2‌‌types‌‌of‌‌Rural‌ 

 ‌ ‌
1. More‌‌developed‌‌states‌‌with‌‌far‌‌better‌‌infrastructure,‌‌road‌‌connectivity,‌‌better‌‌transport,‌‌
 
and‌‌higher‌‌incomes‌‌through‌‌non-agricultural‌‌jobs.‌ ‌This‌‌also‌‌leads‌‌to‌‌better‌‌exposure‌‌to‌‌ 
media,‌‌growing‌‌aspirations,‌‌and‌‌e-commerce‌‌penetration.‌‌This‌‌rural‌‌includes‌‌semi-urban‌‌  
or‌‌peri-urban‌‌which‌‌has‌‌less‌‌competition,‌‌reasonable‌‌rentals,‌‌and‌‌low‌‌cost‌‌of‌‌operations‌‌  
as‌‌compared‌‌to‌‌urban.‌  ‌
2. Extremely‌‌underdeveloped‌‌rural‌‌India‌‌with‌‌low‌‌GDP,‌‌poor‌‌infrastructure‌‌–‌‌but‌‌a ‌‌
highly-aspired‌‌consumer‌‌segment.‌‌This‌‌under-developed‌‌rural‌‌has‌‌55‌‌percent‌‌more‌‌  
income‌‌and‌‌64‌‌percent‌‌more‌‌expenditure‌‌than‌‌developed‌‌rural.‌  ‌
 ‌
Implications‌‌of‌‌changing‌‌rural‌‌scenario‌‌for‌‌Marketers:‌  ‌
1. Rural‌‌markets‌‌demand‌‌patience‌  ‌
2. Opinion‌‌matters‌‌a‌‌lot‌‌-‌‌Communication‌‌routed‌‌through‌‌opinion‌‌leaders‌‌gets‌‌transmitted‌‌  
fast‌‌(What‌‌Dabur‌‌did‌‌with‌‌Chyawanprash)‌  ‌
3. Look‌‌beyond‌‌farmers‌‌-‌‌Do‌‌not‌‌restrict‌‌your‌‌target‌‌audience.‌‌Diff‌‌groups‌‌have‌‌diff‌‌needs,‌‌
 
behaviors,‌‌and‌‌purchasing‌‌power‌  ‌
4. If‌‌you‌‌can,‌‌use‌‌digital‌  ‌
5. Do‌‌not‌‌consider‌‌rural‌‌a‌‌‘second‌‌preferred‌‌market’‌‌-‌‌Rural‌‌has‌‌huge‌‌potential.‌‌Define‌‌the‌‌
 
market‌  ‌
 ‌
RURAL‌‌MARKETS‌  ‌
1. Simple‌‌and‌‌easy‌‌to‌‌use‌‌products‌  ‌
2. Convenient‌‌and‌‌cost-effective‌‌packaging‌  ‌
3. Should‌‌be‌‌value‌‌for‌‌money‌‌products.‌‌Rural‌‌consumers‌‌are‌‌highly‌‌price‌‌sensitive.‌  ‌
4. Value-engineering‌‌-‌‌IMP‌  ‌
a. Replace‌‌costly‌‌RM‌‌with‌‌cheaper‌‌ones‌‌without‌‌sacrificing‌‌quality‌‌and‌‌functionality‌  ‌
5. Direct‌‌contact‌‌with‌‌local‌‌vendors‌‌and‌‌retailers‌‌should‌‌be‌‌established‌  ‌
a. Cooperative‌‌societies,‌‌PDS,‌‌Feeder‌‌markets,‌‌Weekly‌‌village‌‌market‌‌fairs,‌‌etc‌  ‌
6. Positive‌‌word-of-mouth‌‌from‌‌local‌‌reference‌‌groups‌‌and‌‌opinion‌‌leaders‌  ‌
7. Comfortable‌‌and‌‌appropriate‌‌media‌‌for‌‌rural‌‌markets‌  ‌
8. It’ll‌‌work‌‌better‌‌if‌‌packaging‌‌could‌‌have‌‌local‌‌language‌  ‌
9. Piggyback‌‌products‌‌are‌‌a‌‌threat‌. ‌ ‌
10.   ‌
 ‌
Useful‌‌framework‌‌-‌‌4‌‌A’s‌‌of‌‌Rural‌‌Marketing‌  ‌
Availability‌  ‌
Awareness‌  ‌
Affordability‌  ‌
Acceptability‌  ‌
 ‌
HUL‌  ‌
Derives‌‌60%‌‌of‌‌sales‌‌from‌‌rural‌‌india‌  ‌
Usually‌‌offer‌‌their‌‌products‌‌in‌‌smaller‌‌units‌‌for‌‌rural‌‌areas‌  ‌
Uses‌‌vans‌‌to‌‌deliver‌‌products‌‌to‌‌local‌‌vendors‌  ‌
Platinum‌‌store‌‌initiative‌‌in‌‌Thailand‌‌-‌‌Community‌‌washing‌‌machines‌‌and‌‌food‌‌corners‌  ‌
Internal‌‌tracker‌‌-‌‌Living‌‌standards‌‌measure‌  ‌
 ‌
PRODUCTS‌  ‌
1. Breeze‌‌2‌‌in‌‌1‌‌-‌‌Combination‌‌soap‌‌cum‌‌shampoo‌  ‌
2. Lux‌‌soap‌‌-‌‌available‌‌in‌‌25gm‌‌packs‌  ‌
3. Lifebuoy‌‌-‌‌ROTI‌‌Reminder‌‌at‌‌Kumbh‌‌Mela‌‌-‌‌V‌‌SMART‌‌AD‌ 
4. Project‌‌Streamline,‌‌Project‌‌Bhart,‌P ‌ roject‌‌Shakti‌  ‌
5. Brooke‌‌Bond‌‌Sehatmand‌‌-‌‌Targeted‌‌LSM‌‌1-4‌‌individuals.‌‌Unique‌‌taste,‌‌color‌‌and‌‌aroma‌‌  
for‌‌each‌‌region.‌‌   ‌
6. Khushiyon‌‌ki‌‌Doli‌  ‌
7. Wheel‌‌-  ‌‌ ‌
a. Strengthened‌‌fragrance‌  ‌
b. Wheel‌‌missed‌‌call‌‌campaign.‌‌People‌‌called‌‌on‌‌a‌‌number‌‌and‌‌which‌‌  
automatically‌‌cut‌‌off‌‌after‌‌2‌‌rings.‌‌They‌‌got‌‌a‌‌call‌‌back‌‌with‌‌Salman‌‌Khan‌‌talking‌‌ 
about‌‌Wheel‌‌detergent.‌‌HUL‌‌got‌‌16Mn‌‌calls‌‌and‌‌sales‌‌tripled‌‌in‌‌2011.‌  ‌
i. V‌‌effective‌‌as‌‌people‌‌just‌‌needed‌‌to‌‌have‌‌a‌‌normal‌‌phone‌‌for‌‌this‌‌and‌‌ 
they‌‌didn’t‌‌even‌‌have‌‌to‌‌pay‌‌anything‌‌because‌‌users‌‌aren’t‌‌charged‌‌for‌‌  
missed‌‌calls.‌  ‌
8. Vim‌‌-‌‌Coated‌‌the‌‌bar‌‌from‌‌5‌‌sides‌‌to‌‌reduce‌‌wastage‌‌    ‌
9. Lifebuoy‌‌-‌‌Changed‌‌image‌‌from‌‌Carbolic‌‌soap‌‌to‌‌a‌‌green‌‌soap‌‌with‌‌Neem‌‌and‌‌Tulsi‌  ‌
10. Pruned‌‌the‌‌variants‌‌of‌‌all‌‌major‌‌products‌‌including‌‌Lifebuoy‌‌and‌‌Close-up‌  ‌
11. Rexona‌‌Deo‌‌-‌‌In‌‌the‌‌Philippines,‌‌they‌‌made‌‌a‌‌single-use‌‌packet‌‌of‌‌fragrant‌‌Rexona‌‌  
cream‌‌to‌‌replace‌‌deodorant.‌‌    ‌
12. Gateway‌‌to‌‌Rural:‌‌Beyond‌‌FCMG‌  ‌
13.   ‌
 ‌
 ‌
We‌‌should‌‌look‌‌at‌‌the‌‌idea‌‌of‌‌a‌‌school-based‌‌awareness‌‌campaign‌‌as‌‌well.‌‌    ‌