You meet him regularly. He is the man who tells you to try a new aftershave or warns you to stay away from a brand of toothpaste that you were tempted to pick up. He is Khirod Das ? a small-time neighbourhood shopkeeper in Siuri or Sultanpur. Yes, you may not know his name or where he lives, but it is difficult to deny that quite often he is your brand adviser. By virtue of that he is the last line of defence for many companies that sell fast-moving consumer goods. He is the partner of Levers and Reckitts, Colgate and Coke, Lakme and Nestle. He is the fifth P of the Indian marketing mix.

Khirod Das starts his day early. He cannot afford to lose a single customer. His locality now has five shops in close proximity. He cannot but stock items that give him very little profit, lest the customer goes away to another shop. For him, there are no TV serials, no cricket matches or KBC. A day that starts at dawn ends at 10 pm.

Khirod Das is a graduate. He tried for a job but had no luck. Desperate, he borrowed some money and started his shop. Mercifully, he is still in touch with his three closest friends from school. They often drop in at his shop on their way back from office. Subodh works in the public health department in their small town and Arun is with the railways.

The other day, Subodh dropped in at an unusual hour. He needed Rs 500 to send his wife to her parent?s home. Just before Puja, some gifts have to be taken; Subodh was very apologetic. Khirod looked into his cash box ? he had kept some money away to pay the distributor. He thought he would stall that payment; after all, Subodh and he went back so many years.

A few days later, Arun dropped in. Arun had been to Subodh?s home the previous evening. One of Subodh?s office seniors from Calcutta had come to town. He had organised a dinner for his boss. Subodh had invited Arun but not Khirod. The official reason: how could Khirod leave his shop? The real reason: Khirod was a dokandar.

This is not an untold story. Yet, it is an unheard story. The marketing world has never listened to it. They converse in a different language with Khirod. Khirod, after all, is always complaining about margins and special offers, damaged stocks and credit extensions. Why, only last month when he was given two free plastic chairs, he promptly sold them in the market. He creates the impression that he is one-dimensional. Still, it does not take a psychologist to realise that Khirod has other needs and anxieties. He sold the chairs because he lent the money to his childhood buddy. The distributor still had to be paid.

The reason for this distance is very apparent. The marketing men of big companies have never met Khirod Das. During their market visits, they are taken to the chosen few ? the A-class outlets. Khirod Das does not qualify, he is too small. This despite the fact that he caters to the majority of consumers. His is the advice most consumers listen to for choosing a brand of mosquito coil or mustard oil.

Perhaps, more importantly, marketing men of big companies have never been told to empathise with Khirod. The books they read were written in supermarket countries. Khirod Das is an unknown quantity. He remains the unsung hero of Indian marketing.

For, it is he who makes or breaks hundreds of brands every year.