Rural Marketing

So, I’ve been working on a Rural Marketing project at work, where I have been told to get good understanding about rural marketing and device ideas on how to market our client’s (Tobacco Industry) product in the rural areas of Africa. Looking through all the stuff that’s online, I was amazed to see how companies are taking this initiative very seriously. Of course, I was also pleased to see that India, the country where I am from, is a pioneer in rural marketing! They are the biggest example of rural marketing success stories in the world. With over 70% of India’s population in the rural areas, this was inevitable, but still brilliant, especially to see how the mix of creativity and practicality is being implemented by the business in their rural marketing strategies.

As you might know, Indians are reputed and considered to be “cheap”, however, I beg to differ, we just want value for our money.  So, after this intensive research, I thought I could compile a little portion of my findings and maybe help someone get a basic understanding of Rural Marketing.

So what is Rural Marketing exactly? Rural Marketing is promotion of a company's products in the rural market by using strategies which differ from that of the urban market. The rural market is more price sensitive, but it has preference for quality.

And why is it an opportunity?  The green revolution has highly increased the disposable income of farmers, Due to the vast size of rural markets in Asia and Africa, there are lots of opportunities, Rural customers are more passionate about brands than urban customers, the scarcity of media bandwidth results to an abundance of attention, and lastly, Urban markets are congested with too many competitors and has reached its’ saturation point.

What are the customers like in the rural areas and what they expect from a product?

Product/Price:

o   Avoid sophisticated packaging

o   Small unit packaging à Low volume = Low price

o   Refill/reusable packs

o   Low cost, value for money product

o   All in one packs à convenient, value for money

o   Example: Hindustan Lever has launched a variant of its largest selling soap brand, Lifebuoy at Rs. 2 for 50 grams.

Brand Name awareness:

o   High in rural areas

o   Brand name/logo is essential as it can be easily remembered

Product involvement:

o   Sales promotion activities in village fairs

o   Increasing promotions during sporting events

o   Taking interest in the lives of the rural population (education drives, charity)

o   Competitions  - generate excitement

Brand loyalty Vs. Stickiness

o   Due to lack of information – rural people are less likely to switch

o   Rural customers are comfortable buying tried and tested products, more brand sticky than loyal

Packaging:

o    Product appeal: Bold Colors

o   Ability to recognize

o   Distinct lettering, clear images or symbols

Yes, I know information overload!! But these are just little snippets of my findings. The database is so vast and it is really interesting! I just thought it would be nice to share the information! Make sure to look up the case studies of companies like Coca-Cola and Unilever, they are really interesting.

And I also promise that all my blogs won’t be loaded with so much information as this one and the previous one! I’m planning on some fun stuff too! =)

Social Media????

There has suddenly been an increased awareness of the impact of social media websites like Twitter and Facebook in the past couple of years. I know this is an old topic, and that it has been discussed by a lot of people. But I just felt like penning down my thoughts on the topic, especially now, because I have understood the real value of social media after working in a couple of Advertising and PR firms this summer.

So let’s start with the basics. What is the definition of social media?

so·cial me·di·a

Social media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques.

According to me, the main channels of social media today are, Facebook, Twitter and Blogs (Kind of like this one). I always wonder with this huge emphasis on social media these days, are we getting closer to the customer or further away. I agree, it is a great platform for the business to give out information about them and create a buzz, but sometimes this overload of information gets annoying. Apart from the annoying bit, I feel people are so enamored by this new concept that the old values of face to face advertising are slowly diminishing.  How did the world of advertising function before this whole buzz created my social media? TV, Print and Radio ads were at their peak. They were funny, creative, and sometimes over the top. But most of all they were memorable. I still remember so many of those old ad jingles from radio and TV, but today, with such a huge emphasis on social media, I don’t see the same wittiness in ads anymore. Everyone wants to update their business’s Twitter status or Facebook! The only time I actually recollect a good ad is when we watch the Super bowl ads or any other campaign, in our advertising classes in university.

Although as the definition of social media says that it uses social interaction, I question myself, is this social interaction personal or impersonal. I mean, yes, It is personal because you choose to “follow” or “like” a page, but what you get from a tweet or a Facebook page is what everyone else can see. Nothing personal in that. However, and people might disagree, watching an advertisement on TV or listening to one on the Radio, according to me is more personal. I know, people will disagree by saying, well, so many people around the world see the same ad as you. My counter argument to that is, yes, that ad is watched or listened to or seen by so many people around the world, but, each person will relate to that ad differently. While I might like a Johnson and Johnson ad that shows a baby with its mother, because I absolutely love kids and see myself as a loving mother someday, someone older might like it because they might relate to it in a different way. Maybe a grandmother for her grandchild or a little kid might like it and think about it for their baby sibling. So while these forms of advertising might me impersonal, they really are personal according to me. It is just how one looks at it. I am not saying people should listen to me or agree with me, as I keep repeating, a person’s opinion depends on their perception, and everyone perceives things differently. As far as I am concerned, I want this focus on social media to reduce, and I’m not saying it shouldn’t be a focus anymore or that it shouldn’t be used, but I feel that businesses should bring back the focus on the older forms and get back all the creativity and over-the-top ads back! Yes, no one is saying these are cheap and social media is definitely cheaper for those who own small business, but for the big companies that can afford it, I’d much rather remember and reminisce  a good print, radio or TV ad than a social media campaign.

A mind opening personality quiz?

So, Instead of telling you what my favorite color(its purple!!)  is or what my hobbies are, I thought it would be easier to know the kind of person I am by doing this little mind opening quiz! I really enjoyed this and answered some questions I never thought about before. So here goes....

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? – Probably 80
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying? Never Trying
3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do? Because everything we do or don’t do depends on the circumstance we are in at that point in time
4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done? No, I’m the kind of person that will do more than I’ve said
5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world? Unhappiness in people and  not appreciating the small things. (I know, the question asked for just one!)
6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich? Working with Habitat for Humanity and helping building houses for the less privileged families around the world!
7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing? I think I always do what I believe in, even thought it could be perceived wrong in someone else’s perspective.
8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently? I would be more positive and not get bogged down by the little things that upset me.
9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken? I think to a great extent. I like making my own decisions.
10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? Doing things right. I think I am OCD about being a perfectionist.
11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire.  They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend.  The criticism is distasteful and unjustified.  What do you do? I’m pretty blunt and especially when it comes to a close friend, I would make sure I defend the person.
12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be? Remember to think like a kid always, growing up and taking life changing decisions kind of sucks =P
13. Would you break the law to save a loved one? Yup
14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity? Yes, I believe creativity needs a little bit of insanity!
15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people? I don’t really know, that’s a tough one!
16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy? Because everyone is different!
17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do?  What’s holding you back? Expressing my feelings to someone. The thing that’s holding me back is the fear of losing the person and the friendship.
18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of? Yes, I couple of things.
19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why? I would move to Orlando, Florida!! It has Disney and Universal!! =)
20. Do you push the elevator button more than once?  Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster? Haha, Yes, I am guilty of doing that! But no, I don’t think it will go faster!
21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton? Joyful simpleton(in Disney land =P ) !
22. Why are you, you? Because I love laughing, and am a kid at heart!
23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend? I would think so!
24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you? Losing touch with a good friend who lives right near me! (It SUCKS)
25. What are you most grateful for? My family who supports me in anything I want to do, even with all the arguments we have.
26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones? Never be able to make new ones!
27. Is it possible to know the truth without challenging it first? Hmm, I don’t think so.
28. Has your greatest fear ever come true? Not yet and I hope it dosen’t!
29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset?  Does it really matter now? Nop, life goes on!
30. What is your happiest childhood memory?  What makes it so special? Going to India during the summers and building a TV with my grandfather in the attic, and then putting up a show for him. Its special because I love my grandfather!
31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive? Working at Ogilvy, the place made me realize how much I absolutely love the world of advertising!
32. If not now, then when? Never?
33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose? Faith
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever? Yes!! =)
35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars? Because each religion has a different approach to attaining a common goal (god) and people see more of the differences and forget to see the similarities.
36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil? Not really, what could be good to someone could be considered evil to someone else.
37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job? I think I should be asked this question in a few years, but for now my answer would be no! I love the career path I’ve chosen!
38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing? More work that I actually enjoy doing!
39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before? Nop, each day has something different to be happy or sad about.
40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in? Probably 2 years back.
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today? Ahh, losing people is something I can never deal with but I would say my family and my best friends!
42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous? Ehhh.. nah! I’d rather be around people that love me and people I love. (Yes, sounds cliché but its true!) And it’s not like I don’t want to be famous or attractive, but how far will that take me in life?
43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living? Truly living is being passionate about life and what it has in store for you. Just being alive means you are being forced to live your life.
44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right? When I am settled with a family and my kids are done with college and are living their own lives.
45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake? Fear of regretting something we have done in the past for the rest of our life.
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you? Try more things!
47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing? Last fall, in my yoga classes.
48. What do you love?  Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love? I love my family and friends but no I don’t think I have expressed this to them recently.
49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday?  What about the day before that?  Or the day before that? Yes for the yesterday and no for the others. Yesterday could make a huge impact on my career a few years from now!
50. Decisions are being made right now.  The question is:  Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you? I think I am making most decisions for myself.