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Vinay Kamath

CHENNAI, Feb. 17

THE Rural Network, an alliance of leading rural marketing organisations in the country, is spearheading a series of initiatives designed to put rural marketing issues squarely in the reckoning of corporates looking for new markets.

The Network partners, Mr R.V. Rajan of Anugrah Madison, Chennai, Mr Pradeep Kashyap of MART, New Delhi, Mr Pradeep Lokhande of Rural Relations, Pune and Mr R.A. Patankar of Sampark, Mumbai, met in the city last week to finalise the initiatives. Mr Kashyap, speaking to Business Line, said one of the key initiatives was a seminar that the Rural Network is organising in association with FICCI in New Delhi on April 24 for senior management. The seminar will have participation from both the government as well as the private sector and will focus on what organisations need to do in their structures to service the rural market. "One of the reasons for this lack of focus on rural markets is the lack of commitment from the top. We need to get a buy-in from top management," said Mr Kashyap. The Network expects 300 delegates from some of the top FMCG and consumer durables companies to attend the seminar to debate some key issues confronting rural marketers.

Another area that the Rural Network will collaborate on is research and data on the rural markets, "Currently, it's a black hole, there's not enough data; we will try to create a knowledge base," said Mr Kashyap. This year, two studies are planned - financing of durables in small towns. The other, related study will look at how to promote and distribute products of companies. It will study platforms like melas and mandis and buying patterns of rural folk and how corporates can use this network to good effect. "It will show the way for corporates on how to reach out," he added.

For now the Network will fund these qualitative studies, and will use students from management institutes to undertake them. Another area that the Network will look at is getting management schools interested in starting rural marketing courses. As Mr R.V. Rajan of Anugrah pointed out, "More than 50 per cent of durables and FMCG sales come from rural areas, but except for a few, not many institutions offer a course in rural marketing." The Network will also look at publishing some case studies on rural markets based on its collective experience.

Marketing the Kumbh Mela

This year, The Rural Network is looking to leverage the Kumbh Mela to make it a marketer's delight. This year's Mela is at Nasik in Maharashtra and it starts on June 27. Over 45 lakh pilgrims are expected. The Network has identified around 10 important bathing ghats where pilgrims will congregate in great numbers.

"We've identified 40 important days to carry out branding activities for corporates," said Mr R.A. Patankar of Sampark, who, along with Mr Lokhande, is coordinating the activities there.

The Network is organising both the manpower and field vans which will be used to distribute leaflets as well as carry out product samplings and trials. It will also put up stalls and will also look at using the postal infrastructure like vans and post boxes for advertising. It is also looking at companies wanting to launch products. It is already in dialogue with interested corporates across several industries, including the mobile companies.

"We've done an assessment study of the Mela; we've experience of fairs and the Kumbh is one on a much larger scale. We will plan a post-impact study for brands as well," said Mr Patankar. The Mela will be promoted as a must-be-there opportunity for corporates.

Mega conference planned

NEXT year, The Rural Network plans a mega conference, perhaps in New Delhi, which will bring together under one roof all types of players dealing with rural marketing and will provide a platform for sharing experiences. It will also explore the possibility of starting a Rural Marketing Association on the lines of AAAI and other similar professional bodies. Publishing a directory of all people in the industry is also on the agenda. The directory will be a database of people ranging from rural wall painters to folk artistes who can be used to promote products in rural areas.

The planned two-day mega show will consist of talks, panel discussions, case study presentations as well as an expo. The conference will target all clients and ad agencies dealing with agri-inputs, consumer durables, FMCGs and other services, rural event managers, video-on-wheel operators and other vendors who are involved in rural marketing in some form or the other.

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