.45% to 8.32% of total citations of brand image and span a variety of halal industries including Islamic finance (Altaf et al., 2017; Salehzadeh et al., 2018; Shabbir et al., 2018; Subramaniam et al., 2014), halal food (Ali et al., 2017; Ali et al., 2021) and Muslim-friendly travel (Wisker et al., 2023) and halal cosmetics (Ngah et al., 2021). The prominent Modest fashion industry (DinarStandard, 2023) as well as halal media and recreation and halal pharma are noticeably absent in this list of most influential articles.

Figure 3 shows the analysis of the co-occurrence of all the keywords in the review based on a minimum of three keyword occurrences generated using VOSviewer. VOSviewer is a software that visualizes bibliometric networks and has been used in SLRs in the branding (Roy Bhattacharjee et al., 2022) and Islamic marketing literature (Putera and Rakhel, 2023). The keyword co-occurrence reveals the major areas of interest and research themes based on the keywords indicated by the authors from the 35 papers in this review (Abdul Shukor and Kattiyapornpong, 2024).

Based on this analysis, a total of three clusters were uncovered. The first red cluster consists of “brand image” as the most significant node, as this brand construct is central to this SLR and the papers chosen. Surrounding this node are the keywords of “halal”, “religiosity”, “customer satisfaction” and “brand loyalty”, indicating that the papers in this review have focused on the faith-related drivers and traditional business consequences of satisfaction and loyalty in the context of halal brand image. The second green cluster has the significant node of “halal brand image” with the supporting keywords of “Muslim”, “halal brand satisfaction” and “halal brand trust”. This signals that researchers have further recognized and investigated the impact of Muslim consumers on brand image and an understanding of its key outcomes from the Islamic perspective. Finally, the third blue cluster has the significant node of “Islamic bank” with the supporting keywords of “corporate brand image” and “loyalty”. This indicates the importance of the Islamic finance sector in halal brand image research, particularly in building customer loyalty among their customers.

The following section analyses the 35 articles in the review using the TCCM framework. The TCCM framework is advocated by Paul et al. (2021) and used in SLRs related to branding (Ghorbani et al., 2022; Roy Bhattacharjee et al., 2022) as well as those peculiar to various halal economies (Islam et al., 2023; Maminirina Fenitra et al., 2024; Noor, 2024).

In this paper, theories refer to the conceptualization of brand image used in the studies in this review and whether the scales featured included cognitive, affective or sensory dimensions (Cho et al., 2015). As shown in Table 3, a total of 24 articles, or 68.57%, featured brand image scales that were mainly cognitive. Only three articles used brand image scales with measure items that captured cognitive, affective and sensory dimensions (Nawi et al., 2019a; Nawi et al., 2019b; Rosmayani and Mardhatillah, 2020). For instance, in their research on modest fashion, Rosmayani and Mardhatillah (2020) measured brand image using measure items that reflected the dimensions of cognitive (e.g. “The level of company reliability”), affective (e.g. “Pleasant level of service”) and sensory (“The level of attractiveness of the company”). The dominant use of cognitive scales in halal brand image research is similar to the trend observed in the overall brand literature but does not reflect increasing calls toward measuring brand image using affective and sensory dimensions (Cho et al., 2015; Parris and Guzmán, 2023). The nature of the brand image scales used was unclear in 5 out of the 35 articles in the review (Ahmed et al., 2018; Arifin et al., 2018; Desmaryani et al., 2024; Subramaniam et al., 2014; Surya et al., 2018).

In this study, context refers to the country and halal industry as featured in the articles of this review.

Table 4 provides the list of countries in which this review was conducted. 14 of the 35 articles or 40.00% were conducted in Indonesia while 11 or 31.643% were in Malaysia. These two countries are representative of the top 15 Islamic economies in 2022 (DinarStandard, 2023). Two studies were done in multiple countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in the paper by Septiarini et al. (2023) and Malaysia and Pakistan in the study by Altaf et al. (2017). Except for studies done in China (Ali et al., 2017; Ali et al., 2021), India (Joshi and Garg, 2022), New Zealand (Wisker et al., 2023) and Singapore (Septiarini et al., 2023), the majority of the identified countries in the list of studies under this review are Muslim countries in the organization of Islamic Cooperation (DinarStandard, 2023). The lack of non-Muslim countries on this list stifles research that can otherwise contribute to the development of global halal brands that serve a large number of Muslim and non-Muslim consumers.

This paper adopts the categorizations based on the halal industry classifications from the State of the Global Islamic Economy (SGIE) report (DinarStandard, 2023). Table 5 provides the list of halal product and service-dominant industries in the articles reviewed. A total of 12 out of the 35 articles or 34.29% were focused on the effects of brand image in the Islamic finance industry. This is significant given that Islamic finance is the key sector driving the halal economy (DinarStandard, 2023).

Beyond Islamic finance, the top five sectors in the halal industry by consumer spending (DinarStandard, 2023) are represented by the top industries featured in the articles in review. Within this, there were six articles related to the study of brand image in Halal food and Muslim-friendly travel respectively. Two of the articles in the review did not clearly indicate the context of the halal industries in their empirical studies (Fachrurazi et al., 2023; Yulianto et al., 2022). There is a representation of all key halal sectors in the review as featured in SGIE except for halal media and recreation.

In the characteristics section of this review, this study analyzed the articles based on the antecedents, moderators and outcomes of halal brand image. Table 6 shows what we know about halal brand image based on the categorization of the various factors and relationships examined in this study by each halal industry. Where the relationship was not significant, an “n.s.” is indicated beside the construct in the table. Figure 3 summarizes the results of all the significant antecedent and outcome relationships as captured in this review to develop a halal brand image nomological network.

In this analysis, care was taken to differentiate the product constructs from brand constructs where relevant and identifiable to avoid misdefinitions and incorrect conceptualizations which are prevalent in the brand literature (Gaski, 2020). For instance, in terms of the outcomes of brand image, while Handriana et al. (2021) found that brand image influences product trust with item measures such as “I feel this halal cosmetic product is reliable”, Ali et al. (2017) concluded that brand image can also affect brand trust with item measures such as “I rely on my current halal milk brand”. Conceptually, these are two different conclusions as one is related to the trust of the specific product while the other shows trust for the overall brand which, by implication, includes the product(s) that fall under the brand.

As seen in Table 6, only 15 out of the 35 studies, or 42.9%, found antecedents with significant relationships to halal brand image. Almost all of the 35 studies clearly attempted to analyze the outcomes of brand image except for Arifin et al. (2018) in the Halal pharma industry. On the outcome of purchasing intention, halal brand image did not significantly affect purchasing intention in several studies in the halal food sector (Ali et al., 2017; Ali et al., 2021). In terms of moderators, only Altaf et al. (2017) was identified in the review to have analyzed moderating constructs. In their study of halal brand image in the Islamic finance sector, Altaf et al. (2017) found that the brand’s perceived quality significantly moderates the relationship between brand experience and brand image.

Figure 4 shows the nomological network of halal brand image, and the associated significant antecedents and outcomes as identified in this review. It is found that the antecedents of halal brand image can be classified into factors which are faith/ethics-related, firm-related, or personal/social-related. The outcomes of halal brand image can be categorized as consumer or brand/firm related.

When compared with a similar map produced by Parris and Guzmán (2023) on the independent and dependent variables of brand image, several findings are observed. First, the consumer and brand/firm-related outcomes of halal brand image in Figure 4 are similar to those outcomes found by Parris and Guzmán (2023). Such similar outcome constructs include perceived quality, satisfaction and loyalty. This lends support to halal brand image-building campaigns as having similar important consequences to those by traditional brands. However, in both general studies on brand image and halal brand image, there is a lack of research on other important outcomes including sustainability and consumer well-being (Field et al., 2021).

In terms of antecedents, the firm-related and personal/social-related antecedents in this study are similar to those for general markets as identified by Parris and Guzmán (2023). These include factors associated with CSR, service quality and online reputation. However, the antecedents of halal brand image have an added emphasis on faith/ethics-related constructs, which was not significant when observing general brand image antecedents in Parris and Guzmán (2023). This highlights the unique difference between halal brand image and traditional brand image in general and motivates further research in this space to uncover more new insights.

This section analyzes the type of empirical method used and the nature of the sample in the 35 empirical articles in review. As seen in Table 7, most of the articles, specifically 26 out of 35 or 74.29%, analyzed their survey data and their model fit using structural equation modeling (SEM), with an almost even number of studies using the covariance-based (CB) method (14 out of 35 or 40.00%) as compared to the partial least squares (PLS) method (12 out of 25 or 34.29%). A total of 7 out of 35 articles or 20% focused on regression analysis. In two studies on brand image in the context of Islamic banking adoption, Junaidi et al. (2023) used the experimental method while Mufraini et al. (2020) used factor analysis.

Table 8 shows the types of samples used in the 35 empirical articles in the review. While student samples are more accessible than general consumers, most studies have used non-student samples, with 29 out of 35 articles or 82.86%. Studies by Ngah et al. (2021), Ali et al. (2017), Ali et al. (2021) and Rosmayani and Mardhatillah (2020) – focusing on halal cosmetics, halal food and modest fashion - used student samples. Septiarini et al. (2023) and Ali et al. (2018) used a mix of students and general consumers to analyze brand image in the context of halal cosmetics and halal food respectively. Accordingly, studies related to Islamic finance, Muslim-friendly travel and halal pharma used general consumers. This is understandable as students may not be able to relate to Islamic finance and halal pharma and may not be able to afford Muslim-friendly travel on their own.

The ability of halal brands to create positive brand perceptions for Muslim and non-Muslim consumers in halal markets will significantly contribute to the growth of the global halal economy. Despite the significance of the brand image construct, there has yet to be a clear consolidated understanding of the drivers and consequences of halal brand image for researchers and practitioners. Thus, this paper explored the research area of brand image across halal sectors through an SLR. This research uncovered the dominance of cognitive halal brand image models, the focus of halal brand image research on Muslim countries and the Islamic finance sector and the antecedents and outcomes of halal brand image across halal sectors. The findings from this study create a holistic tapestry of what was before a fragmented research area. Accordingly, insights from this SLR provide several practical and theoretical implications.

In terms of the practical implications, there are six key recommendations stemming from this paper for various stakeholders. First, the review’s findings provide strategic insights into the unique drivers of brand image per sector. For instance, it would pay dividends for marketers and brand managers in the Islamic finance industry to pay particular attention to the firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and effectively communicate these to stakeholders; multiple studies reviewed in this paper show that CSR can drive halal brand image. Such efforts can be carried out in the form of design specifications before launching the halal brand and a close monitoring of the halal brand image during the execution phase to ensure that the drivers remain present for the health of the halal brand image.

Second, owing to the importance of faith-based elements in driving halal brand image, brand managers and policymakers need to have the necessary expertise to ensure that the ethical and religious compliance dimensions of the brand exist and to communicate these effectively to consumers. This requires the assistance of suitable religious certification bodies or advisory boards as well as brand experts who are tuned to the cultural nuances of halal markets and who can communicate such matters with cultural finesse.

Third, brand managers need to assess how the drivers contributing to halal brand image can affect non-Muslim consumers if their brands are sold in markets with sizable non-Muslim customer segments. Based on the findings from Figure 4 on the importance of faith/ethics-related antecedents in building the halal brand image, brand managers of outbound Islamic brands (Alserhan, 2010b) would need to test the compatibility of brand attributes and stimuli with non-Muslims to understand if adjustments may be required to translate the religious components of the halal brand into more universal benefits that can appreciated by all. These could include a repackaging or a further explanation of the underlying positive meanings behind the halal philosophy. Nonetheless, the conceptual model in Figure 4 indicates that the other two of the three categories, namely firm-related and personal/social-related factors, are more universal and can appeal to non-Muslims. This implies that firms can also grow the halal-brand image with non-Muslims via these relatable factors. Such efforts at capturing a larger global market are a step in the right direction toward the possibility of more global halal brands (Interbrand, 2024).

The fourth managerial implication comes from the insights into the consequences of halal brand image. The consolidated outcomes of halal brand image give much support to brand managers who need to persuade their internal stakeholders of the benefits of improving the halal brand image. This study shows that the benefits of halal brand image transcend multiple affective (e.g. satisfaction), cognitive (e.g. perceived value) and behavioral (e.g. loyalty) outcomes for consumers and can benefit the firm’s product and brand. In the context of halal brands in countries where Muslims do not constitute the majority, outcomes such as improved attitudes and trust are important narratives that can benefit the economic as well as social climate. Accordingly, appropriate measures need to be taken to assess the effectiveness of a branding campaign that attempts to build a global halal brand image with the right balance of brand consistency and adaptation.

The fifth managerial implication of this study is that the conceptual model in Figure 4 emphasizes the need for the entire organization to be involved in the effective management of the halal brand image. Multiple departments, including sales, customer relations and information systems, need to work together with the branding team to ensure that the halal brand image is effectively formed and clearly measured based on the outcomes relevant to the various internal stakeholders. For instance, CSR efforts need to be carefully managed to ensure that public attitudes are positively contributing to the halal brand image to benefit both the firm and consumers.

The sixth practical implication of this study is that educators teaching courses on marketing and branding can now educate students on the nuanced similarities and differences of halal brand image when compared to traditional brand image. They can underscore how several underlying drivers and consequences are similar, which then leads to brand campaign synergies when targeting both halal and non-halal markets. At the same time, educators can encourage students to discuss the issues and challenges of managing faith and ethics-related drivers to improve the halal brand image.

In terms of research, four key implications are related to our three research questions of identifying the important trends, factors and research opportunities in halal brand image. First, this SLR is a rallying call for continued research on brand image in the halal space and with more impetus to increase the number of quality papers published in this research area. This can increase the body of knowledge of how brands can stand out more effectively in the growing halal economy.

Second, the antecedents and outcomes identified in this study can result in further multidisciplinary research as to how these factors can remain relevant to halal brand image in different environmental contexts. For instance, researchers in the services marketing field can work together with colleagues specializing in branding to further understand the challenges and complications of synergizing these factors for the halal market in different halal industries.

Third, the analysis of antecedents reveals a unique list of brand image constructs related to faith and ethics for the halal context. This extends the theory of brand image and supports future research to uncover more unique facets of halal brand image that were previously undetected in traditional brand image studies. Similar to the call for a paradigm shift in classical marketing theories to include more Ps unique to Islamic marketing (Wilson, 2012), future conceptualizations of halal brand image may be more inspired by the Islamic tradition. Using an example of a key outcome of brand image that is brand equity, the seminal brand equity measures by Aaker (1991) can be reflected in a more god-conscious manner aided by the acronym ALLAH – the term for God used by Muslims – and imbued with a renewed purpose and reminder of what brand value can mean for halal brands:

• Awareness: brand awareness including the brand’s purpose in the ecosystem.

• Loyalty: brand loyalty, including the importance of maintaining good relations.

• Leadership: perceived quality with a moral compass to create responsible brands.

• Associations: brand associations including extending the brand’s benefits to others.

• Holistic: other brand associations including being ethical and sustainable.

Like all research, this study too contains its limitations. First, the articles in this SLR are based widely on English journal papers from the Scopus and WoS databases. The use of English sources for systematic reviews in the Islamic marketing literature is not uncommon (Liew and Karia, 2024; Noor, 2025). However, this may result in the exclusion of key non-English scholarly articles, which then limit the perspectives of this research. Future studies can consider additional databases with non-English literature to deepen the research insights with other significant works. Second, this paper considered research where the main focus was on the study of brand image for firms specifically operating in halal industries. Future studies can investigate how the phenomenon of halal brand image interacts with general industries with Muslim consumers. Third, future studies can consider augmenting our systematic review with qualitative perspectives including interviews with consumers and brand managers to better understand the common perspectives and gaps associated with halal brand image.

Finally, with a better understanding of the state of research on halal brand image, multiple research gaps have been identified, which leads to further research opportunities. This includes supporting the call for further research into the halal media and recreation industry (Noor, 2025). The final research contribution of this paper is in the form of the consolidated research agenda in Table 9 to further advance the understanding of halal brand image with 18 future research recommendations.