BOP Documentarians

I came across Channel 19 today, a venue for base of the pyramid individuals to produce and screen their own films. A huge applause is due to Jessica Mayberry for taking initiative and starting this project. I commented on her poignant blog post at IdeaLab and I mean it when I say I am looking forward to seeing where she takes this.

In my own research on new media applications for the base of the pyramid, especially regarding the use of new media to market to the base of the pyramid, I found Asia to be an especially ripe and receptive market for new media advertising such as mobile video ads. In China, 63% of new cell phone users come from rural areas (Kanellos 2007). Also in China, 200,000 people open up cell phone accounts every day and there are over 500 million cell phone users in the country. That number is expected to grow to 784 million users by 2011 and 239 million people are expected to access the internet by cell phone by 2011(Kanellos 2007).

More than just advertising, though, the rise of mobile phones and the transmittability of video on phones is an opportunity for a two-way conversation to happen. Though not yet on phones, Channel 19 is moving in the right direction by enlisting BOP individuals to produce their own videos and I would suggest that the ideas driving Mayberry's project also be taken mobile, so as to open up more doors and opportunities for engagement outside of local communities, such as with large multi-national businesses. In India, where Channel 19 started, the Community Producers choose issues relevant to their communities and thus share stories in their own voices. While these videos may not yet be in use by corporate marketers, there is limitless potential to turn this footage into consumer ethnographic research. If corporate marketers took the time to truly engage BOP consumers, they could also text back and forth with the Community Producers and get to know their daily lifestyles and habits through more interactive questions and answers, on video.

So is all this talk of turning BOP-produced footage into marketing research material only in the interest of large corporations, you ask? The answer is a definitive no. What better way to serve the base of the pyramid than to get to know and understand its population and therefore create products and services that better meet their needs? By putting the control of information in the hands of BOP consumers and allowing for deeper engagement between the corporation and the individual, an information and social gap is breached. And the provision of products and services does not have to be at the commodity level--a small business owner in the mountains of Nepal or Peru could benefit from an improved, appropriate, and affordable product which will help her run her business better and more efficiently, therefore encouraging innovation, success, and triumph for microenterprises, the very bedrock of development.

For more on consumer research and mobile video marketing to the BOP, email Jenara Nerenberg, Chief Bloggger at Bop Source at jenara@bopsource.com.

Marketing to the BOP in Asia

Marketing to the base of the pyramid is an undeveloped practice. Because companies have traditionally focused on middle and higher income segments of Asian countries and have left non-profits and governments to deal with the BOP, the behaviors, daily habits, and lifestyles of the poorest of the poor remain unknown to corporate marketers. It is critical that corporate marketers keep in mind several factors when marketing to the BOP.

1. Get to know your consumer. Do not simply transfer a marketing framework currently in place for reaching middle and higher income segments. The BOP consumer is typically less educated and less literate, and is sometimes subject to an existence dictated by needs of daily survival. The BOP thus requires an extremely tailored marketing approach.

2. People are people. Some themes do carry over from more familiar markets. The BOP does value authenticity and trust and the more you can engage on a level where value is created for them beyond the product at hand, the more brand loyalty you can engender.

3. Partner with Non-profit and Government entities. Non-profits and governments often know their constituents better than anyone else--why reinvent the wheel when you can get first-rate quality information about your target BOP consumer from them?

4. Hire locally. The more you immerse yourself in a community, the better known you will become and the better you will be able to understand and reach your target audience.

5. Use new media. Have you read the headlines? Cell phones, ICT centers, and other new media devices enjoy quick uptake among the BOP in Asia; You hence have tremendous opportunity to beat your competitor and develop relationships with the BOP first, before anyone else in your sector reaches them.

For more information, contact Jenara at jenara@bopsource.com

BED Supperclub, Bangkok

I found the more daring of Bangkok's young elite within the walls of the BED Supperclub, located off Sukhumvit Road on Soi 11.

Transnational fashion, Asia style

Tokyo fashion is a blend of blissed out 80's robot garb with rainbow-dressed schoolgirls running around with angel faces. Everything is a statement and everything is basked in a sassy, sexy, glittery glow. An air of excitement, revolution, intense energy, and rebellious underground hip-hop permeates the streets of Shibuya and Harajuku.

I detect the same is on the rise in Saigon, where local hangouts consist of brilliant, talented artists costuming Yoko-Ono, bangs in the face, and bright yellow dresses that evoke the same 80's robot flare as Tokyo. While Vietnam is in the early years of its economic development, signs pop up everywhere that indicate fashion, glitz, glamour, and 5-star clubs are in demand. With English becoming more commonly spoken on the streets and students gaining opportunties to study abroad, there is no stopping Saigon from becoming the next Bangkok or Tokyo with fashion from all over the world in the house.

The streets of Bangkok present a slightly more tame picture, with styles often mimicing conservative styles from the U.S. Class and sophistication outweigh the impulse to rebel and femininity rules over attention-grabbing looks.

Images of Thai Youth Culture

Siam Square, a mecca for urban hipsters and teeny boppers alike.




J Avenue, where local Design District workers hang out after office hours.

Bill Gates on Creative Capitalism

The time for creative capitalism, also known as "business at the base of the pyramid" (BBOP) or business that serves a "triple bottom line," has, quite frankly, arrived, is long overdue, but is here, I must say, at a time when business leaders, policy makers, and consumers are ready for it. Exhausted from a fragmented effort on the part of a multitude of non-profits and government agencies to try to help the poor, serious people now see that the private sector holds the key to the end of modern poverty.

I was first introduced to BBOP in a Harvard Business School course taught by Professors Kash Rangan and Michael Chu. The task of the students was to evaluate for-profit initiatives operating at the base of the pyramid in light of their economic and social returns. I decided to look at emerging markets in Asia and the role that new media and particularly new media marketing can and should play in educating and empowering BOP consumers. Of course the other half of my work focused on the value created for the companies themselves.

Public private partnerships should play a critical role, for example, in the sharing of information about target populations and their behaviors. Any good marketing professional wants to know everything about their target consumer. What better way to get such information than to partner with NGO's that have been working with BOP populations for decades? Likewise, companies can provide the necessary funding for consumer research that NGO's often lack.

I applaud Bill Gates for recognizing the need for modern technology to go hand in hand with creative capitalism's progression and implementation--he is a natural candidate to propose such recommendations due to his remarkable success in his line of work. My goal in focusing on new media marketing--particularly the use of mobile phones--is to look at the role of affordable, effective, and efficient technology in reaching the world's poor and learn how to encourage them to become consumers of products that will improve their lives. A marketing executive can choose between outdoor displays or an instant text message that reaches millions at a time. Micro-finance institutions employ mobile phones for their customers' banking needs and farmers in India now check crop prices from internet kiosks in their villages. My, how social media has won the marketing game.

Corporations will play a leading role in the fight to end poverty, because it is in their interest do so. And the more we cater products and services to the BOP, the more we learn about and engage with people who are different from ourselves, therefore generating opportunities for business leaders to go beyond basic business sense to a sustainable corporate social responsibility regimen that is integrated into the actual business functions and which reflects a more personal philosophy of business executives.

Read the original Bill Gates article from TIME here.

For more information about new media marketing to the BOP in Asia, please email Jenara at jenara@bopsource.com.

Crepes in Bangkok

Crepes & Co. is set in a beautiful cottage with lush vegetation and stylish wicker furniture. Inside is a French/Greek ambiance, with uber friendly servers and a delicate, charming decor. A magazine stand with international and local magazines complements any meal, along with the soft ambient beats in the background. Off Sukhumvit Road, Soi 12.

Bangkok Elite

My first night in Bangkok took me to the Emporium Shopping Centre on Sukhumvit Road, near Soi 24. We stopped at Greyhound Cafe, which boasts of international cusine, fine people watching, stylish decor, and well-dressed servers. A few floors up sits Kalapapreuk, a quaint and sophisticated restaurant serving traditional Thai fare. Their Pad Se Ew is to die for and the clientele is a diverse mix of beautiful people.

Temple Club

I spent my last night in HCMC at the Temple Club, a restaurant housed in a renovated French villa. Temple Club oozes chic fusion style, with a romantic flair. I could not get enough of their Fish in Tamarind Sauce and their appetizer platter, which included beef wrapped in lot leaves. The place is absoluteley remarkabale for its quality of food and ambiance. Even Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt made a stop there during their time in Vietnam.

Afterwards, for a view of HCMC at night, we went to the top of the Caravelle Hotel. Great views, great music, and great decor all bode well for this place. We tried to check out the Q Bar across the street at the Opera House, but it was cloesd for renovation. Next time.

Urban - Hip - Young - Vibrant HCMC

Another interesting article about Ho Chi Minh City's (HCMC) rise to status cool is here. The next Bangkok, maybe? A category all on its own? I can't wait to see.

Thai youth culture

As I prepare to head to Bangkok for the 4th time or so, I've decided to focus on the youth culture there--I plan to visit Siam Square again and a few other places. I love Bangkok for its dynamism, openness, great food, and aesthetic sensitivity.


Boutique in Siam Square



Local hipsters on J Avenue



Grunge rules at Au bon Pain

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Vietnam--A Rising Star

Right now I am traveling through Vietnam and have encountered the many fascinating layers of its rapid economic development. In Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), there are nightclubs where urban hipsters drink beer, show off their latest fashions, and listen to brilliant covers of the Beatles, Alanis Morisette, and Nora Jones. Around the corner are the massage parlours where some women study English by day and practice at night with their foreign patrons. All in all, Vietnam is perhaps the most exciting emerging market for its diversity in trades, geography, rich culture, delicate history, blossoming young leaders, and sheer beauty. Read a 2000 NY Times article on Vietnam's changing youth culture here.