Tag Archives: aspirations

Prepaid Mobile: The Business Model that Empowers

By Niti Bhan | Published: May 15, 2017

It feels like a long time since I last pondered the nuances of the prepaid business model, until I came across some words written by Indian social media researcher Swati Janu. She documented her observations on the infrastructure of insecurity from the tenements of New Delhi.  There’s value in reflecting on how our understanding only […]

Posted in Airtime, Base of the Pyramid, Biashara Economics, Business Models, Consumer Behaviour, Economy, Emerging Markets, Flexibility, Income, India, Marketing, Mobile platform, Perspective, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Research, User research, Value | Also tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Upward Mobility is Changing Base of the Pyramid Consumer Aspirations

By Niti Bhan | Published: May 5, 2015

I’d observed earlier that upward mobility wasn’t simply about increasing incomes, but also a change in mindset, world view and values. Aspirational consumer behaviour trickles downward faster, as strivers seek to emulate the status signals sent by those they perceive as “arrived”. The emerging middle class numbers may indeed be uncertain, as statisticians debate over […]

Posted in African Consumer Market, Assumption filter, Base of the Pyramid, Consumer Behaviour, Emerging Markets, global, Marketing, Mobile platform, Perspective, Technology | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Response

Questioning the narrative of extreme affordability for mobile phones

By Niti Bhan | Published: September 16, 2012

Yesterday I had a long conversation with someone whose job is related closely to mobile phone design. You’d recognize his employer’s name very easily. He asked me about extremely affordable phones for the low income segment in emerging markets. Late in the year of 2012, I found myself hesitating before answering immediately with a resounding […]

Posted in African Consumer Market, Assumption filter, Base of the Pyramid, Consumer Behaviour, Culture, Design, Emerging Markets, Informal & Flexible, Innovation Planning, Mobile platform, Perspective, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Strategy, Technology, User research, Value | Also tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The customer is the king; the beneficiary will remain a pauper

By Niti Bhan | Published: February 25, 2012

We weren’t beholden to our customers until we starting thinking like a business. We didn’t hold ourselves accountable until we started treating our ‘beneficiaries’ as customers. No investor took us seriously until we dropped the ‘social enterprise’ label. ~ Ben Lyon, Founder, KopoKopo, Nairobi, Kenya When I wrote “Why so much ‘BoP’ marketing fails in […]

Posted in Africa, Assumption filter, Base of the Pyramid, Business Models, Consumer Behaviour, Innovation Planning, Perspective, Sub Saharan Africa, Value | Also tagged , , , , | 2 Responses