Sales, service and social impact: Mitigating COVID’s

effect on rural India

Sriharsh Grandhe
Source: WARC Exclusive, Spotlight India, August 2021
Downloaded from WARC

LinEngage’s Sriharsh Grandhe looks at the many ways that Indian businesses have been helping rural
consumers get through the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 is the grimmest challenge for businesses and its spread has impacted the 4Ps of
marketing.
Internet adoption is driving new initiatives from brands to increase accessibility and engagement
with goods and services.
Vaccinations and innovations to address market demands are critical for controlling the impact of
COVID-19 on rural India.

This article is part of a Spotlight series on rural marketing in India. Read more

Why it matters
During difficult times like the ongoing pandemic, brands can stay relevant to consumers with thoughtful initiatives
that help them navigate the health crisis and improve access to key goods and services, while also having a
lasting social impact.

Takeaways
A lubricant brand ensured safe transportation for people who had to travel through a cab sanitisation
initiative.
A soft drinks major put its products in CSC Grameen eStores and connected Village Level Entrepreneurs to
supply points.
 A family planning programme promoted education, engagement and access to quality contraceptive
products.

Businesses are in the midst of the grimmest challenge ever faced in modern times. The spread of COVID-19 has
impacted the other 4Ps of marketing like never before.

The first wave of the pandemic was sudden enough and gave no clues to time, place and pace. The effect was
felt more in cities with denser populations, so much so that during the first wave, there were reports about
COVID being an urban-only virus. The reports added that daily data and infection rates seemed to be in
proportion to the stress levels of its victims.

The focus during the first wave was to protect lives amid the economic and financial constraints. With work from
home, the social divide suddenly became apparent.

While low-wage migrant workers were struggling to get back to their towns and villages, another group of
enjoyed the relative comfort of their urban homes. For the latter, brands were offering ways to manage time,
health and work, all trying to play a role in this new shift in lifestyles.

Brands driven by purpose: Connected to social needs

In these changing times, brands showed how they can play a role in consumers’ lives and stay relevant.

A leading lubricant brand rose to the occasion as on-ground activations were negatively impacted by movement
and social distancing norms imposed under COVID safety protocols.

With the lockdowns and containment zones, the brand realised the need to provide clean and safe
transportation for people travelling to deal with emergencies or return home to their towns and villages from the
bigger cities.

The brand worked on identifying priority markets – the Tier 2 and 3 cities that were the hubs from which people
were leaving to move back to nearby towns and villages. After familiarising itself with the required COVID safety
guidelines, cab sanitisation methods were evaluated and tested.

Then came the task of operationalising the plan and this was done in two parts.

First, it was about people, processes and training to identify the different cab types. An interaction design
ensured that the cab operators and drivers were approached, engaged and offered free sanitisation of their
vehicles, and trained on how to periodically sanitise.
Second, the plan placed a small team in each of the target markets with ears to the ground. Their task was
to constantly keep track of the prevailing situation across each of their operating markets to identify
lockdown areas and containment zones, and ensure the field teams navigated to areas that are safe to
operate in without hindering paramedic personnel.

Both the development and deployment of these initiatives required the brand to meticulously plan and think on
its feet to ensure safety by keeping cabs properly sanitised for public use.

Multichannel distribution to increase access to consumers

There was a reprieve before the second wave caused by the more transmissible Delta variant, which exposed
concerns about India’s ability to manage an epidemic of this magnitude.

While there were efforts in many cases to anticipate and build medical capacity, it did not seem enough. Even
Indian society, which is used to taking many inefficiencies in its stride, was stunned when faced with all kinds of
shortages, from test kits and beds, to ambulances and oxygen cylinders.

During this time, businesses were able to strategise their marketing efforts. Given that consumers’ mobility was
affected the most, brands had to adopt new ways to get closer to them. Different methods were employed to
make products available to consumers, especially those in rural areas.

A soft drinks major tied up with Common Services Centres to make available their product range on CSC
Grameen eStores and further connect Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) to the nearest supply points.
Agri input cooperative IFFCO joined hands with SBI Yono to create a digital channel for farmers with
hassle-free payment options. By localising content and integrating with digital platforms, IFFCO Bazaar is
reaching out to lakhs of farmers, making it the fastest growing agri-based e-commerce portal.
Financial services providers are also increasing their reach and distribution by expanding their field forces
and branch networks to get closer to their markets.

A whole host of these changes are happening with the increased digitalisation of rural India.

As of 2020, there are an estimated 300 million internet users in rural India, comprising over 45% of total internet
users in the country. This is the driving force behind some of the new initiatives from brands to increase
accessibility and engagement with goods and services.

Beyond just business: COVID’s impact on social services

In the social sector, COVID-19’s impact on the family planning programme is also being studied closely.

According to a report by the Foundation for Reproductive Health Services India (FRHS), there is a
likelihood of an increase of over 25 million couples not having access to contraceptives, resulting in an
additional 2.38 million unintended pregnancies.

The large-scale reverse migration with complete lockdowns disrupted family planning (FP) services. Emerging
evidence also indicates trends in de-prioritisation of FP in rural India, posing huge health risks. Youth Voices for
Agency and Access (YUVAA) is an innovative initiative to address family planning gaps among newly married
and young married couples. It promotes the use of modern contraceptives through education, engagement and
access to quality contraceptive products and services. Innovative entrepreneurship models encourage peer to
peer counsellors to identify and engage with digital interpersonal tool kits.

The content addresses critical social and gender norms, with interactive digital games to highlight linkages
between FP and achieving success in life.

An ecosystem of youth-friendly clinics to help beneficiaries with the most appropriate modern contraceptives is a
successful initiative by Pathfinder International.

Share of market: Combine a service attitude with sales

While the pandemic still looms large, the vaccination rate and the continuously shifting innovations to address
market demands are going to be critical for success in controlling the impact of COVID-19 on rural India.

They will depend on continued access to a variety of key products and services though new and innovative
models. For brands to win now and in the future, they have to create initiatives with the intent to play a
meaningful role in the lives of consumers.

Brands that develop such initiatives that go beyond mere propositions will definitely win. So it’s time for brands
to find purpose with or in addition to proposition.
Further reading
Bharat Rising: Reconnecting with the soul of India

Influencer marketing: Looking beyond the metros

Rewriting the sacred tenets of rural marketing in India

Success in rural India requires understanding and a relentless pursuit

How brands can empower India’s farming communities

Networked commerce and the power of India’s kirana

Revenge of the Walking Scarecrow: Seizing the Winds of Change in Rural India

About the author

Sriharsh Grandhe
Executive Director, LinEngage

Sriharsh has over 20 years of integrated marketing experience in consumer engagement that spans digital
activation, database marketing and CRM. Besides leading businesses in India, he brings a wealth of experience
from running large marketing programmes from global markets such as APAC, Europe and the Americas. At
LinEngage, he integrates consumer engagement models with the omnichannel offering and develops a stack of
bespoke marketing technologies to enable and enhance true omnichannel experiences.

Read more in this Spotlight series

Post-pandemic challenges and opportunities in rural India
Biprorshee Das

Brand in action: How Parle Agro plans marketing strategy to keep rural India in mind
Nadia Chauhan

The rural ways of buying: An opportunity to reimagine digital

Shraddha Ganesh

After COVID: How to realise the potential of rural markets

Sunny Vohra, Aparna Tandon and Pallavi Patil

Future success: Investing in rural India

Mohit Joshi

COVID-19 and rural India: The challenges and opportunities for marketers
Sharad Varshney
Rural India: Propelling the Indian economy during COVID-19
Neha Chauhan

No magic bullet: Rural marketing in a post-COVID world

Anand Murty

Game changer: Technology and the rural market

Amit Rangra

Challenges and opportunities: How brands can succeed in rural India

Amit Bhandare

Rural marketing in a post-COVID world: Consumer sentiment data

Spotlight data report

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