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The purpose of this article is to examine the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) proposition, where private companies can both be profitable and help alleviate poverty by attending low‐income consumers.

The literature on BOP was reviewed and some key elements of the BOP approach were proposed and examined.

There is no agreement in the literature about the potential benefits of the BOP approach for both private companies and low‐income consumers. However, further research on characterizing the BOP segment and finding the appropriate business model for attending the BOP can provide some answers to this issue.

The article provides some guidelines to managers as to how they need to adapt their marketing strategies to sell to the BOP market, and what type of partnerships they need to build in order to succeed.

The article presents a thorough analysis of the key elements involved in the BOP initiative: companies' motivations, characterization of the BOP consumers, and the business model to attend the BOP.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework, based in entrepreneurship theory, which explains how marketing emerges in startups founded by members of the Millennial generation.

Following a literature review, from which propositions are derived, an earlier process model of organizational speciation is adapted to marketing by Millennial entrepreneurs.

A four‐stage cycle model of entrepreneurial marketing by Millennials is developed, consisting of enabling through resource scarcity, bonding through social media, new product introduction through incremental stealth, and replicating through variation, selection, and retention.

Model development would be enhanced through empirical data.

Marketers in entrepreneurial firms founded by Millennials can follow a few simple rules to enhance market penetration. Resource scarcity is something to be sought, not avoided. A thoughtful social media strategy can accelerate new product introduction: stealthiness and its close relation small size should be embraced; avoid getting too big too quickly; use furtiveness to drive social media‐based bonding.

Previous theoretical models at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface have not focused on the unique characteristics of Millennial‐led new ventures. This study develops the most comprehensive model of entrepreneurial marketing by Millennials to date.

This paper aims to contend that four significant ideas must be comprehended, and their connection and interaction understood if successful marketing to the 4 to 5 billion undeserved bottom of the pyramid (BOP) people in the world, by multinational firms is to be realized. These ideas are: the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) market itself; share of the heart versus consumer animosity; the nature and influence of global “umbrella” brands and responsible marketing as a guiding principle for all firms including those focusing on the BOP. Each of these ideas, in and of itself, represents an important dimension in today's global business environment, but taken together they offer a clearer understanding of how companies, particularly multinational companies, can do well (profit) and do good (improve humanity).

The paper briefly overviews the BOP literature, highlighting those parts most relevant to this work; expands upon the notion of “share of heart” and its twin components consumer affinity and consumer animosity; delineates the nature and impact of global “umbrella” brands in BOP marketing; synopsizes the notion of “responsible marketing” in the BOP context, and proposes a conceptual scheme of how these ideas are connected, how they interact in today's business world, and how they can lead to ongoing business success.

Mutlinational firms (MNFs) wishing to successfully pursue BOP markets need to blend their understanding of BOP uniqueness, with a clear understanding of the other three concepts, namely share of heart, gobal umbrella brands and responsible marketing. Tapping the potential of the BOP requires not only radicallly lowered priced products but also consumers with higher income. Marketers must address both parts of the problem since acting on either in isolation will not be effective.

Global umbrella brands of the rich world (BrandAmerica, EuroBrand, BrandNippon, etc.) must also play a part in successful BOP marketing. The future of such global umbrella brands lies to a great degree with BOP markets as these markets are still growing, and thus represent and will continue to represent either enormous partners or enormous rivals. MNFs that truly understand the nature, scope and potential of BOP markets, and act in concert to market responsibly to consumers in such markets, will not only garner the needed share of heart related to long‐term success in such markets, but will see their own global umbrella brand continue to thrive and prosper in the ever evolving global market arena.

Examines the types and characteristics of the new forms of the brand management system in marketing organizations as identified in previous research and previous existing research on performance appraisal systems. Draws linkages between the two systems to provide a framework for maximizing individual product manager’s performance, thereby maximizing overall organizational performance. Sets out a number of managerial implications and suggests areas for future research.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the preferences of young Millennials for a salient product category (toys) and to investigate possible within‐group differences that have relevance for marketers.

The study carried out analysis of commercially collected survey data (538 pre‐teen Millennials) from Harris On‐Line using cluster and correspondence analyses.

Segments exist within the younger Millennial cohort. Specifically, four clusters emerged including enthusiasts, social/intellectuals, creatives and the disengaged.

One limitation is the selection of the toy characteristics included in the cluster variate, which were based on scarce published research and the opinion of Harris On‐Line experts. A second limitation is that the toys were never differentiated between traditional toys and electronic toys. A third limitation revolves around the maturation of the Millennials and how that may affect the clusters over time.

The cohorts are not homogeneous and the marketers should attend to the differences within the Millennial cohort when preparing promotions and in new product development.

To date, few, if any, academic studies have been done that segment the Millennial generational cohort. The research paper utilizes both cluster and correspondence analyses, which are the most appropriate for investigating segmentation in this setting.