14. Developing Sustainable Strategies at the Base of the Pyramid

The purpose of this chapter is to understand the trade-offs inherent in the base of the pyramid (BoP) strategies from the perspective of BoP consumers. This chapter argues that it is important for firms to listen to the voices of the BoP consumers, specifically to understand how they view for-profit firms seeking to reconcile profit motivations with alleviating poverty. The study draws on qualitative research conducted with 15 consumers of microfinance loans in rural South India, where the microfinance firm had both profit and poverty alleviation motivations. Three key themes emerged as the outcomes of the research study. These are as follows: (1) ambidextrous motivations of the firm (wanting to help, profit motivations and blessings from God); (2) awareness (whether the consumers were aware of the profit motivations); and (3) image of the firm. Inserting crucial voices of the poor into BoP debates will not only increase their robustness but also generates new and innovative thinking to support marketing managers who seek to engage in BoP contexts but are unsure of the tendentious question of poverty alleviation whilst making profits.