Chapter 9

Communication Strategies for

Rural Markets

Rural Marketing, 2e
 Learning Objectives
• Understand the major challenges in rural communication

• Outline the process of rural communication

• Detail the process of developing effective rural

communication

• Highlight the need for distinct advertisements for rural

audiences

• Examine conventional and non-conventional media for

reaching rural audiences

• Describe sales promotion, events and experiences for rural

areas

Rural Marketing, 2e 2
 Challenges in Rural
Communication
• Heterogeneity and spread

• Low literacy and varying comprehension abilities

• Different media reach and habits

Rural Marketing, 2e
 The Communication Process:
An Overview

 Comprehension of message a critical problem in Indian rural

markets
Rural Marketing, 2e
 Developing Effective Rural
Communication

Rural Marketing, 2e
 Developing Effective Rural
Communication
Identifying
and profiling •Probing the environment, profiling using
the target segmentation parameters

audience

Determining
•Move the target audience to higher state of
Communicati readiness to buy – ‘AICDA Model’
on objectives

•Message Content – What to say….use rational, emotional, moral

appeal
•Message Structure – How to say it logically….simple logic, ease of
Designing understanding
•Message Format – How to say it symbolically
the Message •Context Association – In what context to say….pay attention to
rural environment, dress styles, food habits, etc.
•Message Source – Who should say it….likeable source,
trustworthy source, expert source

Rural Marketing, 2e
 Developing Effective Rural
Communication
Selecting the • Personal Communication Channels – Advocate channels,
Expert channels, Social channels
Communication • Non-Personal Communication Channels – Mass Media,
Channel Atmospherics, Events

Budgeting for
• Estimate based on activities planned, results in terms of
Rural exposure levels, trails, usage expected
Communication

Designing the • Use of different tools – Advertising, Sales Promotion, Direct

Marketing, Publicity and Image building, Personal Selling
Communication • Communication Mix Decision – based on Type of Product
Mix Strategy Market, Buyer Readiness Stage, Product Lifecycle Stage

Measuring Impact • Measuring impact in terms of enquiries, sales generated,

footfalls at retail outlets/haat/mela stalls in controlled and
of Communication non-controlled areas/situations

Rural Marketing, 2e
 Creating Advertisements for
Rural Audiences
•Main objective for rural advertising is creating awareness

•Factors to be kept in mind:

√ Understand mind set through research
√ Pick up “gems” in terms of idioms and expressions
√ Gimmicky ads do not work in rural
√ Edutainment is a good path
√ Short ads do not work in rural
√ Bring in aspirational element

Rural Marketing, 2e
 Rural Media

Conventional
Rural Centric
Media
• Mass Media • Video Van/Rath
• Outdoor Media • Haats
• Personalized • Melas
Media • Mandis
• Folk Media

Rural Marketing, 2e
 Mass Media

Radio • Total reach 18%

• Total reach 47%; C&S reach 31%

Television • Low electrification a hindrance

• Social norms preclude women from watching television in front
of elders

Press • Reach 13%

• Regional papers most popular

Cinemas • Reach only 6%

• Mainly in feeder towns

Rural Marketing, 2e
 Outdoor Media: Wall Paintings
•Economical, easily customized, high audience-recall rate

•Limitations
√ Lack of space
√ Quality of wall and painters
√ Problems of outsourcing

•Rules for wall paintings:

√ Choose sites around haats, mandis and melas
√ Sites at eye level
√ Active monitoring

Rural Marketing, 2e
 POP Displays and
Demonstrations

Danglers

Display signs and boards

Tin plates

Display racks

Dispensers
Rural Marketing, 2e
 Video Vans / Raths
• Generally fitted with an audiovisual equipment and a large
LCD display

• Space for samples, products for sale, banners and posters

• Typical van cycle 26 days a month

• Major role customer education, sampling and

demonstrations

• Can be used at weekly markets

Limitation:
• Reaches in the mornings and has to wait for evening for
show

Rural Marketing, 2e
 Haats
• Mobile super market of rural India
• Large haat caters to 57 villages and attracts 12,000 visitors
on the haat day

• Small haats cater to 21 villages and attract 5,000 visitors on

haat days

• 75% of rural folk visit haats regularly

• Durables should concentrate on demonstrations and sales

promotion

• FMCG products should have three tiered approach:

 Create awareness
 Sales promotion
 Building long term relationship with haat sellers

Rural Marketing, 2e
 Melas
• 25,000 melas annually of which 90% are one day

• Corporates should target Top 100 melas and then move to

micro melas

• Melas cater to a much larger population than haats

• Haats concentrate on sales while melas have a festive

atmosphere

• Haats get largely male visitors while melas are for the
family

Rural Marketing, 2e
 Mandis
• Great potential especially for large and medium farmers

• Punjab has no haats

• Suitable for marketers of tractors, fertilizers and durable

goods.

• 7,600 mandis suitable platform for rich farmers who are in a

mood to spend.

Rural Marketing, 2e
 Folk Media

Folk theatre

Folk songs

Folk dances

Magic shows

Puppet shows

Interactive games

Rural Marketing, 2e
 Folk Media
Limitations
• High costs due to variety of folk and training costs
• Contingencies like weather, unruly crowds
• Availability of right kind of troupe

Rural marketer rules:

• Do not preach
• Useful for new products
• Free and relaxed atmosphere
• Choice of venue, script and cast so as not to hurt the
sentiments
• Tailor to local conditions

Rural Marketing, 2e
 Sales Promotion

• Deductions from usual cost of product

Discounts given to a special category of buyers

• Tickets which can be exchanged for

Coupons discount

• Dry – for trial at own discretion

Sampling
• Wet – Application trial in real time

Instalment
• Chit fund schemes applied to products
Schemes
Demonstration /
• Rural customers go more for
Experiential experience than urban counterpart
Marketing

Rural Marketing, 2e
 Events and Experiences

•Annual event at Kila Raipur, 15 Kms south of Ludhiana

Sports Events •3 day festival covering 4,000 sportspersons in February

Rural Brand
Experience •Grammenon Ke Beech
Extravaganza

Channel Partner •To build stronger distributor dealer interaction

Meets

Key Opinion Leader •To promote brands and create a database for building
Meets relationships

Rural Marketing, 2e
 Rural Marketing Case:
Tata Shaktee GC Sheets
1. What is your assessment as a marketer of the
opportunities shared by Tata Steel especially when
looking at rural markets?

2. What do you feel about the brand features? Is this

relevant to the context we are talking about?

3. What do you propose as a strategy for Tata Steel?

Describe each step that you wish to take in detail?

Rural Marketing, 2e
 Successful Mantra in Rural
Communication

Experiential more than mood building

Rural Marketing, 2e