To research the ‘base of the pyramid’ we can’t apply the shared assumptions which communication typically relies on. http://www.tnsglobal.com

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Bridging the gap (Seeing through BoP eyes)

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Bridging the gap (Seeing through BoP eyes)
In researching the Base of the Pyramid
(BoP), researchers must learn to operate
without the shared assumptions on
which communication typically relies.

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Bridging the gap (Seeing through BoP eyes)
“The real voyage of discovery,” Marcel Proust wrote,
“consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having
new eyes.” Researchers working at the BoP must
embrace both experiences if they are to be successful:
exploring new landscapes in terms of economic
disparities, infrastructure and literacy, whilst adapting
to subtler socio-cultural gaps in order to ‘see’ this
world in the same terms as BoP consumers.
When conversations lack common ground
The absence of shared implicit assumptions about the
way the world works can greatly inhibit our ability
to ‘read’ and communicate with BoP consumers.
When talking to populations that have very different
experiences of learning, media, products and services,
it is surprising just how many notions and concepts no
longer hold true.
Culture can be defined as a system of common
assumptions, and this shared starting point is essential
for communication and interpretation. When it is
removed, the resultant breakdown in communication
can be bewildering. Researchers must respond by
framing questions in new ways, and learning what
the answers to these questions really mean.
They must start by adapting their approach to
the types of decisions that BoP consumers are
accustomed to making.
From choosing products to choosing needs
In the environment of the BoP, the very notion of
consumer choice changes. The question is not so
much “what product do I choose to fulfil this need?”
but “which need should I choose to fulfil first?”.
With many priorities competing for limited disposable
income, we often find situations where choices
and trade-offs are made across markedly different
categories. The relative value of fulfilling a need
depends on the priority given to the area of life that
it impacts. Understanding these priorities fully can
enable research to make a greater contribution than
focusing questions on brand or product preference.
In the BoP, for example, growth in income or social
capital is frequently prioritised over personal comfort
and convenience, something that does not hold true
to the same extent in many developed markets.
Brands in sectors as diverse as mobile phones,
fertilisers and personal care products have found
considerable success by focusing their proposition on
economic advancement, rather than more immediate
and obvious consumer benefits.
High
priority
Low
priority

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Bridging the gap (Seeing through BoP eyes)
A not-so-common visual language
Poor literacy levels amongst BoP consumers create
another set of challenges when it comes to research
and marketing. Visual messaging, using common
symbols and images, is an obvious alternative to
written questions and communication. However,
what passes for common visual language in many
situations does not necessarily apply in the BoP. When
researching in remote, rural communities, it is often
surprising how visual grammar that seems intuitive
to urban populations turns out to be wholly alien to
BoP consumers. The idea of traffic lights, with green
standing for go ahead and red indicating stop, is a
wholly urban notion. For consumers who have never
seen a traffic light, the colours red and green do
not have the same meaning. This can have serious
consequences, not only in research but also in simple
messaging. Colour coding bore-wells to mark safe
and unsafe drinking water is unlikely to have the
intended impact, for example.
As with colours, so with ‘simple, everyday symbols’
that can turn out to be indecipherable to the
audience they were intended for. In one example,
ticks and crosses next to covered and uncovered pots
of water were intended to show the importance of
keeping drinking water covered.
However, ticks and crosses are themselves formally
learned symbols rather than intuitively understood.
In this case, the tick was decoded as representing
a ladle to scoop out water – and the picture had
no meaning beyond this.

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Bridging the gap (Seeing through BoP eyes)
Seeing with new eyes
The best solutions to the perception gaps that emerge
when working with the BoP is prolonged immersion
by researchers to build contextual knowledge and
understanding of different communities. However, the
demands of commercial market research mean that
such an approach is not always practical. TNS applies
diverse approaches to BoP research that can provide
a more timely and applicable solution to bridging
the gaps produced by different socio-economic
experiences and include:
Cultural interpreters
Working in partnership with those with exposure to the BoP can provide ready
insight as to where cultural gaps exist – and a means of bridging them. Young
people from remote rural communities who have moved to work in the city, or
community workers belonging to NGOs can act as cultural interpreters and an
important aid to data gathering.
Common visual grammar
Understanding the shortcomings of supposedly universal symbols is an
important first step towards developing a more intuitive visual grammar. TNS is
developing a process to identify a common visual language that can be used in
communication with the BoP.
Mapping priorities
Studying patterns of adoption across different categories is enabling us to map
how BoP consumers prioritise and trade-off between their many different needs
– producing a more meaningful guide to consumer decision-making.

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Bridging the gap (Seeing through BoP eyes)
Leading the way to a better understanding
Research is a natural arena for confronting the issues
involved in communicating with the BoP. However,
the benefits of a shared understanding go beyond
the gathering and interpreting of data; they are
essential for acting on it as well. The insights gained
through seeking a common cultural language have
immediate value for brands, governments, NGOs
and all others tasked with engaging BoP consumers
– and exploring new forms of research has a crucial
role to play in this process.
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Bridging the gap (Seeing through BoP eyes)
About Intelligence Applied
Intelligence Applied is the home of the latest thinking from TNS, where we discuss the issues impacting
our clients, explore what makes people tick and spotlight how these insights can create opportunities for
business growth.
Please visit www.tnsglobal.com/intelligence-applied for more information.
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TNS advises clients on specific growth strategies around new market entry, innovation, brand switching and
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over 80 countries, TNS has more conversations with the world’s consumers than anyone else and understands
individual human behaviours and attitudes across every cultural, economic and political region of the world.
TNS is part of Kantar, the data investment management division of WPP and one of the world’s largest insight,
information and consultancy groups.
Please visit www.tnsglobal.com for more information.
Get in touch
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enquiries@tnsglobal.com or via Twitter @tns_global
About the author
Anjali Puri is Regional Director,
Qualitative Research, TNS Asia-
Pacific. A seasoned qualitative
researcher with close to two
decades in the industry, Anjali has held a
number of regional and global roles. She has
extensive experience across categories in India
and Asia Pacific, particularly food & beverage,
healthcare and technology. Anjali has been
active in the development of new qualitative
methodologies and has been responsible for
shaping contemporary thinking in qualitative
research globally, particularly in the area of
consumer decision making and social media. She
is a frequent presenter at ESOMAR and other
industry forums, and the recipient of the ‘Best
New Thinking’ award by the UK MRS in 2006.