Biryani for the poor?

Recently, there were reports that Akshay Patra, which is the NGO partner on the midday meal scheme across several states, doesn't cook with onion and garlic, and the beneficiaries do not relish such food, leading to wastage. Arguments are raging back and forth on both sides, and I was shocked to read a tweet from someone who said: "1. Beggars can't be choosers; and 2. What's next, Biryani fried rice?" Rather reminiscent of the reaction Oliver Twist got when he asked for more.

It reminded me of a research project I had worked on a few years back. The client had come up with an idea for a brand of sambar powder for a southern state targeting the budget-stressed consumer and wanted to understand consumer attitudes and usage beforehand. When I reported the findings - that not only were there huge variations in the types of sambars and therefore  powders, but consumers were extremely picky about the taste and therefore powder they used, the client was aghast. They had assumed that  if they produced a less tasty but branded sambar powder under their wellknown brand, the consumer would lap it up, at a premium!

It's a pointer to our assumptions and biases when we design for 'lower' SECs, be it products or communication. Firstly, the notion of higher and lower SECs creates a hierarchy, whereas what we are referring to is assumed income levels. Secondly, the assumption that someone who has a lower capacity to pay will be happy with a product that does less, for the value of the brand needs to be questioned thoroughly. Has the brand done enough to be that aspirational, in the first place? Second, even if the brand is seen as aspirational, is the consumer willing to bargain that aspirational quality for reduced functionality?

In India, the consumer is aspirational but also shrewd. Years ago, when we worked on advertising for a consumer electronics brand, we found that consumers preferred brands with more features in comparison to brands ranked higher on aspiration but with fewer features. In Poor Economics, Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo talk about the desire of even BOP consumers to lead emotionally fulfilling lives - a desire that may lead them to prize buying a television over more food, for example. For someone with a lower income, who is carefully budgeting what she does and does not buy, the product that makes sense for her is one that does more, works harder, lasts longer - not one that does less. The conundrum of how to get that product made at a price they can afford is a whole other one, but the first step to launching a successful product or campaign targeting the budget-stressed consumer is not to assume, as a patron, what they ought to value but to find out what they in fact prize. 

Going back to the sambar powder story, we told the client that food was one of the 'small pleasures' that this consumer relished, since their other avenues for entertainment - movies, outings - were few and far between. Given that, they would stretch to get a better tasting powder, even unbranded, rather than buy branded for the sake of it.