They tout themselves as the best marketers to the rural consumer having had a gargantuan experience in handling a variety of FMCGs, consumer durables, industrial, agri-inputs and services aimed at the semi-urban and the rural markets. Anugrah Madison, with a gross billing of Rs 60 million, is a sister concern of Sam Balsara's Madison Communications, has a history of over 15 years of operations in Southern India.
Anugrah Madison chairman and managing director R V Rajan believes the rural - urban divide continues to exist when it comes to the masses. He is of the opinion that to succeed in the rural market one needs to be totally clued in to the scenario. "Creating brands for rural India is a science that will require many ardent students," says he.
Rajan is also very vocal about the fact that today clients want solutions from them to 'go rural' but at the same time they tie the agency's one hand behind the back!
In an interview with indiantelevision.com's Hetal Adesara, Rajan speaks about some of the issues concerning rural marketing and gives a low down on where the rural market stands today vis-?-vis the urban market.
Excerpts: |
Where do you think the Indian rural marketing market stands today? They have begun to invest money in creating separate sales and marketing teams for rural markets and have also begun to appoint specialist agencies to advise them on rural marketing. And this, according to me, is a good sign. |
Which are the sectors/brands that tap the rural market on a preferential basis? And who, among them is the biggest spender? |
Traditionally, advertising has an urban slant. Do you see a change in that trend? Are brands now looking at tapping the rural market through their advertising? More and more companies are realising that in order to reach the Indian markets, they may have a global strategy but they have to think locally in terms of communication. Yes, a few clients are looking at developing special advertisements for rural markets. The recent success of 'Thanda Mathlab Coca Cola' campaign which is aimed at the rural market is a case in point. Which are the major agencies focusing on rural marketing? |
What are the trends that you noticed developing in this sector? LG Electronics has also been successful with their 'Sampoorna' brand of television aimed at rural markets. Generally people are realising the importance of customising their brands to suit rural markets instead of just offering smaller sizes at reduced prices. This is a good trend. |
What is the spending patterns in the urban vis-?-vis the rural market? How drastic is the difference between the two? |
What are the major challenges that one faces in rural marketing? There is also the other theory that you do not have to go the last mile with your product. If your distribution reaches even up to the feeder markets, they automatically find their way down the population strata provided your brand communication reaches down the line creating the awareness and demand for the product. |
What is your foresight for this market? One of the important activities of the Rural Network is to educate the customers about the various facets of rural marketing. As the next step, the Network is promoting an industry body called Rural Marketing Agencies Association of India to protect and promote the cause of rural marketing in India. There is better scope for language writers who understand the rural and regional pulse better. I also see great scope for regional specialists in the areas of rural marketing - specialists like event managers, wall painters, folk artists and audio visual production houses. In fact all those people who have specialised knowledge of a region are bound to do well, thanks to the demands of the rural marketers. |