21st century Kenyan
The mobile as the post industrial platform for socioeconomic development in the BoP segment (Jan 26 2007)
Thank you for the inspiration, Steve. ~In memoriam~ Dan Pink wrote about the Well curve, the antithesis to the Bell curve that traditionally defines where the majority of the populace will lie statistically in their preferences. In essence, he says, But today Galton’s beautiful form might not be so regular. Although bell curve distribution is […]
Beyond.internet
From the fact that mtandao is a newly minted word in Kiswahili that means network – from the verb tanda which means to spread – to the signboard’s assertion that its no longer simply a matter of getting access to the internet but instead a consideration of what’s next – our early survey of cyber […]
Opportunity spaces vs ideas – business development for the BoP markets
Ideas or concepts are not the same as opportunity spaces or gaps in a particular market. Exploratory user research can identify opportunities for innovation, that is, either unmet needs or gaps in the existing ecosystem which could be filled by a product or service with the intent to create and provide value. On the other […]
Seeing the humour in marketing’s efforts to reach the rural
From the Chairman of Y&R Africa’s column, this amusing snippet on branding in rural Africa while making an insightful point: Wall painting is another tapeworm in the belly of the marketing budget. On a Continent dogged by marginal infrastructure, it’s a visual boon. Whole villages and trading centres can get spruced up overnight. They look […]
Communicating value across cultures
Reading about Cisco’s move to Bangalore in BW’s breathless prose, this interchange struck me forcibly. “It will give them some exposure and it’s a glamorous job … but it could create an Ivy League-type clique of expats who are richer than the locals,” Kay said. “I doubt that most of them will stay long enough […]
Influence of global communications among the BoP audience
Recently, this call for action by Infodev was shared with me and I was pleased to notice that they’ve referenced one of my former projects – the Finnish BoP project funded by TEKES and conducted by Aalto University. Now that was a challenging one to wrestle down into some kind of viable action plan but that’s […]
Internet penetration by population in African countries: mapping opportunity
Since we’re currently working on a market entry exploration study for Village Telco in Kenya, I’ve been taking a deeper look at the spread and adoption of internet use. It struck me that the landscape is actually far more fragmented than it used to be – things have been changing so fast that gone are […]
Barriers to business with the ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’ : what can we learn from Mama Boi?
The Monitor Group has made available the complete HBR article “Is the Bottom of the Pyramid Really for you?” (PDF) where the authors frame the debate for multinationals questioning whether to consider entering this challenging though untapped segment of the global marketplace. They list some of the common barriers faced by executives during their attempts […]
Lies, damned lies and statistics: how mythinformation can go viral for mobile data
Mark Kaigwa‘s comment on my previous post exploring the future of cyber cafes in Kenya made me take a deeper look at the data around mobile phones, internet access and of course, extremely affordable Android based smartphones. Perhaps it was not just in the urban areas that cyber cafes were facing a challenge to their […]
