“If only the chronically poor could talk”: listening to voices in poverty from Zambia

This paper examines the marketing of poverty reduction against twin backdrops, one global the other local: The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), whose focus is the reduction of human poverty; and poverty in one “developing” economy, Zambia. The paper links marketing to a wider literature in development studies, including a stakeholder coverage that recognizes voices of the poor (Narayan et al., 2000a, b). Voice is arguably a central input to good governance by and within donor agencies, including their social marketing arms. Poverty marketing has at least four key functional elements (after Borden, 1964): Marketing Product, which in Zambia's case is largely agricultural, plus frequently both organic and small-hold; Marketing Price, which in this case is listening to the “bottom of the pyramid” (Prahalad, 2005); Marketing Place, for example via poverty reduction strategy papers (PSRPs), which must include the local community; and Marketing Promotion, which includes promoting rural infrastructure projects at politicians, to bring entrepreneurial spirit to market. These “4Ps” of Poverty marketing are probably not confined to Zambia. Many “developing” economies present a similar if not overlapping series of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Meeting the challenges to halve extreme poverty by 2015 will require a substantive contribution from both the marketing profession and its arguably fit-for-purpose discipline base. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.