Problems and solutions

While admiring the breath-taking scenery in a developing country, I pondered what could be done to make life better here for the people. I spoke to Miton’s aunt who has lived in Nepal all her life and has traveled to many parts of the world. When I asked her what she would fix, her answer was the electricity issue. They live 13 hours a day without electricity. If this happened in the United States, there would be an outcry. Here, life simply goes on. What’s unfortunate is that they have the resources to create the necessary hydroelectric power. She said that communities would benefit greatly from micro-hydroelectric plants. They get a loan from the bank, build the plant, and pay back the bank with the money they earn. Sounds easy, right? Unfortunately communities who have made the investment in the past have had challenges due to changes in laws that make it much more difficult. Other communities see this and are not motivated to make the same type of investment. I also asked Miton what he would fix if he had the ability and necessary funding. He explained that the country’s competitive advantage is its beauty, but the people have not taken full advantage of it. Therefore, he would fix the roads and clean up the litter everywhere. I joked that the country would then need a marketing strategy. The Kathmandu airport had very little marketing geared toward travelers even though many foreigners visit the country to go trekking. In general, I noticed that advertising here has no call to action, so it’s seems to be used to create awareness. I didn’t expect to see a website address. However, most of the population owns a cell phone, so I’m surprised that companies haven’t utilized this mode of communication. Miton’s friend worked for Coca-Cola and currently teaches marketing in Nepal. He explained that they teach a lot of the same theory that we learn in the US, but the tools that marketers can use to reach consumers in Nepal is much more limited. They have to focus on distribution and point-of-purchase marketing.