Communication most important aspect of rural marketing Write Up which appeared in The Hindu Coimbatore Edition on COIMBATORE: Mobile telephony had changed the profile of rural areas. Every year, about seven million mobile subscribers are added to the network of mobile users in villages, R.V. Rajan, Chairman, Anugrah Madison Advertising, Chennai, said here on Thursday. Delivering a lecture on rural marketing at a campus interface programme organised by the Business Line Club of the School of Management, Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology, he said education, along with television, was bringing in a lot of changes in the lives of people in rural areas. The rural market was growing at the rate of 15 per cent a year and the rural masses were becoming aware of brands owing to the reach of the television. These upwardly mobile, younger rural middle class who had exposure to the way of life in the cities and who were conscious of the products and services available in the cities was the focus of companies, he said. However, while selling products to the rural population, companies should connect with the local people and make an attempt to understand their mindset. Rural communication was an integral part of rural marketing. But, most companies gave the concept of rural communication a step-motherly treatment. Companies needed to invest in the right communication methods aimed at specific target groups. Despite the developments taking place in Indian villages, rural marketing had its share of challenges such inadequate data on rural markets, reaching goods or services to the villages, poor infrastructure and lack of understanding of the rural consumers. Only 40 per cent of the villages in India were connected by roads and only one third of rural homes had electricity, Mr. Rajan lamented. Companies should ensure that they understood the hopes and aspirations of the rural population. They should take into consideration the low literacy levels, poor reach of the media, heterogeneous and widespread audience and the tradition and culture of the target groups while advertising their product. The communication package should be developed only after an in-depth study of the mindset of each rural region. In order to reach the rural audience effectively, the communication should be simple and should address specific target groups. C. Subramaniam, Principal of the Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology, and A.G.V. Narayanan, Director of School of Management, spoke.
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