From margins to markets: an innovator perspective on developmental and social marketing challenges for grassroots innovations

Purpose Grassroots innovations (GIs) represent bottom-up, community-driven solutions that diverge from mainstream innovation by emphasizing bricolage. It integrates local knowledge, pre-existing technologies and contextual needs over utilitarian commercialization and hierarchical models. Design/methodology/approach Employing an exploratory qualitative approach, the research draws inferences from multiple case studies (four in-depth interviews) and field interactions with grassroots innovators, providing a contextual understanding of GI processes. Data were analysed through thematic synthesis to benchmark GIs against social marketing characteristics. Findings Findings reveal that GI emergence stems from adversity-driven creativity, frugality and individual agency, supported by networks involving nongovernmental organizations, government agencies and community stakeholders. However, their informal nature, reliance on limited resources and challenges in scaling, imitation and institutional integration hinder diffusion. Social marketing emerges as a potential enabler by reframing GIs through participatory storytelling, ethical branding and collaborative networks that amplify socio-economic impact without compromising their ethos. Personal characteristics, learning processes and policy frameworks further influence GI outcomes, though financial impediments and regulatory barriers persist. Originality/value Rooted in Indigenous practices, Gis address local challenges in resource-scarce, poverty-stricken environments, prioritizing livelihood enhancement, social justice and sustainability rather than profit. This study explores the ontology of GIs in rural India, identifying key determinants of their development and examining how social marketing strategies can facilitate scalability, diffusion and broader impact, while acknowledging the limitations of applying market-oriented approaches to inherently non-commercial innovations.