Branding Strategy in Rural Communication

Branding involves a gamut of activities the sum total of which lead to the creation of the brand. But when the scenario is looked under the lens of rural market, the variables and dynamics of marketing and communication get redefined. India is a country which is witnessing robust growth and a booming economy.

                                     The growth in the country is happening at a steady rate as foreign funds flow to fund infrastructure and consumer markets that seek to tap the rural domains in an extensive manner. So, how do the dynamics change with the change of settings i.e. from a urban market towards rural markets. Are the rules different in this case? Well, the rules may be the same but the perspective of approaching things might be different. In other words, it calls for looking at the scenario with a rural and pragmatic lens.

There are many unsaid dictum’s of rural communication which are being used effectively by leading advertising houses like O&M to market brands. Most of these are subject to terrain, demographics, & psycho graphics of the different rural regions in the country.

So, devising an effective rural communication campaign calls for few caveats and imperatives that cannot be ignored. A few measures which could prove effective in rural communications are:

Understanding the Audience :
The psyche of the audience is of foremost importance when it comes to communicating messages related to brands. People or consumers in each region have their own set of idiosyncrasies and dogmas which are deeply rooted to their rituals and customs. So, what would apply to one would in all certainty not apply to another set of consumers in a different rural region.

Creativity :
As people in each region have their own cultures and rituals, this implies they have their set of symbols or identifiers which once identified could be used in a very effective manner. This is conveyed through wall painting which still convey in rural parts of India, places like villages where a colorfully painted walls become the centre of attraction and as the communities are closed in nature, people passing by the walls notice the product which leads to high brand recall value.

Apart from the symbols there could other aspects such as place of worship where crowds throng in large numbers. So, O&M used this very effectively for Lifebuoy by conveying the message of safe health by propagating it through Gurudwaras. They put up banners and billboards which emphasized the importance of using soaps for good health.


 

 
Use of Common Sense :
It often happens that in a bid to look at minuscule aspects revolving around marketing, Brand managers in advertising firms fail to apply common sense- A tool that comes in as a very potent measure in rural communication. An example of the same could be seen in the visual communication used by O&M to bring out the difference in loose and packed tea by drawing a parallel to healthy and inferior grains, a correlation that worked instantly in the rural communities which depend on agriculture for livelihood.

Branding Objects :
Advertising firms could resort to visible means of communication that percolates into the daily lives of the community by branding objects used by the community people. This could range from their buckets to painting wells, both of which could lead to high brand recall value.

These were just a few thoughts which could go a long way when it came to effective communication aimed at a rural audience and these are not the only ones. While devising the communication strategy for an audience that has a different way of viewing and perceiving things, it is the behavior that need to be addressed and not just mere superficial needs.

Well, there exists many more but most of them adhere to one primary line when it comes to the rural audience – Me , Myself and My Community.

Source: Hindustan Times article as on 4/11/2010