MODULE 6 RURAL MARKETING

40.1 RURAL MARKETING STRATEGIES

Constrains in marketing communications in the rural context
In marketing communication & promotion, rural markets pose many
problems. The constraints emanating from the profile of the audience &
the limitations in the matter of media cause these problems. The literacy
rate among the rural consumers being low, the scope for using the print
medium is rather limited. The tradition-bound nature of the people &
their cultural barriers & taboos add to the difficulty of the
communication task.
The situation is further compounded by the linguistic diversity. In the
urban areas, marketing communication can be managed by & large
with English & Hindi. Marketing communication in the rural area has
to necessarily be in the local language & phrase. The constraints in
media compound the difficulty.
Rural communication is also quite expensive. Rural communication has
to go through the time-consuming stages of creating awareness, altering
attitudes & changing behavior. In addition, it has to break the deeprooted behavior patterns. In short, the crux of marketing
communication in the rural context is one of finding media mix that will
deliver the message in a cost-effective manner to the target audience,
which is predominantly illiterate.

Possible Media Mix in the Rural Context

Formal/Organized Media
TV/Cinema/Radio/POPs
Press/Other Print Media/Outdoor

Non-formal/Rural-Specific
Media
AV/Publicity Vans/Puppet shows
Demos/Music Records/Meetings

MODULE 6 RURAL MARKETING

40.2 MANAGING THE COMMUNICATION TASK
Selecting the Media mix

TV: With the increase in the coverage & increase in TV ownership

in rural areas, TV is gradually becoming the prime medium for rural
communication.

Cinema: Most large & medium villages have one or more cinema
houses. Also, >1/3rd of all rural people do see cinema as a matter of
regular lifestyle. Ad-films, short feature films with disguised admessages & documentaries that combine knowledge & ads, can be
employed for rural communication.

Radio: A big expansion in broadcasting facilities has taken place in

the country. The availability of radio sets has also expanded. While
radio as a medium cannot match TV in potency & effectiveness, in
the existing context, it can certainly play a significant role in rural
communication.

Print Media: Even the remotest rural

Outdoor: The outdoors like hoardings, wall paintings, illumination

parts have a small group,

which is literate. While the group may be numerically small, its
members usually happen to be the opinion leaders, influencing the
purchasing behavior of a large segment of the rural consumers.

& other displays, also lend well for rural communication.

POPs: The POPs are also quite useful in the rural markets. POPs
meant for the rural markets should be specially designed to suit the
rural requirements. Symbols, pictures & colors must be used
liberally in POPs meant for the rural markets. The effective
communicator uses such cues.

MODULE 6 RURAL MARKETING

40.3 RURAL MARKETING STRATEGIES

Audio-Visual/Publicity Vans
The AV unit or the publicity van is very useful for rural
communication. The van is a comprehensive mobile promotion station
at the exclusive command of the concerned firm. The firm can exhibit
its films & other AV presentations, such as slide shows, sound & sight
presentations, puppet shows etc., from this instant promotion station.
A portable shamiana or platform often forms a part of the van. Even
public meetings can be organized using the portable shamiana. Portable
exhibition kits can also be carried in addition to promotion campaigns.
It can also be used for product demos. In short, the van can be used for
carrying & delivering a tailor-made communication program to the
rural target audience.
Colgate-Palmolive has supply vans that offer free samples & screens
video films on oral hygiene. It has an on-going rural van program,
which covers on an average 80 m rural consumers per year. Vans are
supplemented with bicycle vendors, who go to villages not accessible by
the vans.
Godrej has vans that play music & announce free gifts in the village
square. The van then goes to few shops in the village to sell its products.
While the AV van is an effective tool in rural promotion, its cost is
rather high as the target population is highly scattered. In market
development stage, in particular, the cost involved in the AV vans may
be disproportionate to the sale generated.
But in view of its effectiveness, big companies make a conscious decision
to use the van as a long-term market development effort.

MODULE 6 RURAL MARKETING

40.4 RURAL MARKETING STRATEGIES (CONTD-I)

Other Promotional Tools

Syndicated AV Vans: In recent years, rural AV vans have become

a sharable service. Firms, which cannot afford to operate vans of their
own, utilize syndicated AV van service offered by independent agencies.

Multi-Purpose Vans: Jain TVs Video-on-Wheels:

Puppet Shows: Popular entertainment programs like puppet-shows,

Recent
years have witnessed the emergence of tools that are more innovative
than the AV van. Jain TVs Video-on-wheels is one of them.

dance dramas & Harikathas, specially developed for product-promotion

purpose, are now being used in rural markets.
These traditional art forms readily render for communication with the
rural society. Sales messages can be beautifully blended with folklore to
capture the imagination of rural audience.
Village fairs, festivals & melas are ideal venues for projecting these
programs. In certain cases, public meetings too may be used for rural
promotion.

Music Cassettes:

These are another effective medium for rural

communication. It is an appealing medium & a comparatively
inexpensive medium. Different language groups can be reached with a
low budget. They can be played in cinema houses or in other places
where rural people assemble.

MODULE 6 RURAL MARKETING

40.5 RURAL MARKETING STRATEGIES (CONTD-II)
Communication should be uniquely assembled & delivered:
Media selection is not the only aspect that calls for special care
in rural communication. The communication as a whole needs
unique handling. There is need for specialization in developing
& delivering the message.
A prototype of a communication that works well in the urban
context may not at all work in the rural context. It is also
essential that in all rural communication, the rural genius be
kept in view. The theme, the message, the copy, the language &
the delivery must match the rural context.
Need for Creativity: Evidently, rural communication needs
creativity & innovation. In rural marketing, usually a greater
time lag is involved between the introduction of a product & its
economic size sale.
This is because the rural buyers adoption process is relatively
more time-consuming. In the present-day context, there is
great need to compress this time lag as far as possible. It is in
this context that creativity in communication acquires a special
significance in rural marketing.

HLLs rural specific communication for surf: For propagating

Surf, HLL brought out separate ad-films for the urban &
rural audience. In the film meant for the rural audience, the
firm took particular care to demonstrate step-by-step the
method to be adopted in washing with Surf for getting the best
whitening effect. The firm knew that an elaborate
demonstration was essential for the rural audience.
5

MODULE 6 RURAL MARKETING

40. 6 RURAL MARKETING STRATEGIES (CONTD-III)
Multi-Purpose Rural Marketing tools: Video-on-wheels
Launched by Jain TV, Video-on-wheels (VOW) is a mobile,
multi-purpose, audio-visual communication service, meant
mainly for the rural markets. It was initially launched as a
vehicle for political propaganda in rural Haryana.
VOW provides its clients a comprehensive package of
communication services. It covers villages with 20
households & above.
Clients can use VOW for purposes such as promotion,
product demonstration, spot trials, market research &
retailer motivation.
Its client list includes over 300 firms, including Britannia,
Duncans, Godfrey Philip, Novino Batteries, Glaxo, Pepsi,
Godrej, P&G, and SmithKline Beechem & Reckit Coleman.
Godfrey Philips Cavender Magnum, a filter-less cigarette
aimed at upgrading the bidi smoker in rural areas, was
launched with the help of 25 VOW vans that reached out to
over 3000 villages across the country.
Novino Batteries used 3 VOW vans to increase penetration
in 3 districts of Bihar; it made sales worth Rs 8 lacs from
each van per month.
The service now has a fleet of 125 vans. The van is relatively
economical. A campaign may cost between Rs 10,000 & Rs
2.00 lacs, depending on its scope.

MODULE 6 RURAL MARKETING

40. 7 RURAL MARKETING IS DEVELOPMENTAL MARKETING
It will be evident from the various discussions that the Indian
rural market is at once fascinating & challenging.
It offers large scope on account of its size & potential. It is also
growing steadily.
Whereas the urban market is highly competitive, the rural
market is fairly quiet.
In fact, for certain products, it is totally a virgin market.
As such, firms can certainly reap big rewards from the rural
market.
The catch is that the market also poses several problems &
hurdles.
The firms have to face them squarely.
They must recognize that rural marketing is primarily
developmental marketing & must be willing to take an
approach of market seeding in the initial stages.
It is often said that markets are made, not found.
This is particularly true of the rural market of India.
It is a market meant for the truly creative marketer.