“Amitabh
Bachchan wala Buiscuit khaoge?” The response I got from this Pan Wala in a
Gujarat village when I asked for biscuits was conspicuous enough for me to
realize it’s never the ingredients or values that sells in Villages, it’s
actually how media advertise the product that makes impact on these people. Mass
Media moulds and weave the story around a product which becomes folklore soon. When
we talk about Rural markets, we are talking about 68% of Indian Population. A
market too huge to neglect, a population where social media is not 1% as
effective as Mass Media is. Where urban People usually look at the perceived
value, alternatives available, trials, etc., rural society finds the product
credible if it has the potential to be in a TV Advert or newspaper corner. Credibility
of the source is important for rural consumers. Also, associations create
interest, hold attention & gives meaning to the content. The simpler the
methodology to explain the product, more effective is the outcome. Being
narrative to rural customers is the key here. Tricky, clever, gimmicky or even suggestive advertising does
not work with the rural audience. Simple and direct, using aspirational
urban-looking models work very well. Villagers do have this tendency to
DISCUSS the latest purchase, that’s why the concept of “Opinion leaders” is
more prevalent there.
Traditional
methods other than mass media would never garner as much attention as MM. It’s
difficult to attract the TG & more difficult to kept them engaged in your
attempt: Road show , melas, or gathering etc. And then Word of mouth would only
ruin it if they don’t develop taste in early stages.
Even where electricity is unreliable, radios
are very popular among rural Indians. With the number of FM stations set to
expand more, it would be possible to reach even more remote areas through
radio.
Morning newspaper is the only source of staying
in touch with world for most of the villages in India, still the cheapest
source of exposure.
Mass media is less expenditure, high exposure,
higher revenue model which is the key to unlock Rural India!
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