Principles of Rural Marketing
Principles of Rural Marketing
Principles of Rural Marketing
56% OF INCOME
64% OF EXPENDITURE
BEYOND FARMERS
66 % of income today is from non-farming related activities
GROWING EXPENDITURE
Rural monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) is growing at a faster rate than urban
Between 2009 and 2012, spending in rural India reached US$69 billion, significantly
higher than the US$55 billion spent by urban populations
GROWING ASPIRATIONS
Rural India is buying more & more motorcycles, cars, smartphones and bigger televisions
BUT BIGGER CHALLENGES
Lack of
Income Realities Distribution Diverse Audience
traditional media
One in three of the small town Scattered in smaller villages, Not one homogenous group Penetration of television
and rural working population is gaining access is a tedious and radio is limited
a daily wage earner task Cultural and linguistic
diversity, still persists. Lack of electricity negates
One in four of the working Local entrepreneurs take whatever media is
population in villages has no advantage by manufacturing available
fixed income. cheaper substitutes
While digital penetration is
growing, still a long way to
go
WE BREAK
MEDIA RELATED CHALLENGES
INCOME RELATED CHALLENGES
These areas were also away from the reach of most media because electricity was
limited & sporadic
This radio station would solve for people’s need for the entertainment they
desperately sought but never had access to
Consumers had to just give a missed call and in return we would provide them with 20
minutes of free entertainment, along with radio spots from Unilever
WORK
#2
RURAL CONSUMERS MAY NOT TRUST YOU TILL YOU
ACTUALLY PROVE YOUR BENEFITS
They felt washing with water alone was sufficient, since the hands seemed clean
after washing with water
They never realized that most of the diarrhea cases were a result of this unhygienic activity
Health officers from Lifebuoy visited 43,000 Indian villages and schools over five years
With the help of a special GlowGerm UV demo, they brought alive the fact that
‘Visible Clean is not clean’ and hence washing with water alone is not enough
They used product demonstrations, interactive visuals, competitions and drama workshops
to spread the health and hygiene message
WORK
#3
RURAL AUDIENCE IS VERY COLLECTIVIST
ACTIVATE A SET OF INFLUENCERS WHO IN
TURN CREATE POSITIVE WORD OF MOUTH
HERO HONDA – ‘HAR GAON, HAR ANGAN’
BACKGROUND
Hero wanted to grow its volumes in the rural areas
These opinion leaders were used to organize and draw crowds to public service
events Hero conducted like dramas around safe riding, obtaining license, health camps etc.
These programs and the influencer group was activated just before harvest season and created
positive word of mouth about Hero
#4
RURAL AUDIENCE COULD FEEL ALIENATED AND
INTIMIDATED BY NEW, URBAN MODELS
They felt bank accounts were not for uneducated, lower income groups like them
They also felt that the banking procedures were an ordeal & brought
embarrassment, even more so because they weren’t literate
Provided a bigger carrot to get them to help them rationalize and hence overcome their prejudices
– ‘A solution for each of their money related woes’
And used this communication platform to tackle every barrier rural consumers had
This message was communicated through personal, interactive media like street plays, community
games, outdoors at congregation points etc.
WORK
WORK
#5
RURAL CONSUMERS ARE NEW TO MANY CATEGORIES
AND HENCE YOUR MESSAGE NEEDS REINFORCING
Since a habit needed to be created, a one-off piece of communication wouldn’t have been enough.
A radio property was created around a very relatable, rooted character called
‘Chulbuli’
The radio property spoke about ‘Chulbuli’ and her everyday adventures, and was aired on All
India Radio regularly
After every adventure of hers, Chulbuli would reinforce and reiterate the need for
shampooing everyday
WORK
But most rural audiences didn’t have a car and were happy without them
Maruti decided to make owning a car a symbol of status and higher social standing
The ‘Mera Sapna, Meri Maruti’ TV ad was created for this audience
This was followed by a ‘Video on Wheels’ initiative in which the villagers got to see the screening of
Maruti Suzuki content while sitting in a plush air-conditioned environment in the back of a truck
The film tells the story of an average villager who buys a Wagon R and how it changes his life. Once
the film ends, a host conducted a quick quiz to ensure brand recall
WORK
TV VIDEO ON WHEELS
#7
SIMPLIFY AND HUMANIZE TECHNOLOGY
BUILD RELATABILITY BY ROOTING IT IN THEIR
DAY TO DAY LIVES AND NEEDS
MAHINDRA TRACTORS
BACKGROUND
Mahindra wanted to launch its new Bhumiputra tractor and gain lion’s share of the tractor
market
The tractor was positioned as the wheel of earnings, that ensured better earnings
because of the new airflow technology
An experiential air chamber was also created, where farmers could watch a film educating
them about the tractor's features, while also experiencing air flow technology themselves
WORK
#8
RURAL AUDIENCE IS HAPPY WITH THEIR
EXISTING HABITS AND MAY NOT FEEL THE
NEED FOR NEW HABITS
Most schools in villages have the mid-day meal scheme. And the only source of water
at schools are hand-pumps
But kids didn’t want to do the extra work of using hand-pumps hence they
ended up not washing their hands before food
We decided to adapt a rocking horse and mount it on the hard-to-use hand pumps thereby
making them easy and fun to operate
This gave the extra incentive necessary for kids to wash hands regularly and adopt the habit
WORK
#9
SOCIAL STANDING IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
TO A RURAL CONSUMER
But the men in most rural houses who controlled the finances were comfortable
defecating in the open and in fact believed it was healthier
These women were given the idea to assert their need by demanding toilets as a pre-requisite
for marriage, from the house they were getting married into
Hence the ‘No Toilet, No Bride’ initiative was born and toilets was repositioned as a
significant asset to talk about while discussing marriage proposals.
WORK
#10
RURAL CONSUMERS ARE WARY OF OUTSIDERS
BUT TRUST THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
But rural India didn’t have the kind of infrastructure Coca-Cola needed for its cold drinks
Plus consumption are very different, they are not used to drinking packaged drinks
Coca-Cola gave away solar coolers called Ekocool to retailers facing power crisis. These solar
coolers also come integrated with a mobile charging point and a lantern, thus helping the retailer
keep their shop open for longer hours in the night
The ‘Parivartan’ program trains retailers extensively, and has a special arm for women retailers
in rural markets. Women are taught to manage shops, stock, customers, financials and merchandising
The program lasts 10 days, and participants receive a certificate along with an insurance policy
WORK
PRINCIPLES OF RURAL MARKETING
RURAL CONSUMERS WILL NOT TRUST YOU TILL YOU ACTUALLY PROVE YOUR BENEFITS
CREATE AN EXPERIENCE THAT DEMONSTRATES THE BENEFITS OF YOUR OFFERING
RURAL AUDIENCE IS NOT VERY INDIVIDUALISTIC AND DECISIONS ARE ALWAYS COLLECTIVE
ACTIVATE A SET OF INFLUENCERS WHO IN TURN CREATE POSITIVE WORD OF MOUTH
RURAL AUDIENCE COULD FEEL ALIENATED AND INTIMIDATED BY NEW, URBAN MODELS
KEEP YOUR ACTIVITY INCLUSIVE, PERSONAL AND ROOTED IN THEIR LIFE
RURAL CONSUMERS ARE NEW TO MANY CATEGORIES AND HENCE NEED REINFORCING
BUILD PROPERTIES, NOT CAMPAIGNS THAT KEEP REINFORCING THE MESSAGE/ HABIT
PRINCIPLES OF RURAL MARKETING
RURAL AUDIENCE IS HAPPY WITH THEIR EXISTING HABITS AND MAY NOT FEEL THE NEED FOR NEW
HABITS
MAKE THE HABIT DESIRABLE
RURAL CONSUMERS ARE WARY OF OUTSIDERS BUT TRUST THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
HENCE, TREAT CHANNEL AS YOUR FIRST CUSTOMER. CONVERT YOUR CHANNEL INTO RURAL BRAND
ADVOCATES
QUICK EXECUTIONAL GUIDELINES FOR DIFFERENT MEDIA
EXECUTIONAL GUIDELINES FOR VIDEO/ AUDIO
CREATE ROOTED,
RELATABLE CHARACTERS
KEEP IT SIMPLE & REAL BUT
ENTERTAINING
EMPLOY STICKY CATCH-
PHRASES & BUILD TALKABILITY
SHOW THEM AS PROGRESSIVE
YOU CAN PUSH THE
ENVELOPE BUT DON’T BE
A REBEL
KEEP THE CALL TO ACTION
VERY SIMPLE AND DIRECT
USE CELEBRITY TO
GALVANIZE A MOVEMENT
EXECUTIONAL GUIDELINES FOR PRINT & OUTDOOR
BE SIMPLE, VISUAL AND BOLD
BE ENGAGING
BE MORE THAN THE MESSAGE.
INNOVATE THE MEDIUM
OWN THE LOCATION
QUICK GUIDELINES FOR POSM
STAND OUT - USE PRIMARY COLORS
AND ALWAYS BE AT EYE LEVEL
HAVE SOME ‘UTILITY’ VALUE: SHOP
OWNERS SHOULD BE ABLE TO USE IT
AS DECORATION
SHOP EXTERIOR: BE A PARTNER TO
MAKE THE SHOP OWNER POPULAR
EXECUTIONAL GUIDELINES FOR PACKAGING
USE PACKS AS TOUCH-POINTS
CORE BRAND BENEFIT SHOULD BE THROWN,
NOT DISCOVERED
USE PACKS TO DECORATE
THE POINT OF SALE AND
HENCE ATTRACT ATTENTION
EXECUTIONAL GUIDELINES FOR ACTIVATIONS
BUILD HIGHLY INTERACTIVE MODULES
DEMOS. GAMES. EXPERIENCES.
CREATE & UTILIZE CONGREGATION
POINTS
MAKE IT AS PERSONAL AS POSSIBLE
USE KIDS TO DRAW AND SUSTAIN CROWDS
<EOD>