Anugrah aims at niche in rural marketing

The Hindu – Business Line, December 05, 1997.

ANUGRAH Marketing and Advertising Services Ltd., is positioning itself as a rural communications specialist.
Mr.R.V.Rajan. Managing Director of the agency, said, "We are looking at one of the two possibilities -setting up a separate division for rural communications or developing the agency wholly as a rural, marketing specialist. For this, we are looking at tying up with other advertising agencies. In fact, some agencies have approached us for strategic alliances in rural communications."

Mr. Rajan said, "At the moment, we are a regional agency with limited scope. We hope to service clients all over India once we begin specialising in rural communications completely."

A recent study by NCAER shows that while the growth rate of some of the leading consumption items has slowed down in the rural areas, consumer durables are doing well. This is reflected in the fact that the numbers in the middle, and high income categories have virtually doubled between 1986 and 1990. While most fast-moving consumer goods companies have taken adequate advantage of the growing rural classs, consumer durables marketers are moving towards this segment only now. Sources indicate that companies such as BPL, LG Electronics and Samsung also have plans to enter this segment in a big way.

Mr. Rajan said,"Our experience shows that to reach this vast rural audience, it is very important to understand the established and traditional rural communication process such as the folk culture." The most commonly used theory of rural communication is the two-step flow of communication.

It is believed that the illiteracy of the farmer and the poor reach of traditional mass media till recently, have strengthened the role of intermediaries who receive messages and pass them on to the farmers. Also known as interpersonal communication, the two-step flow of communication accounts for over 80 percent of the rural communication process in India.

The intermediaries who act as interpersonal communicators are generally village-level workers, village leaders and extension officers. To this list can be added the dealer who has begun playing a significant role in influencing the purchase decisions of farmers.

It is with this in mind that Philips organised the Super Show in various districts of Tamil Nadu during September-October to announce the campaign. Apart from showcasing the products at an exhibition, dealer sessions were also held to motivate them to push the products.

Mr. Rajan said, "While communicating with rural masses, one has to be extremely careful. Unlike urbanites who are more or less similar, rural folks differ from region to region. Therefore, the communication has to be done after extensive research into their ways and culture."

In the case of Philips, research showed that Tamil Nadu was the only State with a high level of development outside the Capital. Also, the word ‘super’ was a multidimensional term here, connoting something excellent.

"The rural markets are growing at a much faster rate than urban markets and aspiration levels are also rising, thanks to satellite television. This is bound to attract more companies," Mr. Rajan said. At the moment, small agencies such as van operators, and rural cinema campaign placement outfits are working to put together rural marketing programmes of companies. "At Anugrah, we hope to provide all the facilities for a rural marketing programme from conceptualisation to implementation. We may not have a fleet of vans right away. That is in the long-term. To start with, we will develop a database collating the information on rural markets."