Sharing the Rural Burden An article by Mr. R Seshadri published in Impact 6th Anniversary In a rapidly expanding economy which offers a huge opportunity in rural India, the future, I am convinced, belongs to those marketers who just don’t see the rural consumer as a mere statistic contributing to their quarterly bottomline, but as a critical partner in their progress. Marketers hoping to tap potential in the countryside can no more remain faceless, hoping to sell their ‘standard’ products and services to the rural consumer. The mantra increasingly for success in rural India will be ‘co-creation’ of products and inclusive growth. Engagement with rural consumers must begin right from the time the product is being developed and not merely at the time of promotions. Companies like Godrej with their ‘Chotu Kool’ Nano fridge & TVS Motors which recently launched TVS Max 4R utility motorcycle have done this effectively. In fact going a step further, both these companies see these products as part of fulfilling their social responsibility towards the rural consumer. The further in rural India will belong to those companies which first ‘empower’ the rural consumer before trying to ‘sell’ product and services to them. The next 10 years will see many more companies sharing the burden of ensuring inclusive growth as a part of their rural marketing agenda. And these are the companies which will reap a bumper harvest in rural India.
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