RURAL MARKETING

12MBAMM415
RURAL MARKETING

Module I

(4 Hours)

Introduction: Definition, scope of rural marketing, concepts, components of rural markets,

classification of rural markets, rural vs. urban markets
Module II

(6 Hours)

Rural marketing environment: Population, occupation pattern, income generation, location of

rural population, expenditure pattern, literacy level, land distribution, land use pattern, irrigation,
development programs, infrastructure facilities, rural credit institutions, rural retail outlets, print
media in rural areas, rural areas requirement, problems in rural marketing, rural demand, rural
market index.
Module III

(6 Hours)

Rural Consumer behaviour: Consumer buying behaviour models, Factors affecting Consumer
Behaviour, Social factors, Technological Factors, Economic Factors, Political Factors,
Characteristics of Rural consumer- Age and Stages of the Life cycle, Occupation and Income,
Economic circumstances, Lifestyle, Personality and Brand Belief, Information Search and
pre purchase Evaluation, Rise of Consumerism, Consumer Buying Process, Opinion
Leadership Process, Diffusion of Innovation, Brand Loyalty
Module IV

(6 Hours)

Researching Rural Market: Sanitizing rural market, Research design- Reference frame,
Research approach, Diffusion of innovation, Development studies, PRA approach, The need for
PRA, Sampling, Operational aspects of data collection.
Module V

(9 Hours)

Rural Marketing Strategies:

a) Segmenting, Targeting and Positioning
Segmentation- Heterogeneity in Rural, Prerequisites for Effective Segmentation, Degrees of
Segmentation, Basis of Segmentation and Approaches to Rural Segmentation- Geographic
DEPARTMENT OF MBA,
SJBIT.

Page 1

RURAL MARKETING

12MBAMM415

Segment, Demographic Segmentation, Psychographic Segmentation, Behaviour Segmentation,

Multi-attribute Segmentation,
Targeting- Evaluation and Selection of Segments, Coverage of Segments,
Positioning- Identifying the positioning Concept, Selecting the positioning Concept, Developing
the Concept, Communicating the Concept
b) Product Strategy: Introduction, Marketing Mix Challenges, Product concepts classificationFive Levels Products, Classification of Products, Rural Product Categories Fast moving
Consumer goods, Consumer Durables, Agriculture Goods, Services,
c) New Product Development: Consumer Adoption Process, Product life cycle, Product Mix,
d) Branding in Rural India- Brand building in Rural India, Brand Spectrum in Rural, Brand
Loyalty Vs Stickiness
e) Fake Brands- The Fakes Market, Strategy to counter fakes,
Structure of competition in Rural India, Product warranty and After-sales-service, Conclusion,
Assignment
Module VI

(7Hours)

Distribution Strategy: Introduction: Accessing Rural Markets, Coverage Status in Rural

Markets, Channels of Distribution, Evolution of Rural Distribution Systems- Wholesaling, Rural
Retail System, Vans, Rural Mobile Traders: The last Mile Distribution, Haats/Shandies, Public
Distribution System, Co-operative Societies Behaviour of the Channel, Prevalent Rural
Distribution Models- Distribution Models of FMCG Companies, Distribution Model of Durable
Companies, Distribution of fake products, Emerging Distribution Models- Corporate SHG
Linkage, Satellite Distribution, Syndicated Distribution, ITCs Distribution Model, Petrol pumps
and Extension counters, Barefoot agents, Agricultural agents, Agricultural input dealers, Other
channels, Ideal distribution model for Rural
Module VII

(7 Hours)

Communication strategy: Challenges in Rural Communication, A view of Communication

Process, Developing Effective- Profiling the Target Audience, Determining communication
objectives, designing the message, selecting the communication channels, deciding the
promotion mix, Creating advertisement for rural audiences rural media- Mass media, NonDEPARTMENT OF MBA,
SJBIT.

Page 2

RURAL MARKETING

12MBAMM415

Conventional Media, Personalised media, Rural Media: The importance of the two-step flow of
communication Media Typology, The Media Model, Media innovation, Influence of Consumer
Behaviour on Communication strategies,
Module VIII

(7 Hours)

The future of Rural Marketing: Introduction, Focused Marketing Strategies, Market Research,
Consumer Finance, Rural Vertical, Retail and IT Models, Rural Managers, Glamorize Rural
Marketing, Public-Private Partnership, e-Rural Marketing
Case studies in Indian context only

(4 Hours)

INDEX

S.No
DEPARTMENT OF MBA,
SJBIT.

Module

Page No.
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RURAL MARKETING

12MBAMM415

Module-I

5-8

Module-II

9-24

Module-III

25-40

Module-IV

41-49

Module-V

50-66

Module-VI

67-83

Module-VII

84-99

Module-VIII

100-102

DEPARTMENT OF MBA,
SJBIT.

Page 4

RURAL MARKETING

12MBAMM415
Module-I

Definition
Rural: Places far away from the town or city
Rural Marketing
According to National Commission on Agriculture Rural marketing is a process which starts
with a decision to produce a saleable farm commodity and it involves all the aspects of market
structure or system, both functional and institutional, based on technical and economic
considerations and includes pre and post harvest operations, assembling, grading, storage,
transportation, and distribution.
Scope of rural marketing
1. Large Population: According to 2001 census rural population is 72% of total population
and it is scattered over a wide range of geographical area
2. Rising Rural Prosperity: Average income level has improved due to modern farming
practices, contract farming, industrialization, migration to urban areas and remittance of
money by family members settled abroad.
3. Growth in Consumption: There is a growth in purchasing power of rural consumers. The
average per capita household expenditure is Rs. 382.
4. Changing Lifestyle: Lifestyle of rural consumer changed considerably.
5. Life Cycle Advantage: The products, which have attained the maturity stage in urban
market, is still in growth stage in rural market. E.g. popular soaps, skin cream, talcum
powder, etc.
6. Market Growth Rate Higher than Urban: As per the survey made by NCAER the
growth rate of FMCG market and durables market is higher in rural areas. The rural
market share is more than 50% for products like body talcum powder, toilet soaps
cooking oil, hair oil etc.
7. Rural Marketing is not Expensive: To promote consumer durables inside a state costs Rs
one crore while in urban areas it will costs in millions.
Concepts
Rural Marketing is defined as any marketing activity in which the one dominant participant is
from a rural area. This implies that rural marketing consists of marketing of inputs (products or
DEPARTMENT OF MBA,
SJBIT.

Page 5

services) to the rural as well as marketing of outputs from the rural markets to other geographical
areas.
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest
to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It
generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business
developments. It is an integrated process through which companies build strong customer
relationships and create value for their customers and for themselves. It is a function which
manages all the activities involved in assessing, stimulating and converting the purchasing power
to effective demand for a specific product and service. This moves them to the rural areas to
create satisfaction and uplift the standard of living.
Rural areas of the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when
large areas are described country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low
population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture. Defra have a
working definition, The Rural/Urban Definition, that was introduced in 2004 as a joint project
between a number of Government Departments and was delivered by the Rural Evidence
Research Centre at Birkbeck College (RERC).
Components of rural markets
For the market to exist, certain conditions must be satisfied. These conditions should be both
necessary and sufficient. They may also be termed as the components of a market.
1. Existence of a good commodity for transactions (physical existence is, however, not
necessary)
2. Existence of buyers and sellers
3. Business relationship or intercourse between buyers and sellers; and
4. Demarcation of area such as place, region, country or the whole world. The existence of
perfect completion or a uniform price is not necessary.
Classification of rural markets
This can be classified as follows:
a) CONSUMER MARKET:
Constituents : Individuals and Households.

Products : Consumables, Food- Products, Toiletries, Cosmetics, Textiles and Garments,

Footwear etc.
Durables : Watches, Bicycles, Radio, T.V, Kitchen Appliances Furniture, Sewing Machines,
Two Wheeler etc.
b) INDUSTRIAL MARKET:
Constituents : Agricultural and allied activities, poultry farming, fishing, Animalhusbandry,
Cottage Industries, Health center, School, Co-operatives, Panchayat office etc.
Products : Consumables, seeds, Fertilizers, Pesticides, Animal feed, Fishnets, VMedicines,
Petroll diesel etc.
Durables : Tillers, Tractors, Pump sets, Generators, Harvesters, Boat etc.
c) SERVICES MARKET
Constituents : Individuals, Households, offices and Production firms.
Services

Repairs,

Transport,

Banking

credit,

Insurance,

Healthcare,

Education,

communications, Power etc.

Rural Vs urban markets
It is important to understand why rural marketing is different from urban marketing. Due
to significant differences in almost all the major marketing variables, it becomes very difficult to
optimally tap the rural market potential with an urban mindset. In most cases, it requires a
modified approach, philosophy and marketing mix.
Therefore the domain of rural marketing is significantly different from the way marketing
is planned and implemented in urban areas. The positive results achieved by HLLs Project
Shakti, Colgates Project Jagaruti, etc., because they had structured their rural marketing in terms
of planning, effort, operations, distinctively from their urban marketing. This proves the
justification for treating and approaching rural marketing distinctively from urban marketing.

Factors differentiating Rural marketing from Urban marketing

1.

Infrastructure availability: electricity supply, availability of finance facility,

education level, roads, connectivity, presence of organized markets: In these
infrastructural aspects, the rural market varies widely from the urban market.

2. Income Streams: The pattern of income generation in rural areas based on agriculture is
seasonal and highly unreliable unlike the fixed monthly income in the urban areas. This
created a consumption pattern that is quite different from the urban one.
3. Lifestyle: The lifestyle and daily routine of consumers in two markets is markedly
different. This creates significantly different profile of urban and rural consumers for the
same product.
4. Context: because of variation in infrastructure, lifestyle and the income aspects, the
context in which an individual exists in rural areas is very different from the one urban
areas. This creates difference in nature and priorities of needs in two markets.
5. Socio-cultural background: Value system and thus perception towards goods/services
and consumption in general is quite different in the two markets.
6. Accessibility: The cost and logistics of accessing consumers in a highly widespread and
heterogeneous rural market are very different from those involved in reaching urban
consumers concentrated in good number in a single location. It demands two distinct
marketing approaches.
7. Media reach and habits: The reach of media vehicles and the media habits, varying
widely in rural and urban markets, requires different type of promotional strategy in these
two markets.
8. Nature of competition: the nature and intensity of competition amongst the brands is very
different in the two markets.
9. Consumer behavior: The consumers response to marketing stimuli differs widely in two
markets. The rural consumer behavior is quite different from that of urban buyers
behavior.

MODULE-II
RURAL MARKETING ENVIRONMENT
It is ironic that the census of India defines rural in the context of all that is not urban
considering that there were only villages before the development of cities and towns.
Population
There are currently more than 20,000 villages in the 5,000-10,000 population strata as per the
Census of 2001, so any population cut-off criteria should definitely include these villages as rural
areas.
Occupation pattern
The occupational pattern of people in a segment naturally affects their buying behavior.
A daily wage earner has to account for variations in income, whereas a salary earner
brings home an assured fixed amount and therefore can plan expenses in a better way.
Three-fourths of rural household heads are either cultivators or wage earners, whereas
three-fourths of urban household heads are salary earners, petty shopkeepers and wage
earners.
The cultivators disposable income is highly seasonal, with more disposable income
available immediately after the harvesting season. This is therefore the time when he is
more inclined to make purchases, especially of durables and high-involvement products.
Basic occupations that exist and help directly agro-related works are:
Farm Labourer The farm labourer helps a village through his agricultural activity
directly. The labourer works by tilling, weeding out, sowing, reaping, cleaning the
produce, guarding the field at harvest time and many other odd jobs related to agriculture.
Priest He reads horoscopes, arranges poojas, tells villagers regarding auspicious dates
for marriages, house warming, sowing in addition to his duties in the temple.
Blacksmith The agricultural implements are made and repaired by the village
blacksmith.
Carpenter
Washerman
Barber
Shoe maker

 Potter
Milk man
Demographic profile of people in a segment naturally affect their buying behavior. The wage
earner and salary earner cannot be expected to behave in the same way. A daily wage earner has
to account for variations in income, whereas a salary earner brings home an assured fixed
amount and therefore can plan expenses in a better way.
Three-fourth of rural household heads for either cultivators or wage earners, whereas threefourth of urban household heads are salary earners, petty shopkeepers and wage earners.
The cultivators disposable income is highly seasonal, with more disposable income available
immediately after the harvesting season. This is therefore the time when he is more inclined to
make purchases, especially of durables, and high-involvement products. The purchases at such
times are quite significant, as 40% of the rural population, i.e. 50 million families, are farmers.
Income generation
The pattern of income generation in rural areas based on agriculture is seasonal and highly
unreliable unlike the fixed monthly income in the urban areas. This created a consumption
pattern that is quite different from the urban one.
By sale of agricultural produce
By sale of animal produce
By service Rendered by teacher, doctor or nurse.
By interest on investment
Government subsidies and grants
By mortgage of properties and gold
By charities and donations
By labour and wages Labourers do jobs in construction of roads, bridges and buildings.
Income of Rural Sector is rising at a considerable rate. Percentage of Very Rich,
Consuming Class, and Climbers are rising whereas Aspirants and Destitutes are
declining.
The structure of Rural Income depicts the following trends:
1. On the income ladder, the top two slots are occupied by the non-farm sector, whereas the
farmer is at the third place and wage earner is at the bottom.

2. The highest per capita income in rural comes from the formal segment of the non-farm
sector at Rs. 19514 which is higher than the urban per capita income at Rs. 19407.
Location of rural population
It has been observed that the majority of rural institutions, agri markets and rural banks are
located in larger villages and towns, upto 10,000 populations. Moreover, the characteristics in
terms of occupation, consumption, and buying behavior change from rural to urban in locations
of more than 10,000 population.
Expenditure pattern
Per capita consumption expenditure in rural has increased four times over last 20 years.
Rural spending in non-food items is increasing; out of a total per capita spending of Rs.486,
approximately 40% is spent on non-food items. This shows an encouraging trend for consumer
durables and non-durables (non food item)
Analysing the consumption patterns of non-food items of rural consumers, we find that
the major share of spending goes to clothing, medical services and fuel needs, whereas
urban consumers spend much more on rentals, education and conveyance.
Literacy level and Rural demand
Lower level of education in rural sector (approximately 60% of the population lies below the
middle education bracket) lead to little or low demand for a range of products such as literacy
books, magazines, notebooks, pen/pencils, drawing instruments, calculators, digital diaries,
computers, etc.
But change is taking place because the literacy retain the rural sector has risen 23% over the last
20 year. This has contributed significally to an improvement in the socio-economic status of the
people. With this growth, the demand for educational products has increased. Overall, products
and brand awareness have increased and rural consumers have become more mature in purchase
decision.
Land distribution
India has a large geographical land area of 3.288 million square kms.
Land Classification based on Use:
Forest Land : Area covered by forest

 Uncultivable Land : The land which includes land with tree crops, cultivable waste or
permanent pastures are not fit for cultivation.
Land not available for Cultivation : Land area used for human dwelling, industry areas,
transportation roads, military establishment roads, railways etc.
Cultivable Land : Consists of area under cultivation or sown. This includes irrigated land.
Mountains : High lands above 7000 ft in altitude. This forms 10.7 percent in India.
Hills : Weathered high lands upto an altitude of 7000 ft. They form 18.6 percent in India.
Plateaus : Flat land with an elevation between 1000 ft and 3000ft. They constitute 27.7
percent in India.
Plains : Flat land upto an elevation of 1000 ft. This forms 43 percent in India.
Land use pattern
Land Management is gaining importance because of increasing demands on land and
growth of the population.
Forest area and cultivable land percentages have increased. Forest has increased from a
level of 14% to 22%. Area sown has increased from 20% to 43%.
Area not available for cultivation has reduced and
Change of mindset of common man towards ecology, increasing greenery and that every
square meter of land be used gainfully. Multi-storeyed buildings form part of the citys
landscape.
Irrigation
In last four decades, the irrigated area has doubled.
For centuries, Indian agriculture has depended on rains. The special programmes
launched by Government of India to increase the irrigation facilities along length and
breadth of India have yielded results and reduced dependence on rain.
There is considerable difference in irrigation patterns from state to state in India. States
like Punjab and Haryana, where there are enough natural water resources have a good
percentage of gross irrigated area to total crop area.
If a farmer owns many patches scattered at distances, it makes the entire efforts in
agriculture less remunerative.
Mechanical farming or agricultural methods cannot be adopted for small land holdings.

Year

Net

Gross

Net

area

Area

Cropped Area

Irrigated

Gross

Area

Irrigated

Sown
1999-

Gross Irrigated as
%

of

Cropped

Area

142.9

185.7

48

63.2

34.0

142.2

186.6

53.4

71.4

38.3

142.8

189.5

55.1

73.3

38.7

142

190.8

54.6

76.4

39.7

2000
20002001
20012002
20022003

Development programs
Green Revolution in the Agricultural Sector
Period from 1967 to 1978 heralded a technological thrust into rural areas aimed at improving
food grain production in the country and hence achieving food self-sufficiency.
Green Revolution generated some notable economic results:
1. Crop areas under high-yield varieties required fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and other
inputs. Farm equipments like tractors with farm implements, diesel pump sets etc.
introduced mechanization into the farm sector for the first time.
2. The increase in farm production also introduced mechanized processing, spurring growth
of the local manufacturing sector.
The modernization and mechanization of the farm sector boosted farm productivity, triggered
industrial growth, created jobs and initiated a change in the quality of life in villages.
White Revolution
Initiated by the government with the aim of achieving self-sufficiency in the area of milk
production.

 Cornerstone of the government dairy development policy was producing milk in rural
areas through producer cooperatives and moving processed milk to urban-demand
centres.
Gave a boost to dairy development and initiated the process of establishing the muchneeded linkages between rural producers and urban consumers.
Formation of producers cooperatives has played a significant role in institutionalizing
milk production and processing.
Socio-economic and demographic factors such as urbanization and changing food habits
and lifestyles have also reinforced the growth in demand for dairy products (ice creams,
chocolate, yoghurt, butter, flavoured milk etc.).
Milk production has increased from 17 million tonnes in 1950-51 to 84.6 million tonnes
in 2001-02.
Most successful story in dairy development has been in Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh and Andhra pradesh.
The NGO Movement
Important in providing assistance at the grassroots level assimilation of technological
extensions in rural areas.
Stepped in to create awareness, build skills, introduce technology and develop capacities
for maintenance and sustainability.
Government programmes implemented through NABARD, CAPART, KVIC and others
are given shape by these organizations.
Introduction of low-cost spindles, weaving machinery, technology for leather processing,
food processing, natural resources management etc have been some contributions in
bringing about change at the grassroots.
NGOs have been also active in providing basic health and child care services, running
homes for destitutes and the distressed and providing education and training
opportunities.

Infrastructure facilities
Road Connectivity
Good road connectivity, particularly in rural areas, between sub-divisional towns and
district headquarters is often the primary means of supplementing public efforts directed
at providing basic health and educational services, as well as infrastructural support for
production and trade and commerce at the local village level.
It is particularly relevant in the Indian context where over 70% of the population
continues to live in rural areas and where over 50% of villages with population of less
than 1000 have yet to be connected by roads.
Among the major states, Kerala has the highest road length per hundred square
kilometres (375 km in 1997).
Road connectivity at the village level
Year

Population

Population between

Population more

less than 1000

1000 & 1500

than 1500

1991-92

36.52%

72.32%

89.82%

1997-98

37.45%

76.54%

91.72%

2005-06

49.18%

74.58%

78.04%

Post Offices
India with its 1,55,279 post offices as on 31 March 2002 (138756 post offices are in rural
areas) has a postal network that is the largest in the world. On an average, a post office
serves an area of 21.17 km and a population of 6614 persons.
For providing postal services, the whole country has been divided into 22 postal circles.
Each circle is further divided into regions. A postmaster general who is the postal
manager of the area heads each region.
Post offices in the country are categorized as head, sub and branch post offices.
Rural Health Services

 Sub-centres : The health Sub-Centre is the contact point between the primary health care
system and the community. The Staff at health Sub-Centres are assigned tasks related to
interpersonal communication in order to bring about behavioral change in relation to
maternal and child health, family welfare, nutrition, immunization, control of diarrhoea
and control of communicable diseases.
Primary health Centres : First contact point between the village community and a medical
officer. These are established and maintained by the State Government under the
Minimum Needs / Basic Minimum Services Programme. Manned by a medical officer
and is supported by 14 paramedical and other staff. Activities include curative, preventive
and promotive health care as well as family welfare services.
Community Health Centres : Established and maintained by the State Governments under
the MNP/BMS programme. Four medical specialists, i.e. surgeon, physician,
gynaecologist and paediatrician supported by 21 paramediacal and other staff. 30 indoor
beds, with X-ray, labour room, operation theatre and laboratory facilities.
Radio
From six radio stations at the time of Independence, All India Radio today has 208 radio
stations. All Stations of All India Radio broadcast farm programmes and home
programmes directed at rural audience. The thrust of the broadcast is on increasing
production of agri-products and various programmes adopted by the Government of
India.
Television
DD-1 operates through a network of 1042 terrestrial transmitters of varying powers
reaching over 87% of the population. Over the years, the viewership of Doordarshan as
increased enormously, reaching 7.5 crore homes. Community television sets have been
introduced under various schemes operated by Central and State Government.
Telecom Services
By 2004, over 80% of all villages had been connected through 5.4 lakh Village Public
Telephones. Similarly, 1.42 crore telephone connections had been given in rural areas.
People who are unable to afford a telephone facility of their own can now have access to
VPTs in rural areas in addition to Public Call Offices.

Rural credit institution

Asmitha Provides rural poor women access to financial resources in the form of
collateral free small loans for income generation and livelihood promotion. This enables
them to set-off small start up business, which soon translates into adequate nutrition,
medical aid and education. With increased businesses, these low-income women become
economic agents intrinsic to development rather than simply homemakers
Bandhan MF- Bandhan was set up to address the dual objective of poverty alleviation and
women empowerment. The microfinance activities are carried on by Bandhan Financial
Services Pvt. Ltd. (BFSPL), incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956 and also
registered as a Non Banking Financial Company (NBFC) with the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI).That apart, Bandhan is also engaged in development work through its not for
profit entity.
Cashpor India Our mission is to identify and motivate poor women in the rural areas
and to deliver financial services to them in an honest, timely and efficient manner so that
our Vision is realized and CASHPOR itself becomes a financially sustainable micro
finance institution for the poor.
Grameen Foundation Works in 6 key areas : Connecting microfinance institutions with
capital markets, Strengthening organizations by building people practices, Harnessing the
power of technology, Helping track peoples movement out of poverty, Sharing
knowledge widely for broader impact and Social Business
Grameen Koota Grameen Koota recognises the future competition and challenge of
retaining exclusivity of clients. Instead of targeting a high market share in high
competition areas we will focus on increasing the mind share amongst client and
becoming a preferred microfinance provider. We will leverage our existing goodwill with
the community and have a strong focus on orienting our field staff towards this objective.
Hand in Hand is a development organisation whose objective is to eliminate poverty by
creating enterprises and jobs. Focusing on help to self-help, we take a holistic approach
that combines microfinance and support for women to start enterprises with work in four
other areas that matter most to poor communities: education and child labour elimination,
health and sanitation, a sustainable local environment and information technology

access. With currently more than 450,000 members in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and
Madhya Pradesh, who have collectively started more than 250,000 micro-enterprises, our
goal is to create 1.3 million jobs by 2013. Supported by international offices in the UK
and Sweden, we are now taking our model to South Africa, Afghanistan and Latin
America.
Micro Credit India Microcredit Foundation of India (MFI) is a not-for-profit Section 25
Company in Tamil Nadu dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and community level
action in rural areas as a means to sustainable economic prosperity. Today MFI works
primarily with women. Through its field staff, MFI helps them form Self Help Groups
(SHGs), trains them in good financial practice, facilitates access to microcredit loans,
equips them with business skills and facilitates access to new markets for their products.
MYRADA MYRADA is a Non Governmental Organisation managing rural
development programmes in 3 States of South India and providing on-going support
including deputations of staff to programmes in 6 other States. It also promotes the Self
Help Affinity strategy in Cambodia, Myanmar and Bangladesh
New Life New Life designs projects based on survey of the socio,economic problems
of the project area and support the poor, abused and abandoned children and women by
executing the projects with a defined goals/objectives. The current projects of New Life
includes orphanages for children of incarcerated parents,Save children from Child
Labour,Ensuring primary education for the rural children in India,Early learning centres
for children of vulnerable community groups,Read to Lead Project, Taking care of the
medical needs of Physically handicapped and Mentally retarded children.
RangDe Rang Des mission is to make microcredit accessible to every low income
household by lowering loan interest rates through innovative means.Rang De is
committed to enabling individuals to become social investors through a transparent
platform. While strive to improve Rangde.org as an interface, we work extensively with
our field partners to ensure that we do not compromise on our vision making credit
available at affordable rates.
Role cooperative institution

Cooperative society is an organization of group of people with collective responsibilities and

thoughts for the development of needy, especially under priviledged. Cooperatives helped in the
development of agriculture, banking, credit, agro-processing, storage, marketing, dairy,
fishing and housing and its network covers 85 per cent of rural households. It occupies a key
position in agricultural development with support in resource and input use, harvesting of
water resources, marketing channels, storage facilities, distribution channels, value addition,
market information and a regular monitoring network system. Cooperatives are also engaged in
economic activities like disbursement of credit, distribution of agricultural inputs
(seeds, fertilizers, and agrochemicals), etc.

Financial service

Input supply services

Marketing services

Consumer services

Welfare Services

Extension services

Training centre

Scholarships

Regulated market
A regulated market or controlled market, is a market where the government controls
the forces of supply and demand, such as who is allowed to enter the market or what prices may
[1]

be charged.

It is common for some markets to be regulated under the claim that they are natural

monopolies. For example, telecommunications, water, gas or electricity supply. Often, regulated
markets are established during the partial privatisation of government controlled utility assets.
A variety of

forms

of

regulations exist in

a regulated market.

These include

controls, oversights, anti-discrimination, environmental protection, taxation and labor laws.

In a regulated market, the government regulatory agency may legislate regulations that
privilege special interests, known as regulatory capture.

Agriculture Export Zone

An Agri Export Zone or AEZ is a specific geographic region in a country demarcated for setting
up agriculture based processing industries, mainly for export. The term is widely used mainly
inIndia.
AEZ are to be identified by the State Government, who would evolve a comprehensive package
of services provided by all State Government agencies, State agriculture universities and all
institutions and agencies of the Union Government for intensive delivery in these zones.
Corporate sector with proven credentials would be encouraged to sponsor new agri export zone
or take over already notified agri export zone or part of such zones for boosting agri exports from
the zones.
Establishments of marketing departments for various agricultural & non-agricultural produce
KAPPAC
COIR BOARD
Main motive of this board is to purchase the coconut and prepare the coconut fibre.
Scheme

Rejuvenation, modernization, & technology up gradation of coir industry

Scheme of fund for regeneration of traditional industries

Skill upgradation & quality improvement scheme

Science & technology scheme

Export market promotion scheme

Domestic market promotion scheme

Trade & Industry related functional support service scheme

Welfare measures.

COFFEE BOARD
Employee Welfare Scheme
Allocation of fund for each region
I.

Educational stipends

II.

Incentive award

III.

Financial assistance

NHB (NATIONAL HOUSING BANK)

The Sub-Group on Housing Finance for the Seventh Five Year Plan (1985-90) identified the
non-availability of long-term finance to individual households on any significant scale as a major
lacuna impeding progress of the housing sector and recommended the setting up of a national
level institution.
NHB has been established to achieve, inter alia, the following objectives
a.

To promote a sound, healthy, viable and cost effective housing finance system to cater to
all segments of the population and to integrate the housing finance system with the overall
financial system.

b.

To promote a network of dedicated housing finance institutions to adequately serve

various regions and different income groups.

c.

To augment resources for the sector and channelise them for housing.

d.

To make housing credit more affordable.

e.

To regulate the activities of housing finance companies based on regulatory and

supervisory authority derived under the Act.

f.

To encourage augmentation of supply of buildable land and also building materials for
housing and to upgrade the housing stock in the country.

g.

To encourage public agencies to emerge as facilitators and suppliers of serviced land, for
housing.

INITIATIVES

Residential mortgage backed securitisation process of national housing bank

Reserve mortgage loan

Reverse mortgage loan enabled annuity

Housing finance

Retail deposits

APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority)

The Agricultural and Processed Food products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is an
export promotion organization under Ministry of Commerce & Industries, Government of India.
It is mandated with the responsibility of promotion and development of the export of its
scheduled products.

What are the scheduled products monitored by APEDA ?

All Agri Products
APEDA provides financial assistance to its registered member exporters under the following
schemes:
Scheme for Market Development
Scheme for Infrastructure Development
Scheme for Quality Development
Scheme for Research and Development
Scheme for Transport Assistance
Rural retail outlet

Certainly market-driven technology-based agriculture-India- an economic superpower.

The retail revolution is going to act as a catalyst

So the new concept that is hitting the market today is the Rural Retailing.

Rural India accounts for over 50 percent of Indias GDP.

Rural retail-Tremendous potential as the rate of disposable income is increasing, growing middle
class, advent of IT infrastructure and enormous grouped population.
Though sales are expected to be much lower in early stage, but the break even is reached in fourfive months of being set up, as against eight-nine months earlier.
APPROACH TOWARDS RURAL RETAILING

Go to the producer directly

Set up knowledge exchange centers

Earn respect and confidence with locals

Provide retail environment with local flavors and needs.

Treat farmers with respect and serve them as customers.

SWOT analysis
Strengths:

About 70% of India's population lives in 627000 villages in rural.

Middle and higher income house holds in rural India is expected to grow from 80 million
to 111 million by 2010.

In urban India , the same is expected to grow from 46 million to 59 million . Thus the
absolute size of rural India is expected to be double to that of urban India.

Young population.

Weakness: Low literacy rates

Low standard of living

Traditional outlook

Prevalence of spurious brands and seasonal demand.

Opportunities:

3 times more families lives in Rural India

Rural India has a large consuming class with 41 per cent of India's middle-class and 58
per cent of the total disposable income.

Population-becoming brand conscious

Exposure and increase in literacy rates will open market further.

Threats: Shifting of young generation-rural to urban cities

Entry of small time players Study on buying behavior of rural consumer indicates that
the rural retailers influences 35% of purchase occasions

Vast majorities-rural people-tradition bound, fatalistic and believe in old customs,

traditions, habits, taboos and practices.

Print media in rural areas

Print Media
The total number of newspapers and periodicals being published in the year 2000 was
49,145. Newspapers were published in as many as 101 languages and dialects during
2000.
The reach of newspapers in rural areas are very poor, only 15% of the copies of
newspapers reach rural areas. Newspapers normally reach the feeder market or small
towns and are read in shops or road side hotels.
People sometimes buy newspapers in small towns and take back home, where it is read at
home or at common gathering or social gathering.

Rural areas requirement

Considering the importance of agriculture and rural majority the nine five year plans have made
considerable progress in improving the agriculture sector and the rural farmer. The rural
requirements vary from state to state and the priorities also change. Rural requirements are listed
under:
Improved seeds and fertilisers
Increased means and methods of irrigation
Multipurpose farming
Use of modern farming equipments and methods
Warehousing and preservation of agri-produce.
Marketing development and remunerative prices for the produce
Improvements in pest control and preservation of crops.
R & D work and benchmarking with the best agricultural practices, yields in the world
Training of Farmers
Increased investments and credit facilities
Small land holdings to be consolidated and improvements in tenancy.
Animal heath and veterinary facilities.
Literacy of farmers and families.
Develop village agro-based industries/cottage and village industries
Population control
Crop insurance
Health of farmers
Environment friendly agriculture methods
Water availability management
Remunerative price for milk and milk products and
Provision for subsidiary occupations and incomes
Problems in rural marketing
Unevenly Scattered Population The spread of population in about 4000 cities and towns
is to the extent of 25% and the balance is in six lakh villages. Only 6300 villages have a

population of more than 500. This makes the marketers go through a lot of difficulty to
reach out to the rural masses effectively.
Underdeveloped People and Underdeveloped Market Since 1947 a number of
initiatives have been taken to improve the quality of life in rural areas. In 1947 the rank
of India in terms of poverty, unemployment and level of development was 86 in the
world but in 1991 it reached the level of 123. The situation has further worsened and the
th

1996 report on Human Development Index shows that India ranks 136 in 156 countries
of the world.
Lack of proper Physical Communication Facilities In India only 50% of the road length
is provided with a proper surface. About 36% of the villages in the country do not have
road connection and over 65% of our villages are without all-weather road. Thus the road
grid makes distribution cost higher , as the road grid as a whole suffers from serious
capacity constraints, delays, congestions, fuel wastage and higher vehicle operating costs,
marketers face a lot of problems in distribution of products. Low per capita incomes
Share of rural income accounted for 55.6 percent with 74.6 percent of countrys
population, thus reducing the demand of expensive products.
Many Languages and Dialects In India, the number of languages and dialects vary
widely from state to

state, region to

region. The number of languages spoken is only 16, the total number of dialects is
estimated to be around 850. The messages to be delivered in the local languages and
dialects are a big problem to the marketers.
Low level of literacy This leads to the problem of communication for promotion
purposes. In this case, print medium becomes less effective and the dependence on audio
visual messages is more relevant in rural areas.
Logistics Problems The rural markets have few selling points like retailers, cooperatives, haats and melas. Lack of infrastructure for storage and handling and limited
transport facilities act as a constraint for marketing action.
Low Exposure to Market Stimuli In rural areas, the rural people have low exposure to
branded products, low product exposure, limited sources of information and learning
which creates big challenge to the marketers to stimulate the rural consumers.

 Less Retail Outlets Due to less capital, the shops in the villages have limited
availability of stock and limited or a few range of branded products to sell to rural people
and these shops keep only fast moving items with a number of fake brands.
Seasonal Demand As 70% of rural population depends on agriculture and most of them
with small land holdings highly dependent of natural environment that is rain, if the rains
and weather conditions are good and on time the farmers will get good harvest which
leads to good income, otherwise, if there is shortage of water the demand may be
minimal.
Traditional Life Life in rural areas is still governed by customs and traditions and
people do not easily adopt new practices. For eg. Even rich and educated class of farmers
do not wear jeans or branded shoes in most of the rural areas.
Rural Demand
Some well Established products

Pressure cooker

Cooking utensils

Battries

Cycle, bikes, scooters

Radio/tapes

Pesticides, fertilizers

Tea

Toothpowder/paste

Sewing Machine

Artificial Jewelry

Medicines

Tobacco & Products

Bathing Soaps, washing cakes, washing powder

Cell phones

Fans

TV

Wristwatches

Recent trends in Rural Demand

1.

Steady growth

2.

Welcome change in the composition of Rural Demand

a. Several products already well-established in the rural market
b. In many products, rural consumption accounts for a larger share than urban
c. In many products, rural market has overtaken the urban in growth rate- detergent
powder, washing soaps.
d. Who buys the high priced durables in the rural area?
NCAER (National Council for Applied Economic Research) classified durables in
three categories

Low priced durables- watches, radios, irons, fans, etc.

Relatively higher priced durables- TV, sewing machines, mixers,

2-in-1 music system.

3.

Factors behind the growth and diversification in rural demand

a. New income due to agricultural/rural development
i. Green revolution since 1970
ii. New employment, income & purchasing power.
b. The expectation revolution
i. The rising expectation have enlarged the desire & awareness
ii. Strengthened their motivation to work, earn & consume.

4.

Rural Demand is more seasonala. Agriculture dominate the income source

b. Purchasing on marriages & festivals ( also the harvesting time)

Agricultural Inputs
1.

Seeds

a) Seed usage
A notable feature of the seed situation in Syria is the high seed replacement ratio for wheat.
Considering that, in respect to self-pollinated crops, farmers ordinarily tend to plant home-saved

seeds and do not replace them with fresh processed seeds, the high seed replacement ratio is
commendable.
Farmers tend to compare the price they get for a kg of the commercial grain (the output) with the
price per kg of seed, although this may not be sound economic reasoning considering the value
of the incremental output. This price sensitivity is noticeable particularly in self- and openpollinated varieties, where the farmer has the option to switch to home-saved seed if he considers
the seed price to be high in relation to the crop price. The impact on yield and quality through
continuous use of home seed is not often understood.
b) Production
The annual turnover of the public sector General Organization for Seed Multiplication (GOSM)
is about SP4 billion. About 12-13 000 tonnes of wheat, barley, lentil and chickpea seeds are
exported to Arab countries. GOSM is expected to sell seeds at cost and make no profit.
The private sector role in seed production is in the form of farmer participation in the
multiplication activity. Seeds are multiplied through poly-generation method passing from
nuclear seed through foundation, registered and certified I stages and finally to certified II seed,
which is sold to farmers as commercial seed for raising the crop. The first two stages are
multiplied in six stations at different locations directly under the supervision of GOSM, and the
remaining two stages are produced on farms by cooperative members and by private farmers.
Seed material is supplied to the farmer for multiplication to the succeeding stage at the same
price as for the commercial grain, and not at its appropriate cost which naturally would be
higher. Farmers raising the registered seed are paid a 25 percent premium over the commercial
crop price for the output, and those raising the certified seed I and II are paid a premium of 20
percent. Breeder seed is obtained, free of cost, from the International Center for Agricultural
Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), research stations and sources outside the country.
c) Delivery system
Seeds for all strategic crops - wheat, barley, lentils, chickpeas, cotton, and sugar beet - are
produced only by GOSM, the public sector organization, for distribution through their branches
and through the Agricultural Cooperative Bank warehouses. Hybrid seeds for vegetables are
imported and marketed by private sector seed companies through a network of retailers spread
across the country.

d) Seed importation by private sector

Importers are required to apply to the Directorate of Agricultural Affairs for approval of the seed
variety before seeking an import license. The seeds are tested in the Governments research
stations for two seasons and, depending on the findings, approval is given or refused. The
difficulty expressed by importers is that imported seed varieties keep changing rapidly and often
when the approval is given after two years it is possible that the same variety may not be
available. At the time of import, on arrival of the consignment at the port of entry, the customs
take a sample and send it to Aleppo for analysis. The consignment is allowed for clearance after
the sample is approved. A local facility for analysis could reduce the delay in clearances of
consignments.
e) Seed Law
There is need for a comprehensive Seed Law containing the following: making it illegal to
produce, stock or sell seed unless it is an approved variety, packed, sealed, certified and the
packing and label comply with disclosure requirements; stipulating procedures for new releases
and registration of varieties; specifying quality standards; laying down penalties for deviation;
prescribing obligations of seed producers and dealers; specifying disclosure requirements
(variety name, producers name and address, purity percentages, production date and date of
expiry for viability) and similar aspects.
f) Pricing
Pricing for barley, lentil and chickpea seeds need review to recognize the uncertainties of rainfed conditions under which these crops are raised and to encourage a higher seed replacement
ratio. There are also reports of seed growers considering the premium of 20 percent over the
commercial price for seed crops to be insufficient. As a result, they tend to divert the seed crop to
the market instead of giving it to the processor. This interrupts the multiplication chain. To avoid
diversion and to ensure continuity of the seed chain, the premium may have to be reviewed.
Presently, the Government fixes the maximum prices of imported seeds. This could be modified
into a system of requiring the importer to file the cost of import and marketing, waiving the price
fixation part of the procedure and allowing him to fix his own pricing. The market could be
allowed to determine what price each variety deserves. The cost data filed by importer should be
adequate for identifying undue price increases and corrective action.

2.

Fertilizers
a) Fertilizer usage
The popular forms of fertilizers used are ammonium nitrate of both 30 percent and 33
percent grades, urea, triple super phosphate with 46 percent P2O5 (TSP), also commonly
referred to in Syria as just super phosphate, sulphate of potash with 50 percent K and,
occasionally, diammonium phosphate (DAP) with 18 percent N and 46 percent P2O5. Of
these, the first three are locally produced and supplemented by imports to meet the gap
between demand and local production.

b) Distribution system
About 60 percent of the total fertilizer requirement is produced locally at the only manufacturing
unit located at Homs and the balance is met by imports. The Agricultural Cooperative Bank
(ACB) distributes imported and locally produced material to farmers directly and through
cooperatives. The ACB is both dispenser of farm loans and distributor of inputs. The quantity of
fertilizer and other inputs is pre-determined according to a recommended crop plan (earlier, it
was a mandatory plan subject to severe penalties for non-adherence but now made indicative)
and formalized by the issue of a crop license to every farm at the beginning of each crop year.
Farmers, or the cooperatives on their behalf, take delivery from ACB warehouses. Cooperatives
role in most cases is limited to physical facilitation involving no advance purchase, storage and
working capital investment. The 5 361 agricultural cooperatives in the country play an important
part in facilitating the redistribution of seeds and fertilizers from ACB to farmer members.
c) Production
The General Fertilizer Company (GFC), located in Homs, is a public sector organization and is
the only fertilizer manufacturing unit in Syria. It has an annual installed capacity of 120 000
tonnes of ammonium nitrate, 330 000 tonnes of urea and 450 000 tonnes of triple super
phosphate (TSP). The plant is located centrally with good and easy reach to most fertilizer
consuming parts of the country. The source of natural gas is about 700 km at Hassake and is
piped to the fertilizer unit and the neighbouring refinery. Rock phosphate deposits are also
nearby at Palmyrah. Power supply is not a problem and is available at 97 piastres per kWh. The
production at this unit has been erratic in relation to the installed capacity as will be seen from
the following table. The capacity of the ammonia plant is not matched by capacities in the

downstream ammonium nitrate and urea plants, which seems to be the major reason for underutilization. These plants, as well as the sulphuric acid and phosphoric acid plants, need
revamping requiring further investment. Considering the local availability of rock phosphate and
natural gas (sulphur is imported from nearby sources) and the inherent comparative advantage
for manufacture of nitrogenous and phosphatic fertilizer, it is worthwhile investing in this unit
for revamping and de-bottlenecking.
d) Importation - Role of GEZA
Fertilizer import in its entirety is entrusted to the public sector organization called the Foreign
Trade Organization for Import of Chemicals and Foodstuffs - referred to as GEZA, formerly
known by the acronym TAFCO. Private sector is not permitted to import fertilizers. Recently,
however, a decree has been issued allowing private sector in fertilizer import. GEZA imports
through Tartous and Latakia ports - bulk urea cargo mostly through Tartous and bagged cargo
through Latakia. Bulk urea is unloaded and bagged by automatic bagging equipment on the
wharf and directly loaded onto trucks, saving about US$3 per tonne compared to import in
bagged form. The purchase contracts are on C&F free out basis with the responsibility for
wharfages resting with the seller. North Africa, East Europe and Russia are the main sources
which offer advantages of short voyage time and distributed deliveries in lots of 5 000-7 000
tonnes. There are no constraints of truck availability at either port. Foreign exchange availability
for fertilizer import is not a constraint.
e) Price coordination mechanism
Stocks at different prices are taken over by ACB - local production at cost plus a margin to the
producing unit and imported material at varying C&F costs for different parcels plus 1 percent to
GE?ZA. Therefore, the Bank has to go through a complex averaging process to arrive at a
uniform farmer price for each fertilizer type regardless of the source. These selling prices are
recommended and submitted for approval of the Supreme Agricultural Council.
3.

Farm Machinery

Farming and farm machinery have continued to evolve. The threshing machine has given way to
the combine, usually a self-propelled unit that either picks up windrowed grain or cuts and
threshes it in one step. The grain binder has been replaced by the swather which cuts the grain
and lays it on the ground in windrows, allowing it to dry before being harvested by a combine.

Plows are not used nearly as extensively as before, due in large part to the popularity of
minimum tillage to reduce soil erosion and conserve moisture. The disk harrow today is more
often used after harvesting to cut up the grain stubble left in the field. Although seed drills are
still used, the air seeder is becoming more popular with farmers. Today's farm machinery allows
farmers to cultivate many more acres of land than the machines of yesterday.
a.

Tractor

b.

Corn Picker

c.

Cotton Gin

d.

Cotton Harvester

e.

Crop Rotation

f.

Hay Cultivation

Rural market index

Thomson Rural Market Index
Market Research is done by market research companies and experts in the field to
provide data about consumption patterns, purchase preferences and rural market
potential. Hindustan Thompson Associates Limited, a market research and advertising
company in India studied the rural areas in India in year 1972.
HTAL made its report in 1972 and developed overall indicators of rural market potential
in India. These are known as Thompson Rural Market Index.
HTAL compiled data of 335 districts based on 26 measurable scale variables. HTAL
collated data regarding agricultural details of output in each district.
Indicators considered in developing TRMI are:
Agricultural Labourers
Gross Cropped Area
Gross Irrigated Area
Area under non food crops
Pump sets
Fertilizer consumption
Tractors
Rural Credit

 Rural Deposits
Villages electrified
TRMI has become a useful guide in segmenting and targeting rural markets. Based on TRMI
data, the districts have been classified A,B,C,D and E classes. The classification is given:

Class of

Index Range

Markets

No.

of

Percentage

districts

of Markets

60.00-100.00

22

17.80

40.00-59.99

39

20.5

30.00-39.99

54

20.4

20.00-29.99

86

23.00

Below 20

154

18.30

Module-III
Rural consumer behavior
The understanding of consumers has to invariably come from the consumer. The
information relating to consumer behaviour has to be necessarily based on an enquiry into
their purchase process. The purchase act by a consumer is governed by various factors such as
economic, social and psychological.
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR refers to the acts of individuals directly involved in
obtaining and using goods and services and includes the decision process that provide a
purchase. Consumer Behaviour is not only the study of what people consume but also
where,
how often and under what conditions the product is consumed.
Consumer buying behavior models
Consumer decision making varies with the type of buying decision. Complex and
expensive purchases are likely to involve more buyer deliberations and more participants. Henry
Assael distinguished four types of consumer buying behavior based on the degree of buyer
involvement and the degree of differences among brands.
Complex buying behavior Consumers engage in complex buying behavior when they
are highly involved in a purchase and aware of significant differences among brands.This is
usually the case when the product is expensive, bought infrequently, risky and highly selfexpressive. The marketer needs to differentiate the brands features, use print media to describe
the brands benefits and motivate store sales personnel and the buyers acquaintances to
influence the final brand choice.
For eg. Automobile, two-wheeler, consumer durable.
Dissonance-reducing buying behavior Sometimes the consumer is highly involved in a
purchase but sees little difference in the brands. The high involvement is based on the fact that
the purchase is expensive, infrequent and risky. For example, carpet buying.
After the purchase, the consumer might experience dissonance that stems from noticing certain
disquieting features of the carpet or hearing favorable things about other carpets. Thus marketing
communication should aim at supplying beliefs and evaluations that help the consumer feel good
about his or her brand choice.

Habitual Buying Behavior Many products are bought under conditions of low consumer
involvement and the absence of significant brand differences. Consider salt.Consumers have
little involvement in the product category . They go to the store and reach for the brand.If they
keep reaching for the same brand, it is out of habit, not strong brand loyalty.It happens with most
low-cost, frequently purchased products.Marketers find it effective to use ad repetition, price and
sales promotion to stimulate product trial.
Variety-seeking buying behavior Some buying situations are characterised by low consumer
involvement but significant brand differences. Here consumers often do a lot of brand switching.
Think about cookies. The consumer may reach for another brand out of boredom or a wish for a
different taste. The marketer will try to encourage habitual buying behavior by dominating the
shelf space, avoiding out of stock conditions, sponsoring frequent reminder advertising, offering
lower prices, deals, coupons and free samples.
FACTORS AFFECTING CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR
The various factors that affect buying behaviour of in rural India are:
1) Environment of the consumer:- the environment or the surroundings in which the consumer
leaves has a very strong influence on the buyer behavior. E.g.:- electrification, water supply
effects demand for durables.
2) Geographic influence:- the geographic location in which the rural consumer is located also
speaks about the thought process of the consumer. For instance, villages in south India accept
technology quicker than in other parts of india.Thus, HMT sells more winding watches in the
north while they sell more quartz watches in the south.
3) Influence of occupation:- The land owners and service can buy more of category2 &
category3 durables than agricultural laborers.
4) Place of purchase:- Companys need to access the influence of retailer on both consumers at
village shops.
5) Creative use of product:- The study of product and provides indicators to the company on
the need for education and also for new product ideas.
E.g.:- godrej hair dye being used as a pain to the color horns of ox. Washing machine being used
for making lassie.

6) Brand preference and loyalty:- the people in rural market will not give preference for brand
products but they give importance for loyalty of the product. 80% of the sale is branded items in
16 product category.
SOCIAL FACTORS
The social factor consists of three factors,
1) Sociological factor:Consumer society or the community is important. The consumer life style is influenced by the
social setup. The social constitution and changes influence customer habits, taste, and lifestyles.
2) Anthropological factors:The reasonable cultures and subcultures and living patterns influence advertising sales
promotion, selling strategies and packing. The consumers in east India have different taste.
3) Psychological factors:Consumer behavior attitudes personality and mental make ups are unique. The study of behavior
is vital to evolve marketing mix.
TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS
The rapid expansion of telecommunication facilities and mobile phone has provided
opportunities for rural people to keep in touch with men and markets. Development of TV
networks and reasonable channels has enabled the marketers to pass on message about product
and services to rural people. In rural areas especially in large villagers and villagers near to
towns and cities, children and youth have accused to information such as job opportunities,
national news, weather conditions, bank loans etc..IT and internet are sure to spread up exchange
of information in rural india though at a slower rate compare to urban market
ECONOMIC FACTORS
1) Competition:A good and healthy competition brings in good and overall improvement in economic activities.
It also brings good quality, good quantity and price.
2) Consumers:The consumer today is quite knowledgeable and choosy. His progress and well being should be
the aim of any economic activity.

3) Price:Pricing is a delicate issue where it should be market friendly, not too high or to little. The
marketers has to keep in mind to get descent returns on investment and effects of producers and
marketers.
4) Ethical forces:Business minus ethical values brings degeneration. In the long run it brings problems. No
standardization, exploitation and falsification are main ethical values in such organization.
5) Political forces:The government polices towards trade and commerce, internal taxation and preferential
treatments have a influence on the marketing strategies. The marketing environment has to meet
the political frame work in which a government is made to work.
6) Physical forces:The infrastructure availability for movement and storage of goods play an important role in the
physical distribution of goods and reaching the consumers. Efficient and cheaper logistics helps
the market in a big way.
7) Technological force:The fast changing science and technology gives a cutting edge to the marketing of products. The
changes warrant changes in marketing , inputs and strategies. Faster and efficient communication
and transport systems have speeded up marketer. The capital is made to work faster and harder
.So in the case with the marketer, He has to use these new marketing tools and facilities in
designing and implementing his marketing strategies which are adaptive to the change in
environment and ensure success.
Political factors
The government have taken initiative for economic development of rural areas and have invested
heavily in agriculture, irrigation, electricity, khadi and village industries and infra structure
facilities such as roads, communication, hospitals, school, and banking. The initiatives certainly
let to rural prosperity and opportunities for the marketers.
CHARACTERISTICS OF RURAL CONSUMER
Demonstrations, Targeting Opinion Leaders, Employing Trained Sales Persons
Lack of Strong Brand Consciousness

 Generally ask for the product and not the brand.

Indian consumers, on an average, try about six brands of same package goods product in
one year, compared to two for Americans.
Consumption by Age and Stages of the life cycle
Age

Life-Cycle

Urban

Rural

Video games, Chocolates,

Toys, ice candy, daliya

stage
Below

Child

12

beverages, health drinks

13-19

Teenage

Cell phones, motor cycles,

Bicycle, television, cinema

Internet
20-40

40-60

Young

Car, Personal Computer,

Motorcycle,

branded clothing, alcohol,

tailored/unbranded

stores/malls

liquor, haat

Middle

Luxury Car, Credit Cards,

Tractors,

Aged

House,

postal savings, mela

health

insurance,

telephone,

Kissan

LPG,

clothes, local

Credit

Card,

holiday trips
Above

Old

Clubs, theatre, parks

Chaupal,

Playing

Cards,

pilgrimage.

60

Occupation and Income

In the rural sector, a range of goods and services beyond the very basic ones are bought by a
consumer, influenced by the occupation and income of the individual. Fishermen buy a boat
and large nets, whereas a farmer opts first for a tractor and pump set.
Economic circumstances
1. Unfavorable economic condition to adopt high cost technology.
2. High cost of inputs.
3. Underprivileged rural industries

The main agricultural product that controls the fate of the rural economy in India are as
follows:
Food Grains - Rice, Wheat, Pulses, Cereals, Corn, Maize, Rice Bran Extractions,
Sorghum, Soy meal, Suji, Parmal, Lentils, Jowar, Bajra, Chick pea.

Fruits and Nuts - Cashew Kernels, Cashew Nut, Cashews, Almonds, Roasted Dry
Fruits, Peanuts, Groundnut, Walnut Kernels, Walnuts, Indian Peanuts, HPS Groundnuts.

Fruits - Bananas, Beans, Cherry, Cucumbers, Dried Fruits, Dried Truffles, Carrots,
Lemon, Mandarins, Mango steens, Meslin, Shallots, Apples, Asparagus, Grapes,
Oranges, Gherkins, Turnips, Oranges, Papaya, Pineapple.
Vegetables Potatoes, Bitter gourd, Stripe Gourd, Pumpkin, cauliflower, Cabbage,
Tomato, Onion, Green Pepper, Drum Sticks, Lady's finger, Banana, Papaya, Spinach,
Cucumber, Mushroom, Mushroom Spawn, Radiata.
Seeds, Buds, Plantation and Related Products - Basil Seed, Cumin seeds, Dill Seed,
Buds, Celery Seed, Hybrid Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Sesbania Seed, Sunflower Seeds,
Mustard Seeds, Oil Seeds, Plant Products, Plantation, Plants, Psyllium Seed, Fennel
Seed, Fenugreek Seed, Herb Seeds, Tamarind Seed, Vegetable Seeds.
Spices - Black Pepper, Chilli Powder, Chillies, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coriander Powder,
Cumin, Curry Powders, Dry Ginger, Dry Red Chilly, Cardamom, Anise, Salt, Onion
Powder, Pepper, Fenugreek, Clove, Ginger, Turmeric, Turmeric Powder.

Tea and Coffee - Black Tea, Coffee, Coffee Beans, Darjeeling Teas, Assam Teas,
Instant Coffee, Leaf Coffee, Leaf Tea, Packaged Tea, Green Tea, CTC Teas.

Tobacco and Tobacco Products - Beedi, Betel nut Leaves, Betel nut, Bidi Leaves,
Chewing Tobacco, Cigarettes, Arecanut, Jarda, Scented Tobacco, Smoking Tobbacco,
Snuff, Opium, Pan, Chatni, Pan Masala, Gutkazarda, Zafrani Zarda.

Cotton, Rubber, Jute etc.

Personality and Brand Belief

Expression of the core values & characteristics of a brand with emphasis on human
personality traits e.g. friendly, intelligent, innovative
Process of transforming brand into a person or humanizing the brand.
Acts as brand differentiator &offers sustainable competitive advantage

WHAT PERSONALITY REVEALS ABOUT A BRAND

Demonstrates a Brands Passion, Expertise & ultimate purpose
Touches & energies the motivation of the targeted Customer Segments
Projects the Brands Core Values and Beliefs
Describes how customers can expect to be treated.
Brand Personality is the voice behind Brands :

Values

Functional Attributes

Competitive Positioning

Brand Belief

Rise of Consumerism
"social movement seeking to augment the rights and power of buyers in relation to sellers,"
(Kotler, 1972)
1. The rise of modern consumerism can probably be traced to post first world war America.
2. Time-and-motion studies along with labour saving technologies and worker efficiencies
were an indication of fundamental changes in work. Productivity soared, but

redundancies did too, creating huge overproduction people couldnt afford what was
produced.
3. "The new economic gospel of consumption" was invented to convert Americans from
thrift to spendthrift. Economist Simon Nelson in 1907 said "the new morality does not
consist in saving, but in expanding consumption". Business created "the dissatisfied
consumer". An example is the beginning of the yearly model change, coupled with
aggressive advertising in the automobile industry the start of planned obsolescence.
4. A government survey on Recent Economic Change in 1929 concluded that "by
advertising and other promotional devices a measurable pull on production has been
created".
Reasons behind the rise

Reasons behind the rise of consumerism in India-

Imbalance in demand and supply of commodities----- leading to hoarding, black

marketing, profiteering

Low literacy levels and lack of awareness of rights encourages businessmen to be

indifferent to consumers

Reasons behind the rise of consumerism in India

Lack of effective competition

Consumerism is still in its infancy

Legal framework is time consuming and tiresome

Lamentable state of public sector monopolies

Remedies

Active participation from the business, Government and consumers.

Business must ensure efficiency in production and quality of output and must refrain
from Unfair Trade Practices

Government through legislations, statutory bodies etc prevent exploitation of consumers.

Consumers should assert their rights and protect themselves from business malpractices

Lifestyle of rural consumer

Rural Consumer is very religious Dabur developed a religious calendars and gave
Hanuman Chalisa along with their products. Ganga made of milk and holy water of
Ganga. Govinda as a Brand Ambassador.
Rural Consumers prefer to work Hard themselves Machines to be sold on the basis
of benefits offered and not on the basis of comfort and convenience.
Strong Family ties and respect for Family Values
Likes to play Cards and Hangs out at Choupal.
Lifestyle Comparison of rural and urban Lifestyle
Dimensions
Demographics

Urban
Convent

Rural

Educated,

salary

Govt school, self-employed, large

earner, small nuclear family, family,

large

Activities

Interests

dense

population,

small/scattered

population, ordinary spacious

apartments

houses

Office jobs, internet surfing.

Agriculture,

Health club, shopping, clubs

gossip, playing cards, cinema,

and party

religious congregation.

Chinese, Continental

physical

sports,

foods,

Desi food, milk, bright colored

designer clothes, beauty salons,

clothes, jewellery, visiting towns,

holiday trips

markets/melas

Rural Shopping Habits : Consumer Insights

Preference for small or medium Package Britannias Tiger Biscuits, Cavinkares
Chik Shampoo, and small Coke for Rs. 5.
Role of Retailer
Role of Opinion Leaders for durables Opinion Leaders like Sarpanch, village elders
and educated Youth of the village.
Information Search and pre-purchase evaluation

 The rural consumer primary seeks and gets his information from opinion leaders and
influencers, rather than the media. However, this information search is fuelled by
exhibitions and road shows, because of the opportunity of personal interaction and
leisurely pace of absorbing and understanding the information and its relevance.
In the case of high involvement products, this information search needs to be
supplemented by an out of village visit to a company outlet with an opportunity for
personal interaction. The need to demonstrate individual accessories of the product
and their performance also becomes critical.
The ultimate clincher is always the touch and feel experience. Anything less will not
lead to a purchase.
Stages in consumer buying process
Need recognition
It is the difference between the desired state and the actual state. A rural consumer first
recognizes his needs and accordingly thinks of purchasing the product. This is the first step in the
simple decision making model. For instance a farmer in a rural area wants to purchase a
colour television
Pre purchase search
After the need has been identified, the next step is to do a pre purchase search. Pre purchase
search is of two types namely internal search using ones memory and external search which
involves

getting

more

information

from

friends

or

relatives

(word

of

mouth).

Marketer dominated sources, comparison shopping, public malls etc. A successful information
search leaves a buyer with possible alternatives, the evoked set. Here the farmer may go to a
nearby city and visit a showroom that has multiple products.
Evaluation of alternatives
This third step is to basically pick the best alternative from the available. In this step the
buyer needs to establish criteria for evaluation. He makes a decision about what features he
wants or does not want in the product. Accordingly ranks are given to the alternatives. The
farmer may look for products of Videocon, Onida, and LG that are available with the dealers and
finally select one of them. If he is not satisfied with the choice made the buyer can return to the
search phase. Also marketers try to influence the buyer by framing alternatives.

 Purchase decision
This is action that results in the purchase of the product from among available alternatives. The
customer may plan to purchase a specific product that suits his needs and is within his budget,
etc. This includes product, package, store, method of purchase among other things.
For example the farmer may plan to go for LGs Sampoorna Colour Television as it has a
vernacular onscreen display, better sound and superior picture quality. Besides it is priced at only
Rs 8,500.
Purchase
This involves the actual purchase of the product. However it may differ from the decision due to
time lapse between the purchase decision and the actual purchase or may also depend upon the
availability of the product.
Post purchase behaviour
This is the final step in the simple model of consumer behaviour. The buyers relationship with
the seller does not come to an end with the purchase especially in the case of consumer durables.
This is not an important factor for FMCG. The farmer may see whether LG has a service centre
nearby in case the product needs servicing.
It is found that the main elements studied for analyzing rural consumer decision making process
are media exposure, purchase aspects, behaviour of the consumer towards price, quality
relations, credit and influence of the retailer.

Urban

Buying

Rural

process
High-involvement

Need

High involvement product - productivity drives

Recognition

consumers recognition for need.

First hand information from TV,

Information

First hand information from a fellow owner and

Internet,

search

nearby dealer at district town.

comfort,

status,

product,
drive,

consumers recognition for need

Newspaper

Ads/

Consults a fellow owner before

dealer visit

Educated/aware

understands,

analyses technical specifications.

Evaluation of

Lower education and awareness. More importance

alternatives

to fellow owner and illustration of dealer. Consults

At most looks for test drive

opinion leader like progressive farmers. Live field

demonstration.

Normally buyer

makes

final

Purchase

decision. Family influences color decision

Collective decision by buyer, adult son, mechanic

and progressive village farmer.

and looks,. Drives new car home

with family.
Higher satisfaction or dissonance

Post-purchase

Higher satisfaction, lower dissonance. Because risk-

because of greater risk factor.

behavior

taking is lower and expectation level is low. Low

Higher

risk

because

taking
of

experimentation.

After

ability,

risk-taking ability because life-attached product,

wanting

lack of technical know how, low confidence on after

sales

sales service.

service no issue

Diffusion of Innovation
Diffusion of Innovations is a theory of how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology
spread through cultures.
Elements of diffusion of innovations

Innovation

Rogers defines an innovation as "an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by an
individual or other unit of adoption".

Communication channels

A communication channel is "the means by which messages get from one individual to another.

Time

"The innovation-decision period is the length of time required to pass through the innovation.

decision process" Rate of adoption is the relative speed with which an innovation is adopted by
members of a social system.

Social system

"A social system is defined as a set of interrelated units that are engaged in joint problem solving
to accomplish a common goal.

Opinion Leadership
The process by which one person (the opinion leader) informally influences the
consumption actions or attitudes of others who may be opinion seekers or opinion recipients.
Strong /weak tie source

Opinion Leadership is the process by which the opinion leader informally influences the
actions or attitudes of others, who may be opinion seekers or merely opinion recipients. Opinion
receivers perceive the opinion leader as a highly credible, objective source of product
information who can help reduce their search and analysis time and percieved risk.
Opinion leaders are motivated to give information or advice to others, in part doing so
enhances their own status and self image and because such advice tends to reduce any post
purchase dissonance that they may have.Other motives include product involvement, message
involvement or any other involvement.
Market researchers identify opinion leaders by such methods as self designation, key
informants, the sociometric method and the objective method.
Studies of opinion leadership indicate that this phenomenon tends to be product category
specific, generally one of their interest. An opinion leader of one product range can be an opinion
receiver for another product category.
Generally, opinion leaders are gregarious, self confident, innovative people who like to
talk. Additionally, they may feel differentiated from others and choose to act differently (or
public individuation).
They acquire information about their areas of interest through avid readership of special
interest magazines and ezines and by means of new product trials.
Their interests may often overlap into adjacent areas and thus their opinion leadership
may also extend into those areas.
The Needs of Opinion Leaders

Self involvement

Social involvement

Product involvement

Message involvement

Opinion leaders are four times more likely to be asked about political issues, three times
more likely to be asked about computers or investments, and twice as likely to be asked
about restaurants

Information seekers seek a strong-tie source when they know little about a topic, and
weak-tie sources when they have some knowledge

Reasons for the Effectiveness of Opinion Leadership

Credibility

Positive and Negative Product Information

Information and Advice

Opinion Leadership Is Category-Specific

Opinion Leadership Is a Two-way Street

Brand loyalty
Brand loyalty can be defined as the strength of preference for a brand compared to other similar
available options. This is often measured in terms of repeat purchase behaviour or price
sensitivity.
FACTORS OF BRAND LOYALTY
Lau et al. (2006) in his article mentioned that there were seven factors that influenced
consumers brand loyalty towards certain sportswear brands. The factors were: brand name,
product quality, price, style, store environment, promotion and service quality.
Brand Name
Famous brand names can disseminate product benefits and lead to higher recall of advertised
benefits than non-famous brand names (Keller, 2003). There are many unfamiliar brand names
and alternatives available in the market place. Consumers may prefer to trust major famous
brand names. These prestigious brand names and their images attract consumers to purchase the
brand and bring about repeat purchasing behaviour and reduce price related switching behaviours
(Cadogan and Foster, 2000). Furthermore, brand personality provides links to the brands
emotional and self-expressive benefits for differentiation. This is important for brands which
have only minor physical differences and are consumed in a social setting where the brand can
create a visible image about the consumer itself.
Product Quality
Product Quality encompasses the features and characteristics of a product or service that bears on
its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. In other words, product quality is defined as fitness
for use or conformance to requirement. Consumers may repeat the purchase of single
brands

or switch around several brands due to the tangible quality of the product sold. According to
Frings (2005), the components of product quality of fashion merchandise include size
measurement, cutting or fitting, material, colour, function and the performance of the
merchandise. Fitting is a crucial aspect in garment selection because some fitted garments such
as swimsuits and aerobic wear can ideally enhance the consumers general appearance. Material
is important in product quality because it affects the hand feel, texture and other performance
aspects of the product. Further, consumers relate personally to colour, and could select or reject a
fashion because of colour. If the colour does not appeal to them or flatter their own colour, they
will reject the fashion.
Functional attributes in sportswear include quick-dry, breathable, waterproof, odourresistant, lightweight, and antimicrobial and finally, durability which is the use life of garments.
For instance, some consumers wear their sportswear for heavy work and some for leisure and
sports, as they need a lot of movement, while durability is an important consideration in
purchasing sportswear. Perfectionist or quality consciousness is defined as an awareness of and
desire for high quality products, and the need to make the best or perfect choice versus buying
the first product or brand available (Sproles and Kendall, 1986). This indicates that quality
characteristics are also related to performance.
Price
According to Cadogan and Foster (2000), price is probably the most important
consideration for the average consumer. Consumers with high brand loyalty are willing to pay a
premium price for their favoured brand, so, their purchase intention is not easily affected by
price. In addition, customers have a strong belief in the price and value of their favourite brands
so much so that they would compare and evaluate prices with alternative brands (Evans et al.,
1996; Keller, 2003). Consumers satisfaction can also be built by comparing price with perceived
costs and values. If the perceived values of the product are greater than cost, it is observed that
consumers will purchase that product.
Loyal customers are willing to pay a premium even if the price has increased because the
perceived risk is very high and they prefer to pay a higher price to avoid the risk of any change
(Yoon and Kim, 2000). Basically, long-term relationships of service loyalty make loyal
customers more price tolerant, since loyalty discourages customers from making price

comparison with other products by shopping around. Price has increasingly become a focal point
in consumers judgments of offer value as well as their overall assessment of the retailer (De
Ruyter et al., 1999). According to Bucklin et al. (1998), price significantly influences consumer
choice and incidence of purchase. He emphasized that discount pricing makes households switch
brands and buy products earlier than needed. Price is described as the quantity of payment or
compensation for something. It indicates price as an exchange ratio between goods that pay for
each other. Price also communicates to the market the companys intended value positioning of
its product or brand. Price consciousness is defined as finding the best value, buying at sale
prices or the lowest price choice (Sproles and Kendall, 1986). Additionally, consumers generally
evaluated market price against an internal reference price, before they decide on the
attractiveness of the retail price.
Style
Style is visual appearance, which includes line, silhouette and details affecting consumer
perception towards a brand (Frings, 2005). According to Abraham and Littrell (1995), a
composite list of apparel attributes has been generated and one of the conceptual categories is
style. Consumers judgment depends on the consumers level of fashion consciousness, so
judgment will be conditioned by their opinion of what is currently fashionable. Brands that
supply stylish sportswear attract loyal consumers who are fashion conscious. Fashion leaders or
followers usually purchase or continue to repeatedly purchase their fashion garments in stores
that are highly fashionable. They gain satisfaction from wearing the latest fashion and style
which also satisfies their ego.
A research conducted by Duff (1999) investigated the niche market in womens
sportswear, and the results showed that sportswear shoppers were becoming more fashion
conscious and were demanding products with more style; furthermore, consumers have a
tendency to wear different attires for different occasions. According to Sproles and Kendall
(1986), fashion consciousness is generally defined as an awareness of new styles, changing
fashions, and attractive styling, as well as the desire to buy something exciting and trendy.
Store Environment
Omar (1999) emphasised that the store environment was the single most important factor
in retail marketing success and store longevity. Positive attributes of the store, which include

store location, store layout, and in-store stimuli, affect brand loyalty to some extent. Store
location and number of outlets are crucial in altering consumer shopping and purchasing
patterns. If consumers find the store to be highly accessible during their shopping trip and are
satisfied with the stores assortment and services, these consumers may become loyal afterwards
(Evans et al., 1996). Thus, a stores atmosphere is one of the factors that could influence
consumers decision making.
The stimuli in the store, such as the characteristic of other shoppers and salespeople, store
layout, noises, smells, temperature, shelf space and displays, sign, colours, and merchandise,
affect consumers and serve as elements of apparel attributes (Abraham and Littrell, 1995), which
may in turn, affect consumer decision making and satisfaction with the brand (Evans et al.,
1996). On the other hand, background music played in the stores affects attitudes and behaviour
(Milliman, 1982). The slow-beat musical selection leads to higher sales volume as consumers
spend more time and money in a conducive environment. There are many advantages to retailers
having loyal customers. As stated by Huddleston et al. (2004), customer loyalty could yield a
favourable operating cost advantage for retailers. Furthermore, they stressed that obtaining new
customers cost five to six times as much as retaining current customers. Loyal customers can
increase their purchase spending, they are low cost for retailers as compared to obtaining new
customers; they accept price premiums and they have customer longevity. Research conducted
by Lin and Chang (2003) showed that the channel convenience of the brands had significant
influence on buying behaviour. This means that the accessibility to this product/brand in the
store is important when purchasing low involvement products. Consumers will not go to another
store just to find the brand. Instead, they will stay put and choose another brand.
Promotion
Promotion is a marketing mix component which is a kind of communication with
consumers. Promotion includes the use of advertising, sales promotions, personal selling and
publicity. Advertising is a non-personal presentation of information in mass media about a
product, brand, company or store. It greatly affects consumers images, beliefs and attitudes
towards products and brands, and in turn, influences their purchase behaviours (Evans et al.,
1996). This shows that promotion, especially through advertising, can help establish ideas or
perceptions in the consumers minds as well as help differentiate products against other brands.

According to Rowley (1998), promotion is an important element of a firms marketing strategy.

Promotion is used to communicate with customers with respect to product offerings, and it is
also a way to encourage purchase or sales of a product or service. Sales promotion tools are used
by most organisations in support of advertising and public relations activities, and they are
targeted toward consumers as final users. She also states that promotion has a key role in
determining profitability and market success and is one of the key elements of the marketing mix
which includes advertising; direct marketing; sales promotion; public relations and publicity;
personal selling and sponsorship.
Service Quality
A common definition of service quality is that the service should correspond to the
customers expectations and satisfy their needs and requirements (Gronroos, 1990). Service
quality is a kind of personal selling, and involves direct interactions between salespeople and
potential buyers. Consumers like to shop at specific stores because they like the services
provided and are assured of certain service privileges. The impact of salespeople-consumer
relationships will generally result in longterm orientation of consumers towards the store or
brand. Trust in salespeople appears to relate to overall perceptions of the stores service quality,
and results in the consumer being totally satisfied with the stores in the end. Additionally,
personalisation (i.e. reliability, responsiveness, personalization and tangibles) significantly
influence consumers experience and evaluation of service, and in turn, affects the brand loyalty
of consumers (To and Leung, 2001). Gronroos (1990) noted that the quality of a service as
perceived by customers had three dimensions: functional (or process) dimension, technical (or
outcome) dimension, and image. Furthermore, Richard and Allaway (1993) argued that utilising
only functional quality attributes to explain and/or predict consumers behaviour might be a
misspecification of service quality and had low predictive validity.

MODULE-IV RESEARCHING
RURAL MARKET
Marketing Research is a formalized means of obtaining Information to be used in making
marketing decisions.
The American Marketing Association defines market research as: The systematic gathering,
recording and analysing of data about problems related to marketing of goods and services.
a) Reactive Approach These organisations do not conduct research, but follow what others
do and see it as a way to keep up with competition.
b) Proactive Approach These organizations anticipate developments in the market and
introduce new ideas and methods to exploit opportunities or to minimise problems so as
to get ahead of competition.
Limitations of Rural Research

Low literacy levels Literacy level in rural India are low, due to which villagers
often find it difficult to understand the questions, or respond to Western ratings and
ranking tools.

Poor media exposure, low product and brand awareness Media penetration,
whether electronic or non-electronic, is very low in rural areas. Therefore, awareness
regarding products and brands is very low, making brand studies virtually
impossible.

Local language communication There are 15 official languages, making

communication extremely difficult for the researchers.

Scattered and Remote villages; inaccessible roads Tiny villages are remotely
located, scattered and have almost inaccessible roads. Sampling such villages is a
really painful task for researchers.

Social taboos; difficulty in interacting with women respondents Women in some

parts of the country like Rajasthan and some parts of UP remain behind purdah. If
the respondents include women, then this makes the job difficult for the researchers.

Interview timing Normally, younger men go to the fields in the morning and come
back only in the evening. Women are busy in the morning and evening with cooking

and other household chores. Researchers need to plan the day according to
availability of the respondents.

Rule out revalidation of data The possibility of validating data over the telephone
in rural areas is eliminated as telephone penetration per household is extremely low
and physical validation is not feasible because villages are remote and scattered.

Marketing Research Key Decisions

Defining problems

Determining the research budget

Choosing Research design (exploratory, descriptive or causal; qualitative or

quantitative and based on primary data or secondary data)

Determining sampling method and size

Selecting appropriate data analysis tools

Preparing the research proposal

Organizing field work

Analysing and reporting findings

Research design
Research Frame
The research should contain the following things,

Significance of the research

Objectives of the research

Problems of the research

Research methodology

Research question

Determining the budget

Research Approach
Choosing the research design - Exploratory, descriptive and Causal

A company is interested in marketing its products in the rural market for the first time.
The marketing manger is interested in knowing whether rural markets are attractive. He

prefers a small-scale survey, a sort of pilot study to assess the attractiveness of the rural
market.

If the results are positive, he will order for a descriptive research, a large scale survey to
assess the market potential and identify the strategic options.

In the final stage, he may undertake experimental research to test market his product in a
few select villages to predict the success of the product. If the result is positive, he will
implement his marketing plan for the entire rural market.

When a manager is unaware of the phenomenon, he may initiate exploratory research to

gain a basic understanding of it.

Next, he may go for descriptive research to have a thorough and analytical view of it.

He may opt for experimentation before making huge investments on it.

In rural markets, the research is more exploratory in nature as many companies are
looking for information to make entry decisions.

FMCG companies that have already spread their wings in rural areas such as HUL,
Godrej, Colgate, LG, Philips and others are interested in assessing consumer preferences,
consumer behavior and brand loyalty. Hence, they require descriptive and analytical
studies.

Agri-input companies selling seeds, pesticides, fertilizers and farm equipment will be
interested in going from the laboratory to the field and conducting real-life experimental
studies to know how well their product works and how will it be received by the farmers.

Qualitative versus quantitative research

Quantitative research is numerically oriented. It requires respondents to give specific
answers that are measurable. For eg. BSNL might ask its customers to rate its overall service as
excellent, good, poor or very poor. Such scaling techniques cannot be used in rural areas as the
respondents are less educated.
In qualitative research, there are no fixed set of questions but instead, a topic guide is
used to explore various issues in-depth. The discussion between the interviewer and the
respondent is largely determined by the respondents own thoughts and feelings. For eg. HUL
personnel may stop a consumer who has purchased LUX and ask him or her why he or she has
chosen the soap.

Qualitative Research can be done by:

Observation

Interviews

Group Discussion

Focus groups

Participatory Research methods

Secondary Data sources

Industry, commerce and trade associations FICCI, CII, ASSOCHAM

Marketing research agencies and associations Rural Relations, MART, Anugrah

Madison, Sampark, Rural marketing Association of India

Companies Colgate, HUL, ITC, Rallis India

NGOs RASS (AP), Rural Innovations Network (Chennai), CARE (New Delhi)

Government Agencies NCAER, RBI, Ministry for Rural Development, Mandal

Revenue Offices, Panchayats.

Educational Institutions Institutes like NIRD (AP), and NIRMA (Gujarat)

Media organs The Economic Times, The Financial Express, Hindu Business Line,
yojana, Kurukshetra, RMAI journals and other periodicals

Worldwide organizations World Bank, IMF, IFAD, FAO and ILO

Major sources providing rural data

Census of India Largest compilation of rural demographic data

NCAER (National Council for Applied Economic Research) Largest sample

surveyor in the country, compiles data on demographics, durables and non-durables.

NSSO (National Sample Survey Organization) Consumption and expenditurerelated data on major products and services.

DRDA (District Rural Development Authority) Compilation of district-level data

on government-aided projects.

ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme) Compilation of village-level

information mainly on health by anganwadi workers.

Determining Sampling method and size

Sampling is an easy process in urban areas due to marked similarity. This is a result
of high mobility and exposure facilitated by infrastructure facilities, regularity of
income receipts, savings patterns moulded by tax problems and time schedules and
incomes.

Differential and limited development of infrastructure, geo-physical differences,

variation in literacy levels and differences in proximity to towns have contributed to
the heterogeneity in the rural market place.

Diffusion of innovation
Innovative tools scaling techniques
Simple, easy to understand techniques to indicate varying preferences and feelings have
been evolved by rural researchers.
Ladder For rating purposes, a typical Likert scale on the ascendancy is achieved by the
steps on the ladder. The respondent is asked to place a visual card corresponding to the
product or preference on a rung according to his ranking or rating.
Images of faces The images of faces with varying expressions (smiling to wailing) is
another useful tool that is used to ascertain preferences and liking.
Colour wheels Colours are very strong indicators and forms of expressing feelings in
the rural areas. The selection of colors is done on the basis of the association of rural
people with colors.
Colours and Associations
Colour

Rating

Association

Dark Green

Represents a good crop or hariyali and hence represents

prosperity. It is considered to be the best.

Light Green

Represents a Not very good crop

Yellow

Represents Dry sand or a dry field

Orange

Represents Setting sun and the end of the day

Red

Represents danger

Dice Dice are wooden or plastic piece with 6 faces with varying number of holes or
dots ranging from 1 to 6. A face value of 1 is the lowest and a face value of 6 is the
highest.
Carrom coins Fifteen coins are given to the respondents and they are asked to
distribute them among the brands under study in order of their preferences more
coins for the most preferred brand.
Playing Cards The face cards with K,Q,J,10 and 9 represent a descending order in
terms of values. As such, they are assigned ranks from 1 to 5 in that order.
3-Point Rating Scale Researchers interested in conventional scales may use threepoint scales (agree, neutral, disagree), especially when the respondents are school
educated.
Questionnaire design
Questions should be simple and direct. Eg.
Why do you think you dont need to use a mobile phone? (not direct)
Would you consider using a mobile phone? (direct)
Questions should be self-explanatory.
Questions should not be ambiguous. Eg.
Do you like the mobile phone? (not clear)
Are you satisfied with the performance of the mobile phone? (clear)
Questions should have a logical flow, moving from general to specific and from
macro to micro.
Questions should be in the local language. The accuracy of translations should be
checked by persons from the same region to ensure that there is no shift in meaning or
nuance.
Development studies
PRA approach- Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)
Rural consumers are fundamentally different from their urban counterparts. The lower

levels of literacy and limited exposure to product and services are well-known, but there are also

differences in occupation options, with a direct impact on income levels and income flows, and a
high level of inter-dependency affecting the dynamics of rural community behavior. All
contribute to make rural consumer behavior starkly distinct from the urban. As any consumer
research study must understand the consumer in the context of his environment and society,
Rural Market Research must overcome the challenge of respondents with lower literacy and
exposure levels, where conventional market research tools may not be easily comprehended by
villagers. MART, a specialist organization in rural, has innovated tools to overcome these
limitations in conducting rural consumer research.

PRA is a set of approaches and methods to enable rural people to share enhance and
analyse their knowledge of life and conditions, to plan and, to act. Therefore, it arouses
the curiosity and interest of people and they voluntarily and eagerly get involved in the
process and they enjoy sharing and analysing about themselves.

Social mapping is used to capture house locations and caste distribution throughout the
village.

Resource mapping is used to capture availability of resources throughout the village.

Seasonality diagram is used to get information on the basis of seasons.

Venn diagrams are used to identify various issues with their relative importance

Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) is a very successful tool for social research. This
tool has been adapted to capture rural consumer insights and social behavior.

PRA is a set of approaches and methods that enable the rural community to share,
enhance and analyse their knowledge of their own environment and life. The process
adopted is pictorial and drawn by the community themselves, hence cross check and
validation of data is done automatically. Here role of moderator is very low who simply
acts as facilitator. The PRA approach empowers the community in such a manner that
they voluntarily participate in the research process.

Need for PRA

Social and Resource Map The Social map identifies different community profiles of the
village and their social behavior. The Resource Map captures various infrastructural and
community resources, highlighting ownership and access. This exercise identifies the various
need gaps for each community.

 A Seasonality Diagram is used to gather information on income flows and expenditure patterns
for different communities and occupations. The objective is to gain insights into the variation in
purchase and consumption behaviors.
A Need Assessment Map can be developed for any introductory product and serves to identify
issues associated with access, acceptability or affordability. It also brings forth need gaps and
helps assess perceived need of the product amongst the community.
A Daily Activity Clock captures economic and social activity in daily life. This helps identify
time windows for communicating with the community and potential consumers
Sampling in rural areas
A variable such as income cannot be used to stratify rural samples. The reason is that
incomes are uncertain and unaccounted.
In the urban context, the income category is the primary criterion for grouping
consumers.
Often, rural market research utilizes land holding as an indicator of wealth and
income.
The land holding has to be balanced with the productivity and realizations from the
crop mix.
Village sampling
Village could be selected on the basis of :
Population
Proximity to highway or remote location
Occupation profile
Religion : Hindu-dominated or muslim-dominated villages
Tribal population : tribal or non-tribal.
Choice of sample size
Factor

Large

Small

Time available

More

Less

Accuracy

High

Low

Cost

High

Low

Population

Heterogeneous

Homogeneous

Operational aspects of data collection

The time-tested sophisticated tools fail to evoke the required response in rural market.
Likewise, detailed questions need to be asked to simplify the inquiry and to pin down the
response.
Rural consumers are comfortable with colors, pictures and stories.
Rural researchers make use of participatory research methods.
Techniques of data collection
Secondary data sources
Observation
Interviews
Diagrams
Stories and portraits
Selecting appropriate data analysis tools
The type of analysis and the choice of analysis technique depend on the following factors :

Purpose of research

Type of data quantitative or qualitative

Number of variables being examined one or more

Type of measurement scale used interval, nominal, ordinal

Number of samples to be compared one or more

Nature of samples dependent or independent

Size of the sample small or large

Preparing a research proposal

The elements of a research proposal are :

Executive Summary / abstract

Background / introduction

Objectives and hypothesis

Methodology

Time schedule

Research staff and equipment

Cost estimates recurring and non-recurring

Appendices

MODULE-V
RURAL MARKETING STRATEGIES
Segmenting, Targeting and Positioning
Segmentation
Segmentation is the process of dividing a heterogeneous market, into several sub-markets
or segments, each of which tends to be homogeneous in all significant aspects. The
division is based on the premise, that different people have different preferences.
Market segmentation is the subdividing of a market into homogeneous subsets of
customers, where conceivably any subset may be selected as a market target, to be
reached through a distinct marketing mix. The power of this concept is that in an age of
intense competition for the mass market, marketers venturing into rural markets may
prosper through creatively serving specific market segments, whose needs are
imperfectly satisfied by the mass market offerings.
Heterogeneity in Rural

In some places, toothpaste and soap are luxuries, whereas in some other places, it is
necessity.

In Haryana and Punjab, hair dye has been used on buffaloes, and washing machines
have been used for making lassi.

In some parts of Rajasthan, utensils are cleaned with ash and sand due to water
scarcity. A washing powder would face competition from these alternatives that need
very little water.

Hard water in most villages in Bikaner is the reason for the low acceptance of soap.

The rural market is heterogeneous in nature. There are a number of factors that
display the heterogeneity of rural markets, including:

Socio-cultural differences across regions (caste based hamlets)

Variation in population size and population density of villages

Difference in levels of infrastructural development (BIMARU vs. other states)

Media exposure levels (media-dark, media-grey, and media-green regions)

Variation in literacy levels (Bihar vs. Kerala)

Differences in income levels and patterns of income flow (farmers vs. daily wage
earners)

Family structure (large joint families vs. small nuclear families)

Prerequisites for Effective Segmentation

In order to be effective, a segmentation exercise would have to fulfill the following requirements.
MEASURABLE:
Segments are formed with the help of certain variables. These variables should be distinct, clear,
and measurable. Only then can segments be described in exact terms and the differences between
them understood properly. So far, companies have not been able to reach rural market due to lack
of poor data related to markets and consumers. In the absence of information related to size,
purchasing power and profiles of rural consumers, marketers tend to consider rural consumers as
being similar to urbanites. Also, factors measurable in urban (e.g. monthly income) cannot be
measured directly in rural due to non-uniform income patterns and multiple sources of income.
Accessible:
Reach is important to serve the different segments. Till recently, marketers preferred urban
markets over rural because of the inaccessibility of the latter. Rural consumers were reached
through vans and village retailer visiting distributors and retail outlets in nearby towns. Now,
while segmenting rural markets, it is important for the marketer to ensure that the segmented
market is conveniently reachable for the quick and efficient delivery of products. With
significant improvement in connectivity of villages and increased interest in using traditional
haats and other new channels for distribution, rural marketers are becoming more and more
accessible.
Differentiable:
Segments merit the consideration and attention of marketers only when they have distinguish
features. Rural consumers are identified as a separate segment as their responses are likely to be
different from those of urban customers, at least for some products. For instance, while buying a
motorcycle, rural consumers give more importance to the sturdiness, mileage and carrying
capacity of the vehicle, whereas urban consumers look for style, power and aesthetics.

 Substantial
A segment is attractive to the marketer only when it is profitable. A segment should as such
possess the following characteristics:
(a). Homogeneity: The segment should consist of people who are similar in their views,
education, preferences, attitudes, and actions. As such, it will make it easy to cover them.
(b). Largeness: The segment should comprise either a large number of light users or a small
number of heavy users, so that marketing is profitable to the company.
Degrees of Segmentation
The segmentation is considered as a process with two polar points from zero to complete, four
distinct segment approaches are identifiable as follows
Mass marketing:In the early period of the 20th century many companies practiced mass production and mass
distribution as economics evolved as economy evolved and societies became civilized, consumer
choice and requirements came into focus until now the rural market was considered as
homogeneous mass as worse the Indian market till some 20 years ago. Some companies depend
on mass marketing while many do not.
Segment marketing:The principle of segment marketing rests on the realisation that buyers differ in their needs,
wants, demands and behaviours. The need for segment marketing arises when

Consumers have become more diverse, sophistically and choosy.

Competition has become tuff.

Niche marketing:A niche is very small group with a different set of traits, who seek a special combination of
benefits. Niche marketing identifies special sub groups within larger segments and offers
different products and services.
Micro marketing:Micro marketing involves tailoring products and programs to suet the taste of specific locations
and individuals. It includes local marketing and individual marketing.
Local marketing:- It involves in the programs to suit the taste of specific locations and wants
of local groups on a geographical bases.

 Individual marketing:- Individual market is customized marketing or one to one

marketing. Tailoring units hotels, tourist operators provide individualized services for
example building contractors builds houses of flats to specific requirements of customers.
Basis of Segmentation
Geographic segmentation- Region: East, West, North, South; Village Size: <500, 501-1000,
1001-2000, 2001-5000, >5000; Density: Low, Medium, high; Climate: Summer, rainy, winter;
Culture: 56 socio cultural regions.
Demographic Age, Family Size (nuclear or joint ), gender, Income, Occupation, Education,
SEC, religion, race, Nationality, social class
Psychographic Use of Psychology and demographics, Lifestyle (AIO) Nike, Benetton, *
Personality Femina woman of substance; * Values HiDesign leather accessories
consumers who hold the value style and elegance in a classical sense
Behavioral Segmentation - based on buyers knowledge of, attitude towards, use of, or response
to a product.
Occasions Marriage, Birth Archies and Hallmark cards
Benefits In soaps - Dettol antiseptic, Lux Beauty
User Status Non users, first time users, potential users, regular user
Usage rate Light users, medium users, heavy users
Buyer Readiness State Cold Prospect, Hot Prospect
Loyalty status Hard Core Loyals, Split Loyals, Shifting Loyals,
Switchers
Attitude enthusiastic, positive, indifferent, negative, hostile
Approaches to Rural Segmentation
First level segmentation could be done on the basis of occupation, i.e. farm and nonfarm
activities. The compilation of an index could then be attempted with farmers categorized
into five prosperity levels, ranging from very poor to very prosperous.
Geographic Segment
Regions : East, West, North and South
Village size : <500, 501-1000, 1001-2000, 2001-5000, >5000 . Rural lifestyle changes
with village size due to variation in the level of infrastructural and economic
development.

 Density : Low, moderate, high (Villages with high population density have better
infrastructural facilities and higher purchasing power.
Climate : Summer, Rainy, Winter (Talcum Powder is used more in hot and humid
regions)
Culture (culture affects language, dress, food habit and location)
Demographic Segmentation
Age and life cycle : Children, teenagers, young adults, elders, seniors (Confectionary and
toys are more desirable in childhood, whereas young adults seek motorcycles, soft drinks,
trendy clothes and music systems)
Family structure : Nuclear, joint (Family pack or economy refill packs work very well
with joint families, Joint family translates to greater consumption of products)
Gender : Male, female
Income : Due to irregular income patterns and multiple sources of income, assessment of
rural income is difficult.
Landownership : Land owners, rich farmers, small or marginal farmers, agricultural
labourers. Segmentation on the basis of : size of landholding, area of land under
cultivation, irrigation method, crop mix and rate of money realisation.
Education & House type
Occupation : Cultivators, shopkeepers, poultry, artisans
Religion & Caste : Settlement of villages on the basis of religion and caste. Eg. Rajput
village.
Psychographic Segmentation
Social class Social class is determined by a combination of factors like education,
occupation, income, wealth and others. Classified rural consumers into five classes:
Affluent, The Well off, The Climbers, The Aspirants and the Destitutes on the basis of
three variables : Education of the chief wage earner, Ownership of durables, and Type of
house.
Lifestyle Overall manner in which a person lives and spends time and money.
Personality

Behaviour Segmentation
Occasions : Festival, mela, jatra, weekly haat. In rural areas, most durables are purchased
during or after the harvest season because this is when farmers have cash in hand after
selling their agricultural produce. Melas offer products at attractive prices and weekly
haat days are the time to purchase daily-use products, vegetables and spices.
Benefits sought : Quality, convenience, value for money, service. Rural consumers are
more concerned with the utility of the product than its appearance and sophistication.
User status Rural consumers fall into the category of first-time users for most product
categories. Therefore, the focus on product trials and demonstrations is very crucial in
rural market. Tag line for Ghari Detergent Pehle Istemal karein, phir vishwas karein is
to induce customers to try out the product.
Usage rate Usage for most FMCG products is relatively low among rural consumers
due to poor affordability. Marketers have launched sachet packs for rural consumers and
family packs for joint families.
Loyalty status Rural buyers take a long time to decide on a particular brand, but once
they are convinced, they are more brand loyal than their urban counterparts.
Place of purchase Village shops (Tea, kerosene), Haats (Food grain, pulses,
vegetables), Nearest town (Fertilisers, seeds), Melas (Clothes, cheap jewelry)
Multi-attribute Segmentation
Thomson rural market index Overall indicator of rural market potential and considers
10 variables : Agricultural labourers, Gross cropped area, Gross irrigated area, Area
under non-food crops, Pump sets, Fertilizer consumption, Tractors, Rural credit, Rural
deposit, Villages electrified.
MICA Rural Market Ratings: Used to segment rural markets. For each district the socioeconomic indicators are classified as: Demographics, Major occupations, Communication
methods, Educational profiles, Shops and other establishments, Commercial banks,
Agricultural data, Medical facilities, Major crops.
Targeting
Evaluation and Selection of Segments

 Overall Attractiveness One should not be impressed by size alone. This is because in
rural, the size of the market may be big but the purchasing power of rural consumers is
limited. Population engaged in non-farming activities offers higher per capita prosperity.
Also, this segment is more exposed to products and accepts newer products and services
more readily.
Company Objectives and Resource Competencies If a companys objective is to
achieve long-term sustainable sales volume by expanding its consumer base, then it has
to go rural instead of expecting consumers to come to urban markets to purchase products
and services. This is demonstrated by companies like HUL, and Colgate Palmolive,
which are reaching rural homes with their products. Smart marketers in rural like HUL
initiated Project Shakti pilots have been transformed into mega rural marketing models.
Targeting Coverage of Segments
Undifferentiated Marketing Mass distribution and mass advertising. eg. Many toilet
soap users prefer medicinal value, cosmetic strength, economy and the feeling of
freshness in their toilet soap. Medimix offers all these features and also claims that it is a
beauty care Ayurvedic family soap. Coca Cola targets both urban and rural market with
the same drink.
Differentiated Marketing Investigates and identifies differences between segments and
tries to match the market offer to the desires and expectations of each segment. Eg.
Companies developed 25-30 HP tractors for small or marginal farmers and 50 HP tractors
for large farmers.
Single segment concentration Due to the small number of consumers in each segment,
targeting only one segment would spread marketing efforts thinly over a vast area. With
Brands like Lifebuoy Active, Lifebuoy Gold, Lux, Breeze and Liril, HUL targets
different consumers segments in the rural market.
Choosing a coverage strategy

Company resources

Undifferentiated

Differentiated

Concentrated

Moderate

Large

Limited

Product Variability

Less

More

Less

Product life cycle stage

Introduction

Growth

Maturity/Introduction

Market variability

Less

High

High

Positioning
Act of designing the companys offering and image so that it occupies a distinctive place
in the mind of the target segment.
Positioning involves :
1. Identifying the unique features of the product as well as the differences of the offer vis-vis the competitors offer.
2. Selecting the differences that have greater competitive advantage and
3. Communicating such advantages to the target audience.
Eg. Himami positions Sona Chandi Chyavanprash on the two platforms of a health body and a
sharp mind.
Ghari detergent low price high quality..
Lifebuoy Active from male soap to a family soap.
Identifying the Positioning Concept
Product Differentiation Can be differentiated on the basis of form, features, durability
and quality. Coke introduced Chota Coke at Rs 5 for rural. Hero Honda came out with the
lower priced Dawn model of motorcycle for the rural buyer. Meswak, Neem and Babool
toothpaste are herbal versions of the soap.
Service Differentiation Service may be differentiated in respect of delivery, installation
and maintenance. Reliance, a private LPG company, when pitted against the three well
entrenched public sector undertakings created service differentiation on the basis of their
distribution network and better refilling facility.
People People who are widely respected and admired by consumers. Endorsement of
Coca Cola by Aamir Khan (dressed as a villager) or of Sona Chandi Chyavanprash by
Sunny Deol. Courteous staff of HDFC Bank.

 Image Foreign brands image. Image is built by advertisements, symbols, logos, signs,
colors and general reputation of the company.
Selecting the Positioning Concept
Critical factors that should be considered while positioning a brand are:
Attractiveness Does it provide value to the customer?
Distinctiveness - Is it different from that of its competitors?
Pre-emptive - Is it very difficult for the competitors to copy it?
Affordability - Can buyers pay for it?
Communicability Can the product difference be clearly expressed?
Developing the concept
Deciding which positioning to promote : Lay stress on the generic benefit of the product.
Eg. Sprite bujhaye only pyaas, baaki sab bakwaas.
Thanda matlab Coca Cola.
Deciding how many ideas/differences to promote Positioning of two or three ideas
would be a better proposition as rural consumers would think that they are getting more
value for their money.
Mahindra & Mahindra Tractors
Segmentation On the basis of Horse power category.
Less than 30

Between 30 & 40

Between 40 & 50

More than 50

Industry

HP

HP

HP

HP

share

10%

37.3%

25.3%

31.2%

31%

market

*More than 50 HP category is the fastest growing segment.

Campaign Customisation Core values of the brand : Fuel efficiency, technology, style
and comfort. It did campaigns such as Puddling ka maharaja in Tamil Nadu and Jashn
Josh Ka in AP.
Target Market Farmers & Brick Kiln Owners
CSR Activities Active in promoting sports and education. Shikshak Divas Mahotsav.
Barriers Economic Slow down.

 On-ground innovations Mahindra Tractor Mahotsav, Arjun Ultra-1 Capsule Van

(stunning mobile show room), Jashn Josh Ka Felicitation of loyal customers at their
homes as part of a celebration.
Product Strategies
New Product Development Given the rising interest of companies in the rural market,
developing new products suitable for the rural market has become an imperative. For eg.
Jolly battery operated color television, 5 kg cooking gas cylinder by HPCL, Philips free
power radio, LG Washing Machine, Kisan Credit Card, Max Gas LPG cylinder.
Philips free power radio does not require batteries or any external source of electricity for
operation.
LG Electronics spent 21 lakhs to develop a set, that would have on-screen displays in the
vernacular languages of Hindi, Tamil and Bengali.
Max Gas LPG Cylinder has special steel-braided hose pipe, which is rat resistant and
wider base of cylinder to ensure stability even on uneven rural kitchen floors.
Sturdy Products Village people believe that the product should be sturdy enough to
withstand rough consumers handling and storage. Rajdoot Motorcycle manufactured by
Escorts Ltd. Is very popular in rural areas because of its adaptability, low maintenance
costs, minimal breakdown and easy accessibility of service and repairs. LG Electronics
has devised a semi-automatic washing machine with double the capacity of their urbanbased machines.
Brand Name A brand should have short, simple, easy to pronounce, can be remembered
easily and should lend itself to virtual interpretation. In rural markets, consumers do give
their own brand name or the name of an icon. Many a times rural consumers ask for peeli
tikki or neeli tikki in case of washing soaps. Eg. LG Electronics branded one of the TV
set as Sampoorna.
Fertiliser companies normally use a logo on the fertilizer bag.
Small Unit Packings Rural consumers receive daily wages and at the same time their
income is unsteady. Hence they cant make purchases in large quantities. Eg. HUL sells
Shampoo and Hair oil in sachet packs in rural areas.
Cavin Kare Ltd. has launched a sachet priced at 50 paise for its Chic Shampoo.

 Low Priced Packing Tata Tea launched Agni as an economy brand in rural areas to
compete with loose tea powder.
ITC has launched Hero containing blended tobacco and is priced just for the pockets of
rural consumers.
Marketing Mix Challenges
Availability Poor road condition is a challenge to make the products available in remote
areas. HUL has built a strong distribution system that helps its brands reach the interiors
of rural market. Village stockists use auto rickshaws, bullock carts and even boats to
reach remote areas. Coca Cola uses hub and spoke model to reach villages.
Affordability Low disposable income of rural consumers. Small unit packs re being
introduced. Coca Cola has introduced 200 ml glass bottle priced at Rs. 5, Lifebuoy at Rs
2, Videocon washing machine without dryer at Rs. 3000.
Awareness Only 41% of rural households have access to television-building awareness
is another challenge. Hindustan Lever relies heavily on its own company-organized
media. These are promotional events organized by stockists. Godrej consumer products,
which is trying to push its soap brands into the interior areas, uses radio to reach the local
people in their own language. Coca Cola doubled its spend on advertising on
Doordarshan, which alone reaches 41% of rural households.
Acceptability There is a need to offer products that suit the rural market. LG developed
a customized television for the rural market and named it Sampoorna. HDFC insurance
tied up with non-governmental organizations and offered reasonably priced policies in
the rural market.
CLASSIFICATION OF PRODUCTS
1.

Consumer Good

2.

Durability & Tangibility

3.

Industrial Good

Rural Product Categories

FMCG Major players are HUL, Dabur, Marico, Colgate Palmolive, Nirma, CavinKare
and Godrej
Consumer Durables Usha, Bajaj, Philips, Titan, Godrej, Videocon, Onida, Salora,
Hero Cycles, Hero Honda, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata. New entrants LG, Samsung
and Maruti.
Agricultural Products Agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides,
insecticides and implements (tractors, tillers and threshers) Livestock, poultry and
fishery. Major players are Rallis India, Monsanto, DCM Shriram, Chambal Fertilisers,
IFFCO, Mahindra & Mahindra, Eicher and Escorts.
Services Telecommunications (BSNL), transport, health care, banking (SBI), insurance
(LIC) and education.
Five levels of Products
Five levels of the product offering: Core benefit, basic product, expected product, augmented
product, potential product.
The core benefit (mobility, entertainment) and the basic product (eg. Motorcycle,
television) remain the same both in rural and urban.
At the third level, the marketer prepares an expected product and defines a set of
attributes and conditions that a buyer normally expects when he purchases a product. A
rural television buyer expects good picture quality, clear sound and an easy to operate set,
whereas an urban consumer looks for digital sound, flat screen, and features such as child
lock and picture in picture. A motorcycle buyer in rural expects good shock absorbers,

fuel efficiency and low maintenance cost, whereas an urban buyer expects good
appearance, power and style.
At the fourth level, rural consumers expect a Television set that can run on batteries and
provides better picture quality in weak signal conditions and on-screen display in local
languages for easy operation. For urban consumer, could be an in-built DVD player with
a television and a set top box to watch his or her favourite.
Fifth level, by offering TV sets that can sustain high voltage fluctuations or TV that can
run on alternate sources of power.
New Products Development
Consumer Adoption Process
The adoption of new products and services is slow among rural consumers in comparison
to urban consumers due to poor awareness of new products because of low media access
and resistance to trying new products in the absence of demonstrations.
The sarpanch, the school teacher, and salaried people who have better media access and
market exposure become early adopters, some of who in turn act as opinion leaders for
other potential buyers.
The inducement of product trials and demonstrations works well in rural for the adoption
of new products.
Product Life Cycle
In most cases, the product is developed for the urban market and is later pushed into the
rural market. Only in recent years have companies started customizing their products for
rural markets. Eg. LG Television, Philips Free power radio.
PLC of a product in the rural market is often longer due the multiple challenges involved
in the distribution, communication and adoption of the product.
Low growth in the rural market has forced companies to reengineer their products (Free
power Radio) or introduce low price packs (sachets, 200 ml Chota Pepsi).
They are also trying to change consumption patterns through consumer education
(increasing soap usage frequency from weekly to daily) and adopting alternate channels
to reach deeper (HULs Project Shakti, haats, mandis) to grow the market.

Product Mix
The product mix in rural markets is simple.
Mostly only one product of a particular company registers its availability on rural
shelves.
Limitations of investment in stocks, the slow movement and replenishment of stocks and
the dominance of the retailer in rural markets are some of the important factors
responsible for the smaller range of products available at retail shops in rural.
HUL has good product width, with a presence in toothpaste, shampoo, detergent etc.
Packaging in Rural India Packaging in rural India needs special focus because of the
following factors:
Poor Transport System (poor road conditions)
Difficulties of safe storage (rats, moisture, heat, rainwater)
Poor Facilities (erratic power supply leading to poor cold-storage facilities for food
products)
The product for rural should :
Have a longer shelf life than the product for urban.
Be able to withstand extreme weather conditions
Be able to withstand sudden and jerky movements on dusty roads.
Have alternate storage arrangements (ice box for cold drinks).
Packaging Aesthetics
Bright colors like red, yellow, green etc.
Use of local languages on the pack, images.
Texla TVs Launched new range in bright red and yellow color as the old one with black
and grey cabinet was a failure.
ITC Goldflake with a yellow cover in the south whereas golden color in north because
yellow is associated with ill-health and jaundice in north.
Branding in Rural India
Brand Association is mainly with Colors, numbers, and visuals and not necessarily with
the name of the brand.

 Retailers play a major role in brand promotion. Due to strong bonding and trust between
customers and retailers, coupled with low brand awareness, consumers often do not ask
for the product by brand but instead will request the retailer, Paanch rupaye waali chai
dena. It is upto the retailer to push the brand.
First mover brands become generic brands Detergent powder came to be identified with
Surf, mosquito coil with Kachua Chaap,vegetable oil with Dalda.
Brand Building in Rural India
Brand name development Facilitates easy brand recall and in drawing any color,
visual or numeric association. Eg. Ajanta for toothpaste, Sansar for sewing machines.
Creating a brand identity Involve the need to relate the brand with the rural lifestyle,
or with appropriate status symbols, or with the rural environment. Eg. Britannia Tiger
Biscuits created an identity associated with a smart, active and sharp child.
Building a brand image Brand should have a personality of its own. Eg. Mahindra &
Mahindra have maintained their sterling image in rural.
Brand Spectrum in Rural
Brand choices are often limited due to the small market size and the limited investment
capacity available with the rural retailer.
Only Three brands are available in rural retail shop against six to nine brands in urban
shops.
Brand Loyalty Vs Stickiness
Low levels of literacy and awareness make rural people less likely to switch brands as
they do not have the required knowledge or information to exercise a choice. They are
more comfortable in purchasing tried and tested brands. They are therefore, brand sticky
rather than brand loyal.
First / Early mover advantage Whichever brand enters a village market first seems to
gain acceptance in the community through word of mouth communication and
thereafter many prefer to stick to this particular brand.
Fake Brands
Rural markets suffer from the problems of low penetration and poor availability of
branded products. Hence, although there exists a huge demand for branded products,

there are no distribution channels to make the product reach the customer. This has led to
the growth of fake brands.
Ponds has been replaced by Bonds talc
Fair & Lovely by Fair & Lonely
Lifebuoy by Likebuoy
The Fakes Market
Lookalikes Products where the color scheme on the packaging material closely
resembles that of a popular brand but the pack carries a different name. Shagun for
Lifebuoy, Lalita Amla for Dabur Amla
Spellalikes Fakes of original brands packaged in colors and designs similar to those of
the originals but have names that are subtly and cleverly misspelt. Eg. Paracute for
Parachute, Fair & Lonely for Fair & Lovely.
Duplicates Exact replicas of original brands. The color, design, and name on the
package are the same as those of the original brands.
Strategy to counter fakes
Introduce upgraded packaging which is difficult to copy Dabur replaced its plastic
blow-moulded container with a premium four-color shrink-sleeve packaging, which has a
grainy texture and water bubbles. The packaging is difficult to replicate. Tetra packs for
Juices.
Raids or Legal course Raids on the premises of the fake manufacturer and seize the
products. File a patent for the product. Eg. P&G initiated action against the manufacturers
of lookalike Vicks Vaporub.
Educate the customers Coca Cola has put into place 48 consumer response
coordinators, who work with their teams to redress the consumers complaints about
overcharging and fake bottling.
Structure of Competition in Rural India
Other urban national branded products In certain villages, the proliferation of
national brands is quite evident. More likely in villages that are on the periphery of larger
towns because of the spillover from urban centers.

 Regional urban branded products regional brands of unorganized sector are quite
common. True for soaps.
Local urban brands These products are manufactured in urban centers and find their
way into rural India through the wholesale channels like washing products, bangle etc.
Local village brands Products manufactured in the village itself. For eg ropes, bread
etc.
Substitutable products or indirect competition Products that can be substituted. Eg.
Ash for washing vessels, neem twigs for toothpaste.
Product warranty and after sales service
When purchasing high-value durable products, rural consumers attach a great deal of
value to the warranty offered on the products.
With the increase in the usage of machinery, appliances and equipment, there has been a
continuous demand for after-sales service.
Tractor servicing Most tractor companies regularly organize service camps in big
villages/ small towns. They invite tyre, battery, fuel injection and other component
suppliers to participate. Advance notice is sent to tractor owners of the company brand
with a request to come on a scheduled date for a free-check up.
Videocon servicing Company mechanics go around to villages twice a week to provide
after-sales service, an important factor in the decision to purchase consumer durables.

MODULE-VI
DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY
Large number of small markets
Dispersed population and trade
Poor road connectivity
Multiple tiers
Poor availability of suitable dealers
Low density of shops per village
Inadequate banks and credit facilities
Poor storage system
Low investment capacity of retailers
Poor visibility and display of products on rural shop shelves.
Poor communication of offers
Distribution Strategy
Ensuring Reach & Visibility The thing which is critical, is to get the Stock Keeping
Unit right, as rural retailer cant afford to keep many different SKUs. In such an
environment, being first on the shelf in the product category and developed a privileged
relationship with the retailer is a source of competitive advantage to consumer good
companies.
Reaching upto Mandis, Towns, Semiurban centres Organizations can cater to rural
needs for consumer durables, clothes, kitchen equipment and agri-input by making their
products available upto feeder towns, semi-urban centers or mandis.
Targetting larger villages There are only 85000 large villages out of more than
6,38,000 villages. But they have 40% of the rural population and 60% of total
consumption.
Understanding of Peak seasons Peak season times in rural parts are Festivals, harvest
and marriage seasons. Bulk of the demand for the consumer durables concentrated during
these times. The rural consumers are in shopping mood and have the cash for the same at
this time. Organizations have to ensure that their products are available at these times.

 Delivery vans Company delivery vans which can serve two purposes; they can take the
products to the customers in select rural areas and also enable the firm to establish direct
contact with them and thereby provide an opportunity for promotion.
Collaboration for Distribution Various organizations with comparatively lesser
distribution reach can collaborate with organizations that already have achieved high
penetration levels in rural areas. For eg. P&G had tie-ups with Godrej, Marico Industries
and now its planning one with Nirma for distribution of Camay soaps.
Converting unorganised sector manufacturers into distributors Small scale
manufacturers have good knowledge of the territory and have good sales network.
Organizations like Exide are attempting to convert these small scale manufacturers to
become their dealers.
Companys own Distribution Network Project Shakti of HUL is one such example
Distribution Channels in Rural India
Use of cooperative societies There are over 4 lakh co-operatives operating for different
purposes like marketing, credit and dairy cooperative in rural areas. For eg. Farmers
Service Co-operative Societies function like a mini super market for rural consumers
where they sell soaps, detergents, cloth, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides etc. at economical
and reasonable prices. Since these societies have necessary infrastructure for storage and
distribution, companies may contact these societies to sell their products.
Use of Public Distribution System In India, the Public Distribution System is well
organized. There are about 4.37 lakh fair price shops operating in the country. Since the
PDS outlets cover the entire country they can be utilized for marketing consumable items
and low value durables in rural areas.
Utilization of Petrol Pumps These petrol pumps, in addition to petrol/diesel, oil and
lubricants are also selling consumables such as soaps, detergents, biscuits etc, particularly
on the highways. These bunks may also think of stocking certain consumable agricultural
inputs like fertilizers, seeds and pesticides.
Agricultural input dealers There are about 2,62,000 fertilizer dealers in the country.
During off season most of the dealers dont have business, hence the companies may try
to motivate them so that they can sell other products also during their free time.

 Shandies/ Haats/ Jathras/ Melas Shandies are periodic markets which operate in a
weekly cycle. They offer a ready distribution network and are steady, cheap and
appropriate. Haats can be used effectively for distribution, demonstration and sampling of
daily need products. Melas work best for introducing new brands and building brands
through the organization of events at the venue.
Accessing Rural markets: Coverage Status in Rural Markets
Marketers have to ensure the reach of their product to retail outlets, and they also need to
motivate retailers to stock their product or brand.
50% of the rural population resides in the 1 lakh odd large villages. These villages are
connected by all-weather roads and they account for 60% of rural wealth.
At the other end are 2.3 lakh tiny villages, which have hardly any shops.
HUL, Eveready, ITC etc are the companies that have the most deeply penetrated rural
distribution system just about cover the retail network up to the 2000+ population
villages.
Rural distribution Channels
Five layers of distribution channels for the movement of products from the company depot to the
interior village markets.
Layer

Channel partner

Location

Layer 1

Company depot / C&F A

National/state level

Layer 2

Distributor/van operator/ super stockist/ rural

District level

distributor
Layer 3

Layer 4

Sub-distributor/ retail stockist/ sub-stockist/

Tehsil HQ, towns and large

star seller / Shakti dealer

villages

Wholesaler

Feeder towns, large villages,

haats

Layer 5

Retailer

Villages, haats

Channels of Distribution
FMCG

Durables

PDS-

Fake Goods

Cement

Government
Company

Company

Food

manufacturing

manufacturing

plant

plant

Manufacturers

Company

Company

Corporation

manufacturing

Manufacturing

of India

plant

plant

Wholesaler

Depot

(city)
C&F A

&

Tubes

Company

C&F A

Bulbs

Zonal Offices

Wholesaler

Depot

C&F A

(small town)
Distributor

District office

Sub stockist

Depot

Retail outlets

Exclusive

Fair

dealers/

Shop

Price

dealers
Consumer

Consumer

Consumer

Retailers

Distributor

Distributor

Outlets

Exclusive

(village haats,

dealer/

mobile traders

outlets

Consumer

Consumer

Consumer

Evolution of Rural Distribution Systems

Historically, the rural distribution system has included wholesalers, retailers, mobile
traders, vans and weekly haats.
In the feeder markets, retailers act as wholesalers and vice versa to sell to small retailers
who come from surrounding villages.
Some town retailers send their salesmen to villages to book orders and supply goods to
these small retailers.

retail

Wholesaling
50% of rural consumption is still routed through wholesalers because they are located in
nearby feeder markets, which are frequented by village retailers to replenish stocks.
Indian wholesaler is a trader rather than a distributor and therefore tends to support a
brand during periods of boom and withdraws support during periods of slump.
Rural markets were neglected by most companies due to the low density of retail outlets
and the small off-take per retailer. Wholesalers based in feeder towns took advantage of
this situation as village retailers found it convenient to buy from these places. This
resulted in the hold of the market by these wholesalers, who often indulged in trade
malpractices in the channel.
Rural Retail System
Rural India accounts for 65% of retail outlets in the country. The logistics of feeding the
35 lakh retail outlets spread over 6 lakh villages is a tough task.
The high distribution costs due to geographical spread and low volumes per outlet act as
a barrier to the entry of products in rural markets.
The average monthly sale per village shop is less than Rs. 5000, which restricts the
variety and range of the products stocked.
Since a significant portion of the sale is on credit, it puts most village shops in a selflimiting sales cycle.
Despite the same product being available in the village shop, 58% of villagers prefer to
buy these from a haat because of better price, quality and variety.
Stock Turnover
Average value of stock per product category in interior villages is about a third of that in
feeder villages.
Off-take of packaged food stuff and tobacco is higher in interior villages, whereas
toiletries have a higher take-off in feeder villages in comparison to other products.
The cash outlay of rural retail outlets is extremely low and most of it is invested in fast
moving brands and high margin commodities.
The low off-take, low stocks and lower stock turnover ratio together pose a challenge to
the marketer of a new product that how to occupy retail shelf space in rural markets.

 Rural retail shelf space can be occupied by offering consumers a combination of

attractive margins, credit facility and servicing that is superior to that offered by the
competition.
Rural retail Shelves Unlike urban retail shelves, rural retail shelves are flooded with local
and regional brands as these promise the retailer higher margins and longer credit
periods.
The number of product categories stocked by rural and urban stores does not vary
significantly. But what does vary is the number of companies/brands. This difference in
stocking pattern is because of poor reach and difficulty in servicing stores.
The first task is making brands available, but simultaneously marketers also need to make
efforts to ensure their visibility on rural retail shelves. Products are stocked in a cluttered
and disorganized way.
Slow-moving products covered with dust accumulated over a period of time are a
common sight. The visibility of brands is very poor due to the absence of proper racks
and display boxes and stands.
Brands that are advantageous to the retailers business are displayed prominently.
Therefore marketers need to devise strategies to occupy rural retail shelf space by
providing display and storage systems. (wall mounted display strips for fairness creams
and ice boxes for soft drinks.)
Vans
Mobile vans have an important place in the distribution and promotion of products in
villages.
In this system, the salesman loads the van with stocks from the nearest stockist or
company stock point and works the surrounding markets.
Once he has covered all such markets, he moves to the next stock point and starts
covering the villages surrounding that stock point.
Eveready batteries and torches are market leaders. It established an extensive distribution
network that includes 1000 vans, 4000+ distributors and 44 warehouses. These vans
reach 6 lakh retail outlets directly, each van making 50 to 60 calls per day. The company

ensures that the van revisits a retailer every 15 days. The stock for these vans is supplied
by the small town distributors.
Rural Mobile Traders The Last-Mile distribution
Mobile trading is an age-old, direct to home, unorganized distribution system in rural
India.
Sell a variety of daily-need products, mostly local brands ranging from detergent,
cosmetics, and personal care products to garments and footwear.
They carry their product on bicycles, mopeds, handcarts or on foot.
Mobile traders have a deep reach since they target small villages to avoid competitions
from shops in bigger villages. Their direct selling approach ensures high involvement on
the part of consumers and since they have a fixed and committed consumer base, mobile
traders enjoy a good rapport with their clients.
Mostly sell fakes and local brands.
Haats / Shandies
Haats are the periodic markets and the oldest marketing channel in India.
These markets provide people an opportunity not only to purchase consumer goods, but
also to sell surplus agricultural and allied products.
They provide a first-contact point for villagers with the market, a means for distributing
local products and exchanging rural surplus, an opportunity for buying daily necessities
as well as farm supplies and equipment and a place for social, political and cultural
contact.
Each haat caters to the need of a minimum of 10 to a maximum of 50 villages, drawing
around 4000 persons who come to buy and sell a range of daily necessities and services.
Public Distribution System (PDS)
PDS is a system of distribution for essential commodities to a large number of people
through a network of FPS (Fair Price shops, often referred to as ration shops).
The commodities are wheat, rice, sugar, edible oil and kerosene. PDS has been evolved to
reach the urban as well as the rural population in order to protect consumers from the
fluctuating and escalating price syndrome.

 It has emerged as a major instrument of the Governments economic policy aimed at

ensuring availability of food grains to the public at affordable prices as well as for
enhancing food security for the poor.
PDS with a network of about 4.76 lakh FPS is the largest distribution network of its type
in the world.
PDS Network

Behavior of the Channel

Credit facilities to customers In some districts, credit sales account for as high as 60
to 70% of the total rural business, while in others it is only 15 to 20%. Consumers usually
have a running account, a part of the outstanding dues is cleared every month but the
final settlement takes place at the harvest time.
Pricing by the channel Sometimes retailers in interior villages sell at a price higher
than the maximum retail price. They justify doing this on the ground that they spend time
and money to fetch the products from town wholesalers. A town wholesaler may
deliberately cut the price of a fast-moving brand to increase his business.

 Reason for stocking a product/brand Rural retailers stock a particular item usually
because consumers demand it and to a lesser extent because of the wholesalers push or
because a competitor stocks the item too.
Seasonal pattern of stocking Seasonal pattern is probably because the main buying
season for rural consumers is during the harvest and retail stocking of toiletries,
cosmetics, ribbons, bangles, clothes, fertilisers, seeds also follows this pattern.
Information source and influence Wholesaler is the most important source of
information and also most important influence on the retailer.
Purchase source Retailers in interior areas are not visited by agents of distributors;
retailers go to the nearby town / large feeder village once or twice a month to buy their
stock.
Chanel credit Small retailers and retailers in the interior villages must buy in cash,
while large retailers in feeder markets are offered credit.
Purchasing cycles In high turnover feeder villages, rural shopkeepers often visit the
neighbouring urban wholesale market for their purchases, sometimes as frequently as
three to four times a week. In other areas, where rural shopkeepers depend only on
counter sales and not on wholesale purchases, they may buy once a week or once a
fortnight.
Prevalent Rural Distribution Models
Retail

Wholesale

Rural distribution can broadly be categorized into two models: Smaller companies adopt the
wholesale activation route owing to a lack of viability, whereas companies with sizeable product
baskets adopt the retail route to reach rural markets.
Van Operation :
Stockists from nearby urban markets cover four to five rural markets per day.
A distance of 60-70 km is covered per day.
They operate mostly on cash basis as per the desired frequency.
They provide better control over distribution.
Sub-stockist Operation
Gets stock from super stockists appointed in the district.
Super stockists typically cover 10-15 sub stockists in the district.
The sub-stockist covers all the outlets in his rural market like the regular stockist, by extending
credit and services.

 Channel Structure In Model 1, rural distribution has been separated from urban
distribution to create a specific focus on the rural market.
Coverage area of rural distributors is clearly defined. Company appoints a sub-distributor
under the distributor to penetrate deeper into rural areas upto the 5000 population
villages.
The RD covers a large area with poor road network and a low volume per outlet, which
would make it unprofitable for him to cover small locations. The RD services the
wholesale market in his area.
It has a large number of points appointed in the rural areas, because the locations are
many and scattered.
Model focuses more on distributors and sub-distributors rather than the wholesale
channel.

 This is a simpler model compared to DM1. There is no separate channel for rural
distribution.
This model minimizes distribution costs, allowing the company to offer better margins to
the distributors and other channel partners who then push the sales of such products.
Wholesaler locations work as feeder markets, from where the company caters to the
requirements of nearby villages, places not covered by the distributor.
It is mostly companies with a limited number of SKUs and high sales volume that adopt
this model.
Channel partners are few and the distributor is given a large territory.

The structure followed by Nirma consists of minimum channel partners. Direct

distributors receive supplies from the depot. Market coverage is mainly through the
wholesalers network and hence few distributors are required to handle bulk despatches.

 In some cases, a big wholesaler plays the role of a sub-distributor, supplying to the
retailers and wholesalers.

Since durables are purchased largely from small and large towns, the number of locations
for distribution is a few thousand only and these can be managed by a few channel
partners.
LGs manufacturing plant is located in Greater Noida, near Delhi. The finished goods are
transported from the manufacturing plant to the company-owned depot, which in turn
passes down the line to C&F agents. There is a specific area assigned to each C&F agent
and multiple dealers and exclusive dealers are tied to the C&F agent by the companys
field force. The orders are generated by the companys sales field force, which in turn is
supplied by the C&F agent.

 Manufacturers to wholesalers/retailer in big city or small town, or directly to customer

Manufacturers take orders for fake products through personal visits or over the
telephone from big wholesalers/retailers who deal in fakes. They also leave sample of
new fake products for test marketing. Delivery is made to wholesalers/retailers through
vans and tempos authorized by the manufacturer.
Wholesaler in big city to wholesaler in small town/kasba Wholesalers in kasbas source
their supply of fakes through daily rail commuters. These passengers book orders from
wholesalers and collect supplies from the manufacturer of fake goods. These are hand
delivered the next day.
Wholesaler in small town/kasba to village retailer/mobile trader/haat Salesmen of
fake products visit retailers in villages of 3000+ population category located 15-20 km.
from the nearest town to deliver products. Mobile traders get their stock of fake goods for

purchases above Rs. 500 from mandis in nearby towns, or from the nearest kasba for
smaller purchases.
Emerging Distribution Models
Corporate-SHG Linkage SHG is a group of 10-15 women organized by government
bodies or NGOs, who come together to form a mutual thrift group, to inculcate savings
discipline and boost feelings of self-worth among women. Members of SHGs get
matching loans from rural banks to set up income-generating enterprises. Originally,
SHGs were formed to support poverty-alleviation programmes in rural areas after the
success of the model in Bangladesh, where this concept originated.
HULs Project Shakti was targeted at strengthening the companys FMCG rural
distribution drive. Interested women from SHGs were appointed as Shakti entrepreneurs,
they borrow money from their group corpus and provide services to 6-10 villages,
covering a population of 6000-10000.They receive stocks from HUL rural distributors
and make sales to both retailers and direct consumers in villages.
Satellite Distribution (the Hub-and Spoke System)
Stockists are appointed in major towns and feeder towns. By and large, they discharge the
following functions : a) financing, b) warehousing and c) sub-distribution.
Retailers in and around the feeder towns get attached to these stockists. The manufacturer
supplies goods to the stockists either on a consignment basis or on a cash or credit
purchase basis.
The stockists take care of sub-distribution on the terms and conditions determined by the
manufacturer or as agreed upon by the parties. Often, the stockists operate their own
delivery vans to take care of secondary transport and local delivery jobs.
Coca Cola Hub & Spoke Model
Recently modified its distribution channel by shifting from a centralized model to a threetier hub-and-spoke model. Invested in glass bottles and new vehicles in consonance with
the three tier distribution structure. Large trucks were used to move stocks from the
bottling plant to the hubs, medium commercial vehicles were used to move stock from
the hub to the spokes and after that auto rickshaws and cycles were used to cater to the
requirements of rural markets.

Syndicated distribution
Syndicated distribution is a viable and novel approach to gain entry into rural markets.
Under this approach, two or more companies come together to form a syndicated trading
organization, to jointly distribute a collective group of household products in rural
markets by sharing distribution costs.
The solution for small companies is to tie up with a leading company, that already has a
presence in the rural market, in order to distribute products through its distribution
network. The golden rule is that the small company should not deal in the same products,
that the leading company sells.
Eg. P&G uses the rural distribution network of Marico to sell Ariel, Tide etc. CavinKare
used the distribution network of Amrutanjan pain balm for its Chik shampoo.

ITCs Distribution Model

ITC has taken the initiative to reach rural consumers through its e-choupal model for
backward and forward linkages for its agri-related business, for direct procurement of
agri produce from farmers and for selling a range of products through Choupal Sagar.
Petrol Pumps and Extension Counters

These petrol pumps, in addition to petrol/diesel, oil and lubricants are also selling
consumables such as soaps, detergents, biscuits etc, particularly on the highways. These
bunks may also think of stocking certain consumable agricultural inputs like fertilizers,
seeds and pesticides.

12,000 petrol pumps of which 60% on highways close to villages

Also sell consumables like food products and toiletries

IOC Kisan Seva Kendra

Barefoot Agent
Few insurance companies have taken the initiative of appointing barefoot insurance
agents in order to penetrate rural markets. Agents are recruited on the basis of three
parameters : 1) direct personal contact, 2) spreading information through group
discussions 3) and motivating people to become life insurance agents through
counselling.
Agricultural agent & Agricultural input dealers

There are about 2, 62,000 fertilizer dealers in the country. During off season most of the
dealers dont have business, hence the companies may try to motivate them so that they
can sell other products also during their free time.

Other Channels
Hero Honda Motors has 400 dealers all over the country. The company has reported the
emergence of an unofficial channel of distribution village mechanics, local real estate
agents and shopkeepers. These people take the motorcycles, usually in twos and threes,
from company dealers after providing adequate security deposits and display them
outside their premises for closing the sale. The paper work, however, is left to the dealer
to complete.

Ideal Distribution Model for Rural

On the basis of the equation Per Capita Sales (PCS) = Annual Sales / Market Population,
the ideal distribution model for rural can be depicted as follows :
The Project Shakti type of model best serves the needs of the Low PCS-Low population
density segment consumers.
The NSV model is more appropriate for the Low PCS-High population density segment.
PDS, cooperatives and fertiliser dealers could also be integrated into this model.

MODULE-VII
COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
Advertising goes hand in hand with economic growth. With economic liberalization and
increasing rural prosperity, marketers are keen to inform villagers about the benefits of buying
and consuming their products and services. Prior to the introduction of economic liberalization in
1990s, there was a little incentive for marketers to advertise their products, and services, as rural
markets were predominantly a sellers market.
The influence of the electronic media, in particular television, video and Hindi film industry, is
contributing to the growth of rural aspirations, which are being manifested in rural India in the
form of increasing consumerism.
Reaching out to rural consumers presents as great a challenge as understanding the dynamics of
the rural market in India.
Challenges in Rural Communication
There are many challenges to communication in rural. Low literacy levels; poor media reach and
exposure and vast, heterogeneous and diversely spread rural audiences characterized by
variations in language, culture and lifestyle-all these factors pose multiple challenges to
marketers looking to take their messages to the largely media-dark or media-grey areas, of rural
markets.
Heterogeneity and spread
The communication pattern in any society is a part of its culture. No communication medium can
exist in a cultural vacuum. Communicating the message to the rural summers has posed
enormous challenges to the rural marketer, because of the large number of consumers scattered
across the country, the problem is further compounded by the heterogeneous nature of
consumers. There are 16 scheduled languages and 114 local vernaculars. For ex, the dialect used
in the Vidharbha region is different from that used in Marathwada, which in turn is different
from the dialect spoken in the Konkan region.
Some key characteristics of the heterogeneous rural markets are:

Widespread geographical dispersion (6, 38,000 villages) many of them are still beyond
the reach of conventional media.

Vast variations in levels of literacy

Literacy (Kerala 90, Bihar 44%)

Variations in reach of electronic media (Kerala63%, Bihar 17%) and print media (Kerala
65%, Bihar 9%)
The limited reach of the mass media imposes limitations on universal communication to
rural consumers.

Therefore the requirement is threefold:

To identify the most suitable medium to ensure maximum spatial reach.

To develop region-specific consumer profiles to understand the characteristics of the

target market and

To design the most effective and persuasive communication and promotional strategies to
induce the target audience to buy the product.

Understanding the Rural Audience

It is not sufficient to understand rural communication challenges as stated; rather, what is equally
crucial is the need to understand the behavioural and psychographic characteristics of the rural
audience, in order to develop an effective rural communication strategy.
There are two distinct sets of audiences in rural India:

A growing number of educated, upwardly mobile, middle class people with aspirations
and high exposure to mass media and with considerable purchasing power, in many ways
similar to their urban counterparts.

The illiterate masses, who are poor and who cannot be easily reached through the mass
media.

Interpersonal communication accounts for over eighty percent of the rural communication
process. Any communication package aimed at rural audiences should generate a lot of word of
mouth publicity, so that the brand remains on top of the mind, when the rural customer is
finally ready to make a purchase.
In terms of economic progress, rural India is divided into:

Developed states (Punjab, Hariyana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,
and Maharashtra)

Underdeveloped or developing states (all other states)

A view of communication process

Basic communication model

Developing Effective Communication

Profiling the Target Audience

Know your customer is one of the cardinal principles of marketing, be it rural or urban
India. Basing the
could

marketing decisions entirely

prove

to

on

data

and

numbers

be counterproductive.

Now we probe and profile the rural consumer by examining social classes and intentions,
receptivity, brand consciousness, lifestyles, buying roles, purchase needs and value propositions
relating to community and money.

Social classes and intentions

The priority of product purchases varies across income levels. The destitute buy essentials,
whereas the rich purchase premium products.
Rural consumers, though heterogeneous, mostly focus on purchasing value-for-money products
and productive assets that enhance their income levels. Revital (a health capsule from Ranbaxy)
is a premium priced product that may not find much space in middle-class urban homes.
However,it is quite popular among daily-wage earner, farm labourers and ironically, in provertyridden and underdeveloped states like Bihar and West Bengal, because consumers feel that

Revital increases their concentration and performance levels, which is reflected directly in their
earnings.
Consumer receptivity
Those who are less literate and less exposed to the external environment require a linear
communication message that is simple and easy to comprehend. The associate well with
primary colors and numerals and rarely but products by asking for brands by name.
Growing brand consciousness
The influence of purchase behavior in small towns and surrounding large villages is being
increasingly reflected in small villages. Marketers are recognizing the fact that villagers are
becoming more brand savvy with the increasing penetration of the mass media into the
interiors. The penetration of premium products is beginging to take place in lower socioeconomic groups. Consumers are going for a brand recognizing the value of a quality
product. The brand recall for products like Clinic Plus shampoo, Colgate, Lifebuoy, etc, is
high among rural consumers.
Lifestyles
Urban women tend to be more liberated, independent and decisive compared to rural women.
Urban-oriented advertisements generally show the urban woman as a hard-working and loving
companion to her husband, a caring and fun-loving friend to her children and an achiever and
sincere worker in her career. In contrast, Indian rural society is still tradition bound and such
portrayals may be inconsistent with the value system of rural women and at times viewing such
advertisements may even prove embarrassing to them and their families.
Buying roles
A process of collective decision making prevails in rural areas.
In a typical situation say, involving the purchase of tea, the housewife will be the user, the
breadwinner of the family, who will give the money, will be the investor; the purchaser will be a
youth who goes to a nearby feeder town and the influencer will be the retailer. The company
needs to customize its communication message and address each intermediary involved in the
purchase process. In the urban scenario, however, for the same product category, the user, the
investor, the purchaser and the influencer may end up being the same individual.
Children

As the value of education assumes greater important even in rural areas, children, especially the
youth, commute to nearby towns to pursue their studies. They are exposed to hoardings, wall
paintings, and other mass media and new trends in urban areas. The young in turn act as brand
messengers and communicators within their families and communities and subsequently
influence purchase decision.
Purchase needs
During the pilot test launch of vardaan bidi, the marketing team discovered that many rural
people believe that tobacco smoking leads to impotency. The company decided to redesign its
communication strategy, to stress the fact that Vardaan is a tobacco-less bidi and does not cause
loss of sexual vigour.
Community and the personal-value proposition
Coca-cola and pepsi used the planks of affordability and value for money successfully to drive
penetration and increase volumes by introducing smaller 200 ml bottles priced at Rs. 5. These
aspects were key ingredients in their communication as well.
Determining Communication Objectives
Intended goals of an advertising or promotional program. Possible communications
objectives include (1) creating awareness, (2) imparting knowledge, (3) projecting an image, (4)
shaping attitudes, (5) stimulating a want or desire, and/or (6) effecting a sale.

Marketing communication objectives are long-term goals where marketing campaigns are
intended to drive up the value of your brand over time. In contrast to sales promotions, which are
short-term inducements to buy, communication goals succeed when you persuade customers
through consistent reinforcement that your brand has benefits they want or need.
Increase Awareness
Increased brand awareness is not only one of the most common marketing
communication objectives, it is also typically the first for a new company. When you initially
enter the market, you have to let people know your company and products or services exist. This
might include broadcast commercials or print ads that depict the image of your company and
constant repetition of your brand name, slogans and jingles. The whole objective is to become
known and memorable. Established companies often use a closely-related goal of building or
maintaining top-of-mind awareness, which means customers think of you first when considering
your product category.
Change Attitudes
Changing company or brand perceptions is another common communication objective.
Sometimes, misconceptions develop in the market about your company, products or services.
Advertising is a way to address them directly. In other cases, negative publicity results because
your company is involved in a business scandal or unsettling activities. BP invested millions of
dollars in advertising to explain the company's clean up efforts to the public following its
infamous Gulf of Mexico oil spill in mid-2010. Local businesses normally don't have that kind of
budget but local radio or print ads can do the trick.
Influence Purchase Intent
A key communication objective is to motivate customers to buy. This is normally done
through persuasive advertising, which involves emphasis of your superior benefits to the user,
usually relative to competitors. It is critical to strike a chord with the underlying need or want
that triggers a customer to act. Sports drink commercials showing athletes competing, getting hot
and sweaty and then taking a drink afterward is a common approach to drive purchase intent.
The ads normally include benefits of the drink related to taste or nutrients.

Stimulate Trial Purchase

Two separate but closely related communication objectives are to stimulate trial use and
drive repeat purchases. Free trials or product samples are common techniques to persuade
customers to try your product for the first time. The goal is to take away the risk and get the
customer to experience your brand. Once you get them on the first purchase, you have to figure
out how to convert that into a follow-up purchase. Discounts on the next purchase or frequency
programs are ways to turn one-time users into repeat buyers and, ultimately, loyal customers.
Drive Brand Switching
Another objective closely tied to stimulating trial use is driving brand switching. This is a
specific objective of getting customers who buy competing products to switch to your brand.
Tide detergent is normally pitted against "other leading brands" in comparative ads intended to
motivate brand switching. The advantage with this goal is that customers already buy within
your product category. This means need is established. You just need to persuade them that your
product or service is superior and induce them to try it out.
Designing the message
Message Content
The communicator must identify an appeal or theme that will produce the desired response.
There are three types of appeals: rational, emotional, and moral.
Rational appeals relate to the audiences self-interest. They show that the product will produce
the desired benefits. Rational appeal messages may show a products quality, economy, value, or
performance. In its ads, Mercedes offers cars that are engineered like no other car in the
world, stressing engineering design, performance, and safety. Buckleys Mixture took its most
recognizable quality, the bad taste of its cough syrup, and turned it into an award-winning
campaign linked by the tag line, It tastes awful. And it works.
Emotional appeals attempt to stir up either negative or positive emotions that can motivate
purchase. Communicators can use such positive emotional appeals as love, pride, joy, and
humour. Advocates for humorous messages claim that they attract more attention and create
more liking and belief in the sponsor. Cliff Freeman, the advertiser responsible for Little
Caesars humorous Pizza, Pizza ads, contends that: Humour is a great way to bound out of
the starting gate. When you make people laugh, and they feel good after seeing the commercial,
they

like the association with the product. But others maintain that humour can detract from
comprehension, wear out its welcome fast, and overshadow the product. Communicators can
also use negative emotional appeals such as fear, guilt, and shame, which get people to do things
they should (brush their teeth, buy new tires), or to stop doing things they shouldnt (smoke,
drink too much, eat fatty foods). One Crest ad invokes mild fear of cavities when it claims:
There are some things you just cant afford to gamble with. Etonic ads ask: What would
you do if you couldnt run? and go on to note that Etonic athletic shoes are designed to avoid
injuriestheyre built so you can last.

A Michelin tire ad features cute babies and

suggests,
Because so much is riding on your
tires.
Moral appeals are directed to the audiences sense of what is right and proper. They often
are used to urge people to support such social causes as a cleaner environment and aid to the
needy, or combat such social problems as drug abuse, discrimination, sexual harassment, and
spousal abuse. An example of a moral appeal is the March of Dimes appeal: God made you
whole. Give to help those He didnt.
Message Structure
The communicator must decide which of three ways to use to structure the message. The first is
whether to draw a conclusion or leave it to the audience. Early research showed that drawing a
conclusion was usually more effective; however, more recent research suggests that the
advertiser is often better off asking questions and letting buyers draw their own conclusions. The
second structure issue is whether to present a one-sided argumentmentioning only the
products strengthsor a two-sided argumenttouting the products strengths while also
admitting its shortcomings. Buckleys Mixture built its entire business around this technique:
Usually, a one-sided argument is more effective in sales presentationsexcept when audiences
are highly educated, negatively disposed, or likely to hear opposing claims. In these cases, twosided messages can enhance the advertisers credibility and make buyers more resistant to
competitor attacks. The third message structure issue is whether to present the strongest
arguments first or last. Presenting them first gets strong attention, but may lead to an anticlimactic ending.

Message Format
The marketing communicator needs a strong format for the message. In a print ad, the
communicator has to decide on the headline, copy, illustration, and colour. To attract attention,
advertisers can use novelty and contrast; eye-catching pictures and headlines; distinctive formats;
message size and position; and colour, shape, and movement. If the message will be carried over
the radio, the communicator must choose words, sounds, and voices. The sound of an
announcer promoting banking services, for example, should be different from one promoting
quality furniture.
If the message is to be carried on television or in person, then all these elements plus
body language have to be planned. Presenters plan their facial expressions, gestures, dress,
posture, and hair style. If the message is carried on the product or its package, the communicator
has to watch texture, scent, colour, size, and Buckleys Mixture has won world renown by using
simple and humorous two-sided advertisingIt tastes awful, and it works. shape. Colour
plays a major communication role in food preferences. When consumers sampled four cups of
coffee that had been placed next to brown, blue, red, and yellow containers (all the coffee was
identical, but the consumers did not know this), 75 percent felt that the coffee next to the brown
container tasted too strong; nearly 85 percent judged the coffee next to the red container to be the
richest; nearly everyone felt that the coffee next to the blue container was mild; and the coffee
next to the yellow container was seen as weak. Therefore, if a coffee company wants to
communicate that its coffee is rich, it should probably use a red container along with label
copy boasting the coffees rich taste.
Marketing communications can be defined as the process of:
1. presenting an integrated set of stimuli to a market target with the aim of raising a desired
set of responses within that market target;
2. setting up channels to receive, interpret and act on messages from the market to modify
present company messages and identify new communications opportunities.
As both a sender and a receiver of market-related messages, a company can influence customers
to buy its brands in order to make profit. At the same time it can stay in touch with its market so
that it can adjust to changing market conditions and take advantage of new communications
opportunities.

The source of the message

Receivers of a message are often greatly influenced by the nature of its source. If an
audience perceives a communicator as credible, then they will be more likely to accept his or her
views. If, on the other hand, the audience believes that the communicator has underlying
motives, particularly ones of personal gain, then he or she will be less persuasive than someone
the audience perceives as being objective. Some advertisers use candid television interviews
with homemakers in order to enhance their credibility and eliminate intent to persuade,
sometimes asking consumers to explain why they buy a particular brand or asking them to
trade their chosen brand for another.
Another method used by companies to increase credibility is to have the product
endorsed by an expert with appropriate education and knowledge on a given subject. This source
will be more successful in changing audience opinions. Specialized sources of information are
often perceived as expert sources, and are successful due to the fact that messages are aimed at
selected audiences, for example the use of sports professionals as promoters for brands.
The credibility of a source is also a function of its perceived status or prestige. The higher
the perceived status of a source, the more persuasive it will be. If a receiver likes a source, it will
be more persuasive. It is clear that age, sex, dress, mannerisms, accent and voice inflection all
affect source credibility and subtly influence the way an audience judges a communicator and
his/her message.
A source high in credibility can change the opinion of receivers, but available evidence
suggests that this influence disperses in a short time after the message is received. It has also
been observed that where an audience initially receives a message from a low-credibility source,
their opinion change increases over time in the direction promoted by the source. This is referred
to as the sleeper effect. Another aspect of this is that when a high-credibility source is reinstated,
for example by a repeat advertisement, it has been found that audience agreement with the source
is higher after a period of time than if the source had not been reinstated. For a low-credibility
source, reinstatement results in less agreement with the source than with no reinstatement, and it
is said that under these circumstances reinstatement negates the sleeper effect.

Selecting the communication channels

The communicator must select efficient channels of communication to carry the message.
Communication channels are of two broad types, personal and non-personal.
Personal communication channels
Personal communication channels involve two or more persons communicating directly with
each other. The might communicate face to face, person to audience, over the telephone, or
through mail.
Personal communication channels are further divided into:

Advocate channels consists of company salespeople who contact buyers in the target
market. Dalmia Consumer Care has assembled a team of rural sales promotion (RSPs) to
promote their non-tobacco bidi brand Vardaan in rural areas. In addition to performing
their routine sales jobs, the RSPs also target consumers directly at haats.

Expert channels consist of independent experts who make statements to target buyers.
Marketers of building/construction products like cement and GC sheets target masons to
promote their brands. Expert communication channels command more credibility in rural
as they are considered insiders and posses the required technical knowledge.

Social channels consist of neighbours, friends, family members and associates who talks
to target buyers. In the rural context, the social channel is the first channel to which
potential consumers automatically turn, before they solicit views and opinions from the
outside world.

Non-personal communication channels

Non-personal communication channels carry messages without personal contact or
interaction. They include the mass media, atmosphere and events.
The mass media consist of the print media (newspapers, magazines, direct mail), the
broadcast media (radio, television), the electronic media (audio tape, videotape) and the
display media (billboards, signs, posters). Most non-personal messages come through paid
media.
Deciding the Promotion Mix
Companies face the task of distributing the total promotional budget over the five
promotional tools

 Advertising
Sales promotion
Direct marketing
Public relations
Salesforce (personal selling)
Each promotional tool has its own unique characteristics and costs. Marketers have to
understand these characteristics in order to select the most appropriate and useful tool.
Creating advertisement for rural Audiences
Communication experts need to keep the following factors in mind when creating
advertisements for rural audiences.

Understand the mindset of potential customers, including their hopes, fears,

aspirations and apprehensions conducting qualitative study (Focus group discussion)
among the target audience would help in better understanding of the consumer
mindset.

Pick up gems in the form of idioms, expressions, words, etc. in relation to the
product category for later use in the creative.

Tricky, clever, gimmicky, or even suggestive advertising does not work with rural
audiences. Flicks using very expensive computer graphics without any human
presence go over the heads of rural audiences.

Combining education with entertainment is a good route to take when targeting

rural audiences. Using locally popular flim stars or even featuring religious events
(melas) popular in the region, helps strike a chord with rural audiences.

Quickies (short television commercials) do not register well with rural audiences.
Advertising agencies need to provide for ample time and space to communicate a
message properly and effectively to the intended audience. This is seen for instance,
in the popularity of the two-minute theatre commercials screened in rural cinemas.

Rural Media
Rural media can be broadly classified into conventional mass media, non-conventional media
and personalized media.
Conventional mass media

A medium is called a mass medium when it reches millions of people. But poor exposure to the
mass media and the ineffectiveness of universalized communication aimed at heterogeneous
rural audiences, make it difficult for the mass media to address the communication needs in rural
markets in an effective manner.

Radio

Television

Cinema

Print

Non-conventional media

Outdoor media
Wall printing

Folk media
Folk theatre
Folk songs
Folk dances
Magic shows

Puppet Shows
Interactive games
Video van
Haats
Melas
Personalized media
Point of Purchase (POP) displays and Demonstration
Direct mail
Rural media: The importance of the two-step flow of communication
Having developed a good communication package aimed at the rural masses, it is equally
important to deliver the same through a combination of mass media and unconventional media.
Even today, interpersonal communication accounts for over 80% of the rural communication

process. Opinion leaders at the top of the literacy and the rural masses at the bottom (in a
pyramid formation), reinforce the continued existence of the two step flow of communication.

Opinio
n
Leader
s

Rural
Masses

Media topology: Intrinsic characteristics

Based on the intrinsic characteristics of media forms, the following table presents a topology of
various media forms employed by rural advertising:

Media

Reach

form
TV

Audience

Type

involvement
Mass

Low

Urban

Accessibility

Viewing

Audience

time/place

Cost

Exposure

Limited in rural No

Transient

area
Cable

Mass

Low

Urban

Limited in rural Yes

Transient

area
Radio

Mass

Highest in media

Urban

Highest in mass No

More

media

lasting than
TV

Print
Cinema

Mass
Mass

No
Higher than TV

Largely

High in rural Yes

Urban

area

Mixed

Somewhat

Yes

Permanent
Transient

limited in rural
area
Video

Personal/

Very high (when Mixed

Highest/but not No

More

Rath

customized

van

mass

lasting than

arrives)/hands-on

reaches where

TV/mass

demonstrations

mass

media

media/
media

cannot reach
Wall

Personal/

printing

customized

Calendar

Less

art

print

Haats/

Personal/

High

than No

Oral sales customized

Rural
Mixed

No

Lasting

Limited in rural Yes

Lasting

area
Highest (hands on Rural

Highest/but not No

More

demonstration)

mass

media/

lasting than

reaches where

conventiona

mass

l media

calls

media

cannot reach
The media model
The ideal media model to reach rural audiences is to influence the opinion leaders first and win
them over before targeting the rural masses, as the former guide the latter in their purchase
decisions.
Mass media
Plus
Direct marketing

Rural cinema
Opini
on

Rural

Radio

masses

Television

Leade
rs

Efforts

Unconventional
media

All efforts must generate sufficient word-of-mouth publicity for the product, so that when the
rural customer is ready to buy, the brand has top-of the-mind recall.

Reaching the Opinion Leader

Contrary to popular belief, the press, particularly the regional press, plays a very important role
in reaching opinion leaders in villages, who are generally literate and exposed to rural masses
and the mass media. Since such opinion leaders are few and can be identified easily by name,
address, direct marketing efforts such as road shows, direct mailers and one-to-one contact
programmes specifically aimed at them can help create a favourable image about a product. In
addition, messages conveyed through the mass media like television and radio are understood by
these opinion leaders in the same way as they are by urban audiences. Dealers too, play a major
role in influencing the choice of a brand at the point of sale for both the target audiences.
Media Innovation
This section gives a brief account of emerging communication channels, whose primary aim is to
address the immediate problems or issues of social importance at the local level, such as literacy,
gender, sanitation, disaster relief, health and family welfare, etc. that effect the life of rural
people and village communities.
Influence of consumer behavior on communication strategies
Consumer behavior exercises a major influence on communication strategies. The process of
making a purchase passes through different states of readiness on the part of the buyer and this in
turn dictates the communication objectives adopted by the marketer.
State of readiness of the consumer
Consumer behaviors state of readiness is observed during the decision-making process
to purchase a new product, as compared to a new brand. The consumer first becomes aware of
the product. He may or may not be convinced about the products benefits and uses. Once he is
convinced, he purchases the product. When harvester combine were launched for expediting the
process of harvesting and threshing of wheat and rice in Punjab and Haryana, the initial
communication efforts aimed to create awareness, then interest, followed by knowledge among
potential consumers. Agricultural officers who educated the farmers about the combine
harvesters and their benefits carried out the process of education. The conviction among
consumers was created and reinforced through field demonstration.
Involvement levels and communication strategies

The involvement level of a rural buyer varies with the purchase of different items.
Generally, daily-use FMCG items like salt and soap are low-involvement purchases for rural
buyers and hence efforts to seek information are low. For an FMCG marketer, the need is to get
the information to the consumer at a comparatively low cost.
In the case of a high-involvement durable product, the consumer seeks information to
reduce the risk of purchase and is willing to invest time and effort in making a purchase decision.
Buying a tractor tyre is considered a high-value, high-involvement purchase. Appollo tyre have
branded their 100 star performing dealer shops as Appollo Pragathi Kendras to educate farmers
on ways to select the right type of tyre, depending on the purpose for which the tractor is used.

MODULE-8
RURAL MARKETING- THE FUTURE OF RURAL MARKETING
Focused Marketing Strategies
Product Developing relevant products to meet the specific needs of rural consumers
will exercise the minds of marketers. For eg. We know that voltage fluctuation is a major
problem in our villages, because of which bulbs last but a few days. Companies will put
their R & D teams to develop filaments that can withstand violent fluctuations, thereby
extending the life of the bulb.
Price As rural incomes continue to rise in the coming years, we may see the share of
low unit packs coming down somewhat and economy packs gaining share. Also as the
reach of media and awareness level improve, we are likely to see companies shift their
focus from trade to consumers.
Distribution Challenge of reach will be addressed through innovation. Project Shakti
of HUL is one such successful example. Nehru Yuva Kendra volunteers model through
haats being piloted by MART for Colgate, is another such new model. Amway is already
selling bio-fertilizers in rural India, through its famous multi-layer distribution model.
Communication Indian advertising industry has to be firmly grounded in rural
perception, values and traditions. It has to drown itself in local colors, customs and
modes of communication, to make itself relevant to rural society. It has to gain the trust
of masses, by undercutting excessive dependency on western advertising.
Market Research
Rural consumers are fundamentally different from their urban counterparts. The lower levels of
literacy and limited exposure to product and services are well-known, but there are also
differences in occupation options, with a direct impact on income levels and income flows, and a
high level of inter-dependency affecting the dynamics of rural community behavior. All
contribute to make rural consumer behavior starkly distinct from the urban. As any consumer
research study must understand the consumer in the context of his environment and society,
Rural Market Research must overcome the challenge of respondents with lower literacy and
exposure levels, where conventional market research tools may not be easily comprehended by

villagers. MART, a specialist organization in rural, has innovated tools to overcome these
limitations in conducting rural consumer research.
Consumer Finance

The term consumer finance refers to the activities involved in granting credit to
consumers to enable them to possess goods meant for everyday use.

Types of Consumer Credit

Revolving credit: it is an ongoing credit arrangement whereby the financier on a

revolving basis grants credit. The consumer is entitled to avail credit to the extent
sanctioned as credit limit ex: Credit Card

Fixed credit: it is like a term loan where by the financier provides loans for a fixed period
of time. The credit has to be repaid within a stipulated period ex: monthly installment
loan, hire purchase.

Cash Loan: Under this type of credit banks and financial institutions provide money with
which the consumers buy goods for personal consumption here the lender and seller are
different and lender does not have the responsibility of seller.

Secured Finance: when the credit granted by financial institutions is secured by collateral
it takes the form of secured finance. The collateral is taken by the creditor in order to
satisfy the debt in the event of default by the borrower. The collateral may be in the form
of personal property, real property or liquid assets.

Unsecured Finance: When there is no security offered by the consumer against which
money is granted by financial institutions, it is called unsecured finance.

Sources of Consumer Finance

Traders: The predominant agencies that are involved in consumer finance are traders.
They include sales finance companies, hire purchase and other such financial institutions.

Commercial Banks: Commercial Banks provide finance for consumer durables. Banks
lend large sum of money at wholesale rate to commercial or sales finance companies, hire
purchase concerns and other such finance companies. Banks also provide consumers
personal loans meant for purchasing consumer durable goods.

Credit Card Institutions: These institutions arrange for credit purchase of consumer goods
through respective banks which issue the credit cards. The credit card system enables a

person to buy credit card services on credit. On presentation of credit card by the buyer,
the seller prepares 3 copies of the sales voucher, one for seller, bank/credit card company
rd

and 3 for the buyer. The seller forwards a copy to the bank for collection. The sellers
bank forwards all such bills to the card issuing bank or company. The bank debits the
amount to the customers account. The buyer receives monthly statement from the card
issuing bank or company and the amount is to be paid within a period of 20 to 45 days
without any additional charges.

(NBFCs):Non-banking Financial companies constitute an important source of

consumer finance. Consumer finance companies also known as small loan companies or
personal finance companies are non-saving institutions whose prime assets constitute sale
finance receivables, personal cash loans, short and medium term receivables. These
companies charge substantially higher rate of interest than the market rates.

Credit Unions: A credit union is an association of people who agree to save their money
together and in turn provide loans to each other at a relatively lower rate of interest.
These are caller co-operative credit societies. They are nonprofit deposit taking and low
cost credit institutions.

Products covered

Consumers financing covers a wide range of products such as cars, Televisions, washing
machines, refrigerators, Air conditioners, computers etc. The products covered possess
some distinct feature such as durability, sustainability, salability and serviceability etc.

Rural Vertical
The CEO would need to articulate a strong commitment to rural marketing, only then will
the marketing team give its focused attention and sustained support to this growing
market segment.
HUL has already created a separate rural vertical with a team of RSMs, ASMs, SOs and
RSPs committed exclusively to servicing the rural market. Rural has been given separate
sales targets and the company is in the process of allocating separate sales promotion and
advertising budgets for this market.

Retail and IT models

IT and connectivity impact the way business is done. Today with STD facility, the
retailer can dial the town distributor instantly and fresh stocks would reach him in just a
couple of days, because of better road connectivity.
Benefits of IT Driven business strategy
Ease of access
Up-to-date content
Layout, design, consistent themes
Easy navigation
Higher interactivity
Access through multiple media
Higher use of non-textual information
Multiple languages
Lower transaction cost.
Rural managers

As the rural market is already bigger than its urban counterpart, there is need to develop a
good understanding about it among corporate managers. For this to happen rural
marketing should be taught as a subject in every business school.

Glamorize rural marketing

Rural is considered as unglamorous. Industry seminars on these subjects also evoke a

similar response. This must change as the rural market in size is bigger than any of the
other markets mentioned here.

Industries associations (CII,FICCI,ASSOCHAM) government agencies and academic

institutions should take upon themselves to give due importance to rural marketing.

Public-Private Partnership
Companies would join hands with the government in self-interest to increase the size of
the pie, by creating economic activity in villages through micro-enterprises and
mainstream these efforts, by linking them with large industry.
ICT Initiatives in Rural Markets
ITCs e-choupal

 N-Logue communications Business of providing Internet, voice, e-governance and

other rural services through a network of Local service providers.
e-rural marketing