RURAL MARKETING COMMUNICATION IN INDIA - PROBLEMS AND STRATEGIES INTRODUCTIONRural market is a fast growing market.It is a market meant for the truly creative marketer.Many MNCs and Indian Companies are preparing their rural marketing strategy to grab a reasonable share of the rural markets.There is a growing market for consumer goods in rural markets now.Rural markets in India are growing at twice the rate of their Urban counterparts - NCAER

Issues In Rural MarketingDistributionUnderstanding the rural consumerCommunicationPoor infrastructure

Rural ConsumersRural India buys.Products more often.Buys small packs, low unit price.Distribution and pricing are the mantras to success in rural India.

Rural Marketing Communication (RMC)Indiscriminate marketing strategy used in urban areas will not work effectively with their rural counterpartsAn important tool to reach out to the rural audience is through effective communication.Mere translation of the advertisement in the urban areas, into vernacular language and bombarding the rural market with it would not yield the desired result.There are various conventional and non-conventional modes of communication used by rural marketers.

Types of Media in Rural MarketsMass MediaTelevisionRadioPrintCinemaWord of MouthVideo on Wheels

Traditional MediaPuppetryFolk TheatreDemonstrationsHaats and MelasWall paintingsPost cards & Posters

Problems of RMCLow Literacy RateLanguage BarrierPoor infrastructure FacilitiesLow Disposable IncomeLinguistic and Socio-cultural DifferencesPsychological BarriersCulture & TraditionsDifferences in PerceptionsChanging Attitudes and BehaviourRural ReachOrthodox ViewsLack of Research Data

Strategies for Effective RMCIdentify Target AudienceFlexible Communication StrategyChoosing the right kind of MediaAppropriate Communication MixRegional RequirementsAppropriate SchedulingEnhancing AwarenessSymbols and Logos

Communication Strategies of Companies in RMChennai based Cavin Kare conducted live demonstrations of its products.Hero Honda has established mobile service centres to take care of rural customers.Wilkinson deputes salesman to villages wherever it launches a new blade as seeding operationBritannia with its low priced Tiger brand biscuits- Rate at its wrapper.LG Electronics uses local language advertising. Private and Foreign banks are tying up with nationalized banks to reach rural people.

ConclusionIndian rural market is a huge market with lot of potential in it.It is for the rural marketer to face the challenge of communicating their products and concepts through innovative media design, sensitive approach to brand names and use of simple and natural language.Rural Marketers should study rural purchase pattern to identify the spending class.RMC should be further simplified for those rural consumers who live in more remote areas.Better RMC and promotional strategies targeted towards the rural market are imperative and crucial for the future success of any organization.