Time left 2:28:34 One of Unilever's chief rivals, P&G, took notice of Unilever's success in India and worked to find ways to capture market share in a category in which they were the global market leader: razors and blades. They felt that there was a significant opportunity to meet the shaving needs of Indian men at the bottom of the pyramid. Unfortunately, early efforts, like its Vector razor, were undermined by a misunderstanding of the shaving process for men in India, many of whom did not have access to running water. More recently, P&G introduced the Gillette Guard. This razor was developed based on 3,000 hours of research over 18 months, some of it conducted in the homes of low-income Indian men. They asked the men about their shaving rituals and observed them in the process of shaving. What P&G found is that they typically shave sitting on the floors of their huts with no electricity, using a bowl of water and no mirror. Their primary objective is to avoid cutting themselves. This research proved to be invaluable in the development of a new razor. As a result of its painstaking research and attention to the needs of this unique target audience, P&G's market share of razors and blades has grown significantly in India and at a faster rate than any other P&G brand in India. Despite the challenges they encountered, it appears that the Gillette Guard can be considered a bottom of the pyramid success story. Considering the worldwide need and opportunity for low cost products, companies will likely continue to pursue innovative strategies to reach consumers at the bottom of the pyramid. Question: To serve BOP consumers profitably, companies have to assess their needs, modes of usage and provide cost effective innovative solutions. Discuss this statement in the context of this case