The 86 Percent Solution: How to Succeed in the Biggest Market Opportunity of the Next 50 Years

Chapter 9. Take the Market to the People

With many parts of developing markets virtually inaccessible by traditional distribution systems, companies have had to go out to the market with bicycles, hole-in-the-wall stores, and local knowledge to take the market to the people.

Kwame knocks on the door of a warehouse in Accra, Ghana. He is a "boreholer" taking Unilever products to a set of remote villages several hours from the capital. After speaking with a manager, Kwame fills a backpack with small packets of shampoos, soaps, toothpaste, and other items. He then heads to the bus station. As he waits, he notes with some pride that a television in the bus terminal is showing advertising for his products. This makes his work easier.He rides the bus ...