Enabling and using local communication channels in rural India

Abstract: The global population can, based on income per capita be divided into three socioeconomic segments of a pyramid where the bottom segment is labeled: base/bottom of the pyramid (BOP). The BOP market has a collective buying power estimated to five trillion dollar per year. The BOP-segment may seem lucrative but it is however risky and challenging to enter a market characterized by poverty. One of the risks that are pointed out in research is minimal local marketing expertise. A key to succeed in a BOP-market is finding innovative ways of building awareness for a product. Earlier research have pointed at local partners as important for creating that awareness. This study aimed to find how companies have enabled and used non-traditional partners as a communication channel. The findings of the study indicate that companies have used enabling efforts and that CSR approaches and NGO partnerships had been important for enabling the communication channel as well as important for delivering a trustworthy message for all investigated cases