journal_january2015

FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY | VOL-9 | JANUARY - 2015 

Interview 

“Social media is a 

great friend for 

experiential marketing”, 

Dalveer Singh 

Leader Emerging Market - GroupM Dialogue Factory 

Cover Story 

A Window into 

Rural Shopping 

Profile 

“I had never read a textbook 

on marketing, and yet 

was able to write one” 

Mr. Pradeep Kashyap 

CEO & Founder MART 

RMAI Events 

FLAME AWARDS 

RURAL CONCLAVE

The 

RURAL MARKETING 

ISSN 2321-8312 

FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY | VOL-9 | JANUARY - 2015 

Journal 

Contact Address 

Rural Marketing Association of India 

C/o. Impact Communications 

E-362, First Floor Nirman Vihar, Vikas Marg, 

New Delhi - 110092 

Tel. 011-40619900 

Mob - 9910023628 / 9818960558 

Learn more about RMAI at www.rmai.in 

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE 

Sanjay Kaul, Raj Kr Jha 

Khurram Askari, R V Rajan 

CONSULTANT EDITOR 

www.contentiveinc.com 

RMAI EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2014 - 2016 

President 

Sanjay Kaul 

CEO, Impact Communications 

Vice President 

Raj Kr Jha 

Consultant, Geometry Global 

Secretary 

George Angelo 

Executive Director (Sales), Dabur India Ltd 

Treasurer 

Dr. AnupKalra 

Executive Director, Ayurvet Ltd 

Zonal Head (South) 

Mr. KhurramAskari 

Director, Insight Outreach Pvt Ltd 

Zonal Head (West) 

Himanshu Shah 

Chief Mentor, SOI Live Marketing & Events 

Mr. Ranjit Kumar 

DDG (Rural Business) India Post, Govt of India. 

Mr. Biswabaran Chakrabarty 

General Manager, Crompton Greaves Ltd 

Mr. Punit Chadha 

General Manager (Rural Marketing), Maruti India Ltd 

Mr. Puneet Vidyarthi 

General Manager and Head (Rural), JCB India Ltd 

Mr. Siddhartha Chaturvedi 

CEO, Event Crafter 

Mr. Nikhil Sharma 

Partner, MART. 

From the 

President's Desk 

Dear Friends, 

We're proud to bring out the second 

edition of the e-journal, at the back of an 

encouraging response to the first edition. 

I hereby extend my heartfelt thank you for 

your feedback and appreciation. 

The second edition too promises to be a valuable read with a detailed analysis on 

the retail sector in rural India; perspectives on the reach and effectiveness of e- 

commerce in the hinterlands; initiatives by the Government and corporate towards 

rural development; interview with revered rural marketing professionals; effective 

rural marketing initiatives implemented by companies; and trends from across the 

world. 

It gives me great pleasure to announce the sixth edition of the RMAI Flame Awards 

2014 for Excellence in Rural Marketing & Communications, to be held on March 

20, 2015, at Taj Vivanta, Gurgaon. The surging number of entries received each 

year is a testimony to the popularity of the awards. The entry submission date has 

been extended to February 20, to accommodate as many entries as possible. To 

further strengthen its credibility, we have brought on board Ernst & Young to 

validate the judging process. 

The next few months will be action-packed for RMAI, as we organise a new edition 

of the Rural Conclave and the Corporate Excellence Awards, to be held on May 8-9, 

2015. Our goal is to bring together experienced and bright minds from 

Government, Corporate, Marketing and Communication and Technology sectors 

to foster knowledge, learning and inspiration on a wide range of subjects. India 

Post (Ministry of Communications & IT) is supporting RMAI for this initiative. 

I urge all of you members to participate in these initiatives and together chart out a 

new growth story for rural India. Your involvement and commitment are of 

paramount importance in soaring new heights in rural marketing. 

I hope you will find this edition of the e-journal insightful. Your valuable feedback 

and thoughts on the same will appreciated. 

Thank You 

Copyright RMAI. 

All rights reserved. 

Reproduction in any manner is prohibited. 

Published by 

Rural Marketing Association of India 

Sanjay Kaul

COVER STORY 

Feature - 

03 

A Window into Rural Shopping 

POINT-OF-VIEW 

07 

What is the future 

of e-commerce in rural India 

INTERVIEW 

11 

“Social media is a great friend for experiential 

marketing”, Dalveer Singh 

GOVERNMENT SECTOR 

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan for a Better Rural India 

13 

03 

PROFILE 

15 

Pradeep Kashyap, 

Founder & CEO, MART 

RMAI EVENTS 

Rural Conclave 

RMAI Flame Awards 2015 

17 

07 

13 

21 

11 

CSR 

Project Sampark: 

Promoting mobile telephony among women 

21 

11 

INNOVATION – INTERNATIONAL 

Mobile App to Help African Farmers 

24 

ON Ground 

A look at how advertisers are connecting and engaging 

with consumers on the ground in rural markets 

25 

15 

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JANUARY 2015 

COVER STORY 

Feature - 

A Window into Rural Shopping 

With rising incomes and aspirations, consumers are increasingly seeking convenience and choice. They wish to upgrade and 

embrace the modern way of life. A modernised way of shopping is just one of the sought after changes. 

Sapna Nair Purohit, New Delhi 

More than 95 per cent of the Indian retail sector falls in the 

category of 'unorganised sector'. According to a McKinsey 

& Company report titled 'The Great Indian Bazaar', the 

growth of organised retail is expected to be between 14 and 

18 per cent of the total retail market this year. This article 

attempts to explore the potential of rural India, as a market 

for modern and corporatised retail, and look at the changes 

and developments in the hinterland that retailers can 

leverage. 

Overview 

The Indian retail sector accounts for 22 per cent of the gross 

domestic product (GDP) and contributes to 8 per cent of 

the total employment. The country's vast and dynamic 

retail landscape presents a big opportunity to foreign 

investors. A report published by AT Kearney hails India as 

'the third most attractive retail market for global retailers 

among the 30 largest emerging markets'. 

According to management consulting firm, Technopak, the 

Indian retail market is projected to grow at a compound 

annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6 per cent to reach $865 

billion by 2023. This will be driven by the sustained growth 

of India's GDP at 6 per cent in the next decade. This growth 

will, in turn, translate into increased demand for retail 

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products, and hence, growth of merchandise retail, high 

disposable income with the end-consumer and rapid 

construction of organised retail infrastructure. 

Growth is expected to come from clothing, textiles, fashion 

accessories, jewellery, watches, footwear, health, beauty 

care, pharmaceuticals, consumer durables, home 

appliances, mobiles, furnishings, utensils, furniture, food, 

grocery, catering, books, music, gifts, entertainment and 

other segments in retail. 

The Rural Story 

As per Technopak, the rural retail market was estimated to be 

worth $273 billion in 2014. 

Owing to rapid urbanisation, it is expected that an increasing 

share of incremental merchandise retail will come from 

urban and semi-urban centres. Demand is also expected to 

come from the emerging towns and clusters, where the 

primary source of livelihood has moved from agriculture to 

other professions. 

Nearly, $21 billion (56 per cent of total corporatized retail) 

comes from the top 24 cities that contribute to 30 per cent of 

the total retail basket. This is due to low penetration of 

corporatized food and grocery retail, poor infrastructure, 

inefficient supply chain and concentrated customer segment 

in the overall landscape. 

It is believed that, in the future, growth will be driven by the 

penetration of corporatized retail beyond these urban 

centres. 

Technopak's study reveals that even though rural India offers 

myriad opportunities for retailers, it is not likely to become 

an extension of urban India in the next decade. This is 

because, there exist key differences in the types of demand 

coming from these two pockets, even though the rural areas 

manage to mirror the consumption of the urban in the 

various retail categories. 

Rural Indian consumers do not seek low-priced products. 

Instead, they prefer products that are functionally at par, 

while justifying their affordability. Rural income generation 

being largely dependent on agriculture, is seasonal, and so is 

the consumption. This is unlike urban India, which follows a 

regular, monthly income-expenditure cycle. 

The erratic nature of the rural income-expenditure cycle 

makes credit more significant. Therefore, the availability— of 

credit and welfare support from the government, in particular 

cash reimbursement of subsidies—impacts rural spending 

and consumption patterns to a great extent. It is vital for 

brands and retailers to have a deeper understanding of rural 

markets and pin their fortunes on the penetration of these. 

However, this is easier said than done. Damodar Mall, Chief 

Executive Officer, Value Retail, at Reliance Retail, says, “Even 

in the metro cities, corporate or modern retail comprises only 

25 per cent of the total retail. A lot of work needs to be done 

there. That is why, people are not going bullish yet. The 

market is too complex right now and they'd rather focus on the 

more feasible markets where work is still to be done.” 

The Challenges 

India's diversity poses the biggest challenge for retailers. The 

food and grocery category has been a tough nut for companies 

to crack. The corporatised retail share of food and grocery 

grew from a mere 1 per cent to 3 per cent, whereas apparel 

grew from 14 per cent to 19 per cent, reveals Technopak. It has 

been observed that non-food categories have been more 

receptive towards corporatised retail and are poised to grow 

with improved distribution processes. They are also set to 

reach beyond the major urban centres and develop alternate 

retail. 

Food and grocery has been unable to migrate to the 

corporatised retail platform preventing it from growing to its 

potential. Preferences, especially in food, are extremely 

localised. Capturing the various demand catchments and 

catering to specific taste nuances is a Herculean task. This, 

and the fact that the supply chain does not follow a linear 

pattern from urban to rural, has resulted in a fairly low 

penetration of modern retail in rural India. 

Technopak's research states that this scenario is not going to 

change much in the near future, as policy uncertainties and 

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lack of structural reforms across the value chain will continue 

to act as deterrents. 

Furthermore, high fragmentation, low density of population 

at the consumption centres, poor transportation 

infrastructure and complex tax regimes make it a complex 

market to operate in. 

Organised retail also faces competition from the local momand-pop 

stores that have been around for long and enjoy 

familiarity and trust among rural consumers. This makes it 

imperative for new retailers to invest in effective and 

engaging marketing campaigns, to create awareness and 

induce trials. 

Mall points out that a lot of (food) production happens 

around the urban areas, making it easier to distribute. “They 

also prefer aggregation of demand. While the demand does 

exist, its density is not high in rural areas, unlike in the 

urban,” he says. 

So, even though the demand for retail products in rural areas 

continues to outpace that of the urban areas, the dominant 

form of retailing in the former continues to be unorganised or 

informal. This comprises the traditional kirana stores for 

both grocery and non-grocery items, primarily due to their 

ease of access, affordability, credit options and convenience. 

Been There Done That 

Corporates have forayed into the rural retail market in the 

form of specific rural outlets selling food and grocery 

products. However, most of them have either exited the 

market or have changed their business models to sell nonretail 

items. 

DCM Shriram Consolidated Limited's (DSCL) Hariyali 

Bazaar retail stores, launched in 2002, in the rural areas, shut 

shop in 2012. Instead, it has now opted to sell fuel products. 

Triveni Engineering too exited the rural retail business in 

2010. It operated 42 Khushali Bazaar outlets in Uttar Pradesh 

and Uttarakhand. 

On the other hand, chains such as Choupal Saagar and 

Aadhar continue to run in the hinterland. Aadhar is a joint 

venture between the Future Group and Godrej Agrovet, 

focussing on retail distribution of consumer products for 

personal and household use, in rural and semi-urban India. 

Positioned as a rural supermarket, it currently has 40 stores 

spread over 100,000 sq. ft., across Gujarat and Punjab. 

Initially, when Godrej Agrovet launched the chain, the stores 

were owned and operated by the company. After Future 

Group bought a majority stake in the venture in 2008, it 

closed some company-owned outlets and expanded through 

franchisees. In early 2012, it entered the cash-and-carry 

business to sell to wholesalers and Aadhar outlets. 

ITC first developed linkages through its eChoupal initiative to 

buy agricultural products from farmers and improve 

productivity, helping raise their incomes. It then launched 

Choupal Saagar stores to sell a variety of products and 

services including farm inputs, consumer goods and 

durables, apparel and fuel. 

Recently, the Future Group's food and FMCG arm — Future 

Consumer Enterprise Limited (FCEL)— has acquired 

Nilgiris, the chain of convenience stores run by the Nilgiri 

Dairy Farm Pvt Ltd. The chain has 1,405 outlets spread across 

Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. With 

this acquisition, FCEL hopes to expand geographically, by 

increasing its footprint of convenience stores in South India. 

Companies such as Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) are 

implementing special initiatives, such as Project Shakti, 

which is a rural distribution initiative in villages. The project 

benefits HUL by enhancing its direct rural reach and at the 

same time creates livelihood opportunities for 

underprivileged rural women. Having started with 17 women 

in one state, it has a network of 65000 Shakti entrepreneurs 

today. Its products are distributed in over 165,000 villages 

and reach over four million rural households. 

Opportunities 

The rural market, despite presenting numerous 

impediments in the expansion of retail, also paints an 

encouraging picture. Reports state that rural incomes and 

consumptions are rising steadily. The average wages, under 

the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme, 

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E-tailing 

E-commerce is being touted as another key trigger for the 

expansion of retail in rural India. Leading the non-store retail 

segment, the e-tailing market was estimated at $ 1 billion, in 

2013, and is projected to grow at a rate of 50 per cent per year, 

to reach $ 56 billion by 2023, as per Technopak. This growth 

is expected to be driven by mobile transactions, even in rural 

India. 

have risen to Rs 128 in 2012–13 from Rs 65 in 2006–07, 

average monthly per capita spending in rural areas has 

jumped by 36 per cent to Rs 1,430 in 2011–12 from Rs 1,053 in 

2009–10. 

There has been a gradual shift in the mindset of consumers 

too, resulting in an improvement in lifestyle which organised 

retail can tap. According to Mall, the new rural woman 

consumer prefers to shop for her personal care products from 

a modern retail outlet that offers a variety of premium brands 

and options, instead of purchasing it from the local 

shopkeeper, who is all too familiar with her in-law's 

preferences. 

“Younger women find it disempowering to deal with the 

shopkeeper— buying from a man who is known to the entire 

family. As women get more educated and have a point of 

view, as incomes increase, and as women's empowerment 

gets unlocked by self-service, modern retail will grow,” Mall 

says, hopefully. The coming of age of the middle class, 

coupled with their growing confidence will be the engine for 

the growth of modern retail in rural markets. 

The phenomenon of modern retail is already catching on in 

rural India as shops are being transformed into self-service or 

partial self-service, to attract the discerning new consumers, 

especially the women. Being able to hand-pick products of 

one's choice and choose from a display is surely a sign of 

modernity. 

Aspirations of consumers in small cities and towns (beyond 

the top 15) are increasingly converging with that of their 

counterparts in the metros and mini-metros. Exposure and 

affordability are driving this parity. However, the limited 

penetration of the brick and mortar business network in these 

towns has paved the way for an alternate retail channel to 

thrive. Nearly half of the current e-tail sale comes from towns 

and cities beyond the eight metros. And this is poised to surge. 

Recognising this opportunity, online marketplace Snapdeal 

has partnered with alternate delivery channel provider FINO 

PayTech. Together, they have launched assisted e-commerce 

centres in semi-urban, rural and low-income residential areas 

across India. 

Snapdeal plans to set up e-commerce outlets or kiosks across 

70,000 rural areas in 65 cities by the end of 2015. The first set 

of assisted e-commerce outlets will come up at Dharavi 

(Mumbai), Varanasi, Valsad (Gujarat), and urban villages in 

Noida, Gurgaon, Hyderabad and Jaipur. Meanwhile, Flipkart 

has joined hands with the Government of India to train people 

from semi-urban and rural areas and employ them at the 

company or its business partners. 

All in all, if companies can find a way to tide over the 

infrastructural and logistical challenges that this complex 

market poses, in tandem with consumers' preferences, retail 

is set to flourish in locations yet to be explored. 

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POINT-OF-VIEW 

What is the future 

of e-commerce in rural India 

The Indian rural market is beckoning to the e-commerce companies to tap its potential 

According to the latest research by leading global research and advisory firm, Forrester, the Indian e-commerce market is all set to 

show the fasted growth within the Asia-Pacific region at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 57 per cent between 2012 

and 2016. It is believed that the number of online shoppers has been on the rise, and is expected to grow to 40 million in the next 

two years, from the current 25 million. 

E-commerce players are well aware that this growth will be fuelled by the non-metros, especially small towns. They are striving to 

make in-roads into the rural markets, even as mainstream commerce struggles. Two top e-commerce companies talk about the 

peculiarities of the rural markets, their strategies and factors that will accelerate growth. 

Challenges 

Shivani Dhanda, 

Head – Marketing, eBay India 

A major challenge faced by the e-commerce industry in India is the lack of a robust 

ecosystem, especially in the area of connectivity and product delivery. Owing to the vast 

geography of rural India, it is sometimes challenging to reach remote corners. 

However, most courier companies have invested in technology and processes to 

overcome this challenge. At eBay India, we launched the PowerShip initiative wherein 

we have tied up with leading courier companies to significantly increase the efficiency of 

managing multiple item shipments for eBay merchants and delivery of items to buyers. 

PowerShip sellers can avail special courier rates and ship to over 1200 cities and towns in 

India. 

As the e-commerce ecosystem matures in India, many such innovations will boost online 

shopping in rural markets. 

Tapping the rural 

The tier II and III cities as well as the rural areas are going to be the next big thing for e- 

commerce. They have shown extreme potential recently and are growing at a burgeoning 

pace. According to the eBay India Census 2014, an analysis of all online buying and 

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selling transactions by Indians on eBay India, over a period of 18 months showed that out of the 4,556 e-commerce hubs in the 

country, there are 1,233 rural hubs along with 3,313 Bharat hubs (tier II and III cities). There has been a significant upsurge in the 

number of rural hubs as compared to the previous Census. 

With the quantum of customers logging on to e-commerce sites, to shop online, increasing at a rapid pace, all players are looking 

forward to tapping the rural market and connecting with the emerging online shopper in these areas. 

Growth Triggers 

2015 is going to be the year of customers shopping online from non-metro cities. There has been a significant uptake of products by 

customers from rural markets as revealed by the eBay India Census 2014. 

The increasing penetration of the Internet into the rural markets coupled with the surge in the number of users accessing the 

Internet through mobile phones and devices, is expected to expand the reach of e-commerce across the challenging geographies of 

the country. 

According to the eBay India Census 2014, Guntur (Andhra Pradesh), Tada (Andhra Pradesh), Karthikappally (Kerala), Ghattia 

(Madhya Pradesh), Chorayasi (Gujarat), Jalgaon (Maharashtra), Budgam (Jammu & Kashmir), Cachar (Assam), Adur (Kerala) 

and Villupuram (Tamil Nadu) are the top ten rural hubs in the country. 

Popular Categories 

According to the Census, the top five products traded in the rural markets are — mobile accessories, tools and hardware, stationery 

and office supplies, coins and notes, chocolates, cakes and food items. The top five products exported from the rural markets are 

—jewellery, watches, decorative pieces, cell phones and accessories, home and garden products, clothing, shoes and accessories. 

We expect these products to be traded extensively, with other products in the lifestyle and electronics category catching up fast. 

Challenges 

With its increasing disposable income and exposure to urban trends, thanks to the 

media, the rural market is becoming increasingly attractive for various industries, 

especially e-commerce. Internet bridges the supply chain gap between brands and the 

rural market. However, there continue to be some key challenges, which are largely in 

the area of infrastructure. You can say that between the demand and supply sides, there 

are more supply-side challenges. Internet penetration is still low compared to the urban 

areas, and mobile Internet will play a big role in bridging this gap. Then, there is the 

challenge of logistics-related infrastructure and low reach of logistics partners. The only 

third-party logistics provider (3PL) with a wide reach is India Post, which is now 

investing in e-commerce deliveries, but has a long way to go. 

Devesh Rai G, 

Founding Member and Corporate Vice President - 

Business Development, ShopClues 

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E-commerce players are well aware of the opportunity that lies in the rural markets. On the one hand, there are strong demandside 

factors, such as high disposable income, willingness to spend, exposure to urban trends, and desire and ambition to own the 

best. On the other hand, there is the opportunity arising out of the limited reach of the traditional offline supply chain. Right now, 

these factors are playing a big role in the growth in sales from tier II and tier III towns—a major focus and growth driver for 

ShopClues in particular. The same will follow in rural areas as well. 


In my opinion, the growth of e-commerce is faster and will continue to be faster than what most of us can fathom. ShopClues 

already sees a lot of orders from the hinterland with village post office addresses. So, clearly, e-commerce has already taken off in 

the rural areas. It will definitely see a major upward trend in the next two years, following improvements in the Internet and 

logistics infrastructure. 


Electronics and fashion will be major drivers. Within electronics, demand will mainly come from low to mid-range mobiles, 

laptops and appliances, which do not have reach in the rural markets. Fashion will remain centred around affordable daily wear, 

with low- to mid-range brands taking the lion's share. 

Challenges 

The retail landscape has changed globally, and is changing in India too. E-commerce has 

transformed the way people shop and do business. Simplicity and accessibility have been 

the hallmark of the e-commerce industry growth in India, led by companies like 

Snapdeal. Internet connectivity, which is low at less than 10 per cent, is a significant 

challenge in reaching out to the rural consumers. Low penetration of Internet banking 

and credit/ debit cards is also a barrier in the way of online shopping. This is now being 

overcome with the 'cash on delivery' option. However, the biggest challenge has been the 

lack of trust in online shopping, which is being addressed through active communication 

via various mass media channels. 

Sandeep Komaravelly, 

Senior VP – Marketing, Snapdeal 


Snapdeal.com is betting big on the tier II, tier III and rural markets as rising aspirations 

and corresponding increase in digital penetration will lead to growth, driven by these 

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centres. Currently, over 60 per cent of its users are from these markets. To tap the markets beyond the top ten cities and in smaller 

cities, towns and rural markets, the logistics and delivery network has been strengthened to reach over 15000 pin codes in the 

country. The recent tie-up with India Post will further strengthen the efforts in this direction. 

Furthermore, India currently has 40 million mobile Internet users and this is expected to grow exponentially in the near future. 

This is why Snapdeal.com has consciously built its presence on mobile platforms and is leading the m-commerce revolution in 

India, with over 65 per cent of orders coming from mobile phones. Just a year ago, this figure was a little over 5 per cent. Hybrid e- 

commerce models, like assisted e-commerce and easy payment options like 'cash on delivery' also play an important role in 

building e-commerce. 


The penetration of smartphones clubbed with rising aspirations, have enabled the growth of e-commerce in rural areas. 

Furthermore, increased assortment of products, easy return policy, free trials and cash on delivery will play a huge role in further 

scaling up e-commerce in rural India. 

Sellers play a pivotal role in the growth of any market, therefore, a strong seller ecosystem is critical for the development of e- 

commerce. Snapdeal currently has close to a 100,000 sellers on its platform, and a large percentage of these sellers come from the 

small, remote towns and cities of the country. For the rural sellers, Snapdeal acts as an enabler giving them access to an online 

platform that extends their reach nationally, whilst supplying locally. The synthesis of this latent desire of small businesses to 

expand nationally has been key to the success of e-commerce and will lead to growth in the rural market. 


In the past, people in the rural areas had to go to distant places or nearby cities to purchase luxury and speciality products. With e- 

commerce, they are now able to access them from within the comfort of their homes, at par with urban dwellers. The credit goes to 

the accessibility offered by e-commerce platforms like Snapdeal. There is a huge demand for footwear, clothing, mobile phones 

and electronics in the rural markets, similar to the trend seen in urban markets. 

New innovative categories like agri products are also gaining popularity. The recently launched agri store, which is making 

available over 300 products, has received a very positive response. Similarly, increased demand for affordable mobile and 

computing devices and other categories like medical devices, hardware and fixtures, is anticipated among others that are difficult 

to access offline, locally. 

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Excerpts 

1. When do brands tend to experiment 

with 'Experiential Marketing' Is there a 

favourable time 

It all depends on the media mix for the brand or 

the category, and where exactly experiential 

marketing fits into the marketing and 

communications programme. 

However, when budgets are more, brand 

managers tend to experiment more whereas 

during tough times, they prefer to stick to tried 

and tested methods. This is because, in case of 

mass media, an advertiser can substantiate his 

spends in terms of the outcome. 

INTERVIEW 

“Social media is a 

great friend for 

experiential marketing” 

Dalveer Singh 

Leader Emerging Market - GroupM Dialogue Factory 

With over 20 years of experience, the current head of 

experiential marketing, APAC, Group M, has been a 

seasoned rural marketing practitioner. He talks of 

how the rise of the social media has aided experiential 

marketing, and how this form of advertising will 

continue to grow… 

But I think, this is a lazy way of marketing. Smart 

marketers would often go the experiential way. 

Experiential marketing has always seen a 

growing trajectory. At the same time, I also 

believe that anything new takes a while to catch 

up, though this form of marketing has been 

around for a long time now. 

2. Which are the sectors best suited for 

experiential marketing 

It fits in very well in the fast-moving consumer 

goods (FMCG) and automobile sectors but not in 

the banking, financial services and insurance 

(BFSI) sectors, where there is nothing to 

experience. 

Whenever a marketer needs to showcase a 

product or its features, be it taste, appearance, 

feel or touch, you need experiential marketing. It 

is not meant for selling concepts. There are some 

advantages as well as certain limitations of this 

form of advertising, just as in other mediums. 

3. How has social media changed the 

rules of experiential marketing and 

activation 

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I think social media has done a lot of good to experiential 

marketing. In fact, it is a friend to this form of advertising. 

Till yesterday, we had to use a pamphlet or a poster to 

announce a campaign or an activity. Now, this can easily be 

done through social media, which can amplify an activity 

better and more effectively. 

Word of mouth can be used effectively by brands on social 

media. Though very few brands have tried it, the ones which 

have, managed to achieve great results. 

4. Mass media has penetrated deep into rural India. 

What does it spell for the activation industry, 

especially in the rural markets 

As far as the reach of the mass media is concerned, there are 

the media-dark states and media-light states. We say that the 

BIMARU (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar 

Pradesh) states are media-dark states, so experiential 

marketing is needed there. 

However, I feel that if I need to sell facewash or conditioner in 

a media-light state, such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh or 

Punjab, I still need to ride on experiential marketing. 

Yes, mass media does help create a reach, but does it really 

persuade people to try a new category To buy something 

new, you have to again ride on experiential marketing. So, the 

theory of these being media-dark markets is an old one. 

Experiential marketing helps to enhance experiences and 

bring them to life. And it can be applied across categories! 

5. Which vehicle do you feel is the cheapest and most 

effective to reach out to Rural India Is experiential 

marketing giving way to mass media 

Experiential marketing was never cheap and still is not. You 

cannot compare mass media costs to experiential marketing, 

because the impact is very different. I cannot say that radio is 

the best medium or press is the best medium. There is no one 

single medium that one can say is the best to reach out to 

rural masses either. 

To spread awareness, you will need static media. To explain 

things, you will need interactive media. To talk to a large 

congregation of people, you will need to use mailer and haats. 

So, depending on what your marketing and communication 

objective is, you will need a mix as no single media will work. 

6. Be it the Lifebuoy Roti Campaign or the Coke Small 

World Machine campaign, we have seen some 

innovative work in experiential marketing in the last 

few years. Has this form of advertising come of age, 

to be able to build brands today 

I do not think any single campaign can build a brand. 

Lifebuoy was built through the handwash programme, and 

the roti campaign during the Kumbh mela was just one of the 

components. So, there are many things you do to build a 

brand in rural markets. 

While mass media does play a role, the haats and mailer are 

also equally important. 

7. With 20 years in below-the-line marketing, how do 

you see your professional life when you look back 

I think I had a great 20 years. The job is excellent, actually. In 

my opinion, people who work in the rural and emerging 

markets have a great job to do, because they are connected to 

the consumers, and are also travelling continuously. 

When I took up rural marketing as a career, people 

questioned 'what is rural' 

Rural marketing has not only taken me across 40 countries 

today, but also to every nook and corner of each one. 

Rural marketers understand the pulse of the market because 

they are much closer to the consumers; the interaction with 

them is on ground and not in air-conditioned offices. 

I am very happy that I picked rural which was not very 

attractive then, and have contributed to making it attractive. 

8. Putting your wide experience to use, how do you 

foresee this sector growing 

If you look at the 6.2 billion consumers across the globe, you 

will still have half of them in the rural areas till 2030 or 2050. 

Those are the next frontiers. There are very few people in the 

country who understand rural consumers well. There are not 

many who understand the nuances of below-the-line (BTL) 

and even fewer who understand experiential marketing. So, 

to me, this is the sector, which will keep growing. 

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THE 


JOURNAL 

JANUARY 2015 

GOVERNMENT SECTOR 

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 

for a Better Rural India 

In its effort to develop rural India, the Government has launched the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan to use India's 

knowledge capital to bring about a social change and encourage rural entrepreneurship. Team Contentive 

Inc. looks at what the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan challenge entails 

As India progresses, it becomes evident that the pace of modernisation is not the same throughout. While cities and metros are 

modernising at an exponential rate, villages tend to progress comparatively slower. Even today, there are villages that do not have 

electricity and where people need to do back-breaking labour just to survive. With nearly 70 per cent of India living in rural areas, 

and employing nearly 51 per cent of the total workforce, there is an urgent need to modernise this population. 

The Government has, over time, introduced innumerable schemes and campaigns to bridge this gap 

but the urban–rural divide continues to grow. Currently, a plethora of campaigns are being 

run by it to develop the rural areas and bring them up to the level of their urban 

counterparts. 

On October 31, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) 

launched the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) to look at development from a 

perspective of knowledge rather than finance. It has roped in leading 

technology institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology 

(IITs) and the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) in this 

mission. These institutions will use their intellectual prowess to 

design and develop solutions to the problems that rural India 

faces, through the use of technology. Unnat Bharat has a twofold 

aim: build the capacity of the institutes of higher 

education for research and training relevant to India; and 

provide rural India with professional resource support from 

these institutes of higher education. While MHRD will be 

overseeing UBA, IIT-Delhi has been chosen as the nodal 

agency to coordinate with the other IITs and NITs 

participating in the campaign. 

The Unnat Bharat Abhiyan envisages the IITs and NITs 

adopting ten villages within their neighbourhood for 

development. Students from these institutes will then visit the 

villages to identify the problems that they face. They will then find 

financially-viable solutions to these problems. Once a solution has 

been identified, the industry will be involved to scale it up. It hopes 

to prepare a roadmap for the holistic development of rural India. So 

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JANUARY 2015 

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far, the institutes have identified 132 villages for their work. 

While MHRD has formally launched UBA and laid out a 

roadmap for the same, the situation on the ground is 

different. Professor SK Saha, who oversees the 

implementation of UBA at IIT Delhi, explains, 'The concept 

is still in its nascent stage. All IIT coordinators of the Unnat 

Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) cells are discussing under the 

guidance of MHRD.' He points out that the IITs have already 

been involved in rural development under rural 

development centres or Rural Technology Action Groups 

(RuTAG). For example, IIT Delhi has a Centre for Rural 

Development and Technology (CRDT) which started in 1978. 

Similarly, IIT Bombay has the Centre for Technology 

Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA) and IIT Kharagpur has 

the Rural Development Centre (RDC). These will play a 

major role once UBA hits the road. However,currently, the 

IITs are developing the roadmap provided by MHRD, which 

will later be shared with the NITs and other technical 

institutes. 

What makes the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan unique is that it uses 

India's intellectual rather than monetary wealth to bring 

about a societal change. The costs for the campaign are to be 

met from the various programmes already under way, with 

additional funds being mobilised on a project-to- project 

basis. Each technology institute is required to set up an interdisciplinary 

Unnat Bharat Cell, consisting of teachers and 

students to undertake the projects. At the same time, the 

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is also an inter-ministry exercise, with 

the ministries of Human Resource Development, 

Agriculture, Rural Development, Water Resources, Science 

and Technology, Renewable Energy, MSME and Textiles (for 

artisans), Labour and Employment working in tandem 

towards a common goal. Once the institutes conceive a new 

project, it will be taken to the appropriate funding agency for 

funds. This way, the overall cost of the project can be kept 

under control. 

According to Professor Saha, the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 

comes with its own challenges for the educational institutes. 

He says, the rural community needs to be studied to 

understand how technology can be used to uplift it. But for 

that, the institutes will have to earn the trust and confidence 

of the rural communities. The communities will have to 

convinced to use the solutions developed by these 

institutions, which can be an uphill task, as the solutions 

might not work at the first instance and may need further 

tweaking. Finally, he says, even if a technology finds 

acceptance with the rural community, finding entrepreneurs 

to take it further can prove to be a further challenge. When 

asked about rural entrepreneurship, he posed the question 

back to RMAI asking how it could help in this mission. 

IIT Roorkee, one of the participating IITs, provides a 

showcase for the campaign's success so far. It has taken the 

charge of five villages in Uttarakhand. It set up the RuTAG for 

the same. To achieve rural transformation, IIT Roorkee has 

designed a five-point roadmap wherein it identifies the 

technology for bringing about rural development, builds up 

strategies for capacity building, facilitates rural 

entrepreneurs to adopt the technology, conducts research 

that impacts the rural society, and brings about a societal 

development by polishing local skills through the use of 

technology. 

IIT Roorkee students studied the Bageshwari Charkha, used 

in Uttarakhand for making thread from the locally available 

Tibati wool. With the application of simple technology, they 

were able to produce a better version of the charkha, that 

resulted in increased efficiency and output. Using a 

collaborative system, all villagers in the adopted villages were 

taught to use the new charkha, thereby making its use 

widespread. The students also designed a low-cost solaroperated 

pine needle biomass briquetting machine that was 

easy to maintain, so that it could be easily deployed by the 

villagers. This proved to be beneficial for all, as it was 

environment friendly, easy to manufacture, a great 

employment opportunity for the people, and also more 

convenient to use than the traditional machines. 

IIT Roorkee's work in the villages of Uttarakhand has also 

been responsible for developing entrepreneurship in the 

villages. The water mills developed and deployed by it were 

later handed over to entrepreneurs, who in turn, provided 

livelihood to the people who were appointed to operate them. 

The water mills were also a source of clean energy for the 

villages. 

Just as other government initiatives, the Unnat Bharat 

Abhiyan too is unique as it puts educational institutes at the 

forefront, while the Government takes a back seat, only 

coming in the picture when the projects needs financing. 

Even when a project takes off, the Government choses to hand 

over its reins to local entrepreneurs so as to promote local 

economy. In this hands-off approach, the onus of building the 

rural economy rests largely on the institutes and the villagers 

themselves. Once the campaign is rolled out by the IITs, the 

rural economy is bound to benefit. Its dependence on urban 

markets for goods will diminish, as will the annual migration 

of labour from the villages to the cities. It looks all set to be a 

game changer. 

14

THE 


JOURNAL 

PROFILE 

Pradeep Kashyap, 

founder & CEO, MART 

JANUARY 2015 

“I had never read a textbook on 

marketing, and yet was able to write one” 

Kashyap put away 18 years of experience in the 

corporate sector, to find his true calling. Here, 

he talks about his early days, learning the skill of 

management on the job, his big shift from the 

corporate world and his tryst with rural India… 

Pradeep Kashyap, the founder and CEO of 

MART, is known as the Father of Rural 

Marketing in India. A BITS Pilani graduate in 

Engineering, he had never studied management 

or marketing. Yet, he advises aspiring managers 

from some of the most coveted B-schools like 

IIM-A and professionals from the corporate 

world. 

Kashyap's first job was with Exide, after 

graduating from BITS Pilani in 1969. The 

company was then hiring engineers to sell 

technical products like batteries. He spent six 

years doing 'technical selling', as a Marketing 

Executive in Kolkata and Delhi. This stint put 

him in a dilemma – while he understood the 

technical side of things, the management part 

remained an unknown territory. 

“I realised that I wasn't industry ready because I 

didn't have a management qualification. It took a 

while to get my teeth into management concepts, 

like financial projections, return on investment 

and break-even analysis,” recalls Kashyap. 

He then moved to MICO Bosch. Back then, Bosch 

had a monopoly in making fuel injection 

equipment for trucks and diesel vehicles in India. 

Here, he was tasked with setting up an office in 

Delhi to handle the company's northern 

operations. At a young age of 28, a cautious 

Kashyap travelled to the different company's 

offices to learn how to set up a new office. Soon, 

he had a 100 people reporting to him. As Bosch's 

regional head, he managed their distribution 

system. 

After seven years, he moved to Denso, in 1984, as 

head of marketing. The World's largest 

automotive parts manufacturing company had 

just set up operations in India and Kashyap was 

its second employee. He was mandated to set up 

the marketing division. It was a massive task. 

“Advertising our products in the open market 

and dealing with ad agencies were all new to me. 

Besides, other functions like after-sales services 

and spare parts division had to be set up too,” he 

remembers. 

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One of his biggest contributions was that he negotiated hard 

with all client companies to pay against a letter of credit and 

bank guarantee. This ensured that the company received the 

payment on the day the goods were supplied thus ensuring a 

healthy cash flow. Despite resistance from big companies like 

Hindustan Motors, he insisted on implementing the system, 

which is followed even today. 

Around 1987, while he was at Denso, Kashyap started feeling 

restless. “I was not enjoying what I was doing; work was 

getting repetitive. I began to wonder what the purpose of life 

was. I asked myself, 'Do I want to continue like this for the 

next 30 years' It is said that when the disciple is ready, the 

guru appears. And that is what happened with me,” he 

reminisces. He found his spiritual guru, an Englishman who 

was an erstwhile aeronautical engineer, who ran an ashram 

beyond Almora. After discussions with him, Kashyap decided 

to work towards helping the poor. 

He bid adieu to his corporate life in 1987 and started 

travelling to the villages. A city-bred man, he had never 

seriously visited a village before. “The poverty really moved 

me. I felt I had to do something. The only thing I knew or had 

learnt was marketing. So, I decided that I should be working 

in the marketing space,” he says about his foray into rural 

development. 

He was appointed as marketing advisor to the Government of 

India, by the Ministry of Rural Development. He travelled the 

length and breadth of the country, meeting artisans, 

embroidery workers and craftsmen. “They were living in very 

difficult conditions. The problem was that while they 

produced exquisite products in the villages, the consumers 

were in the city and they had no clue how to access them,” 

Kashyap says. 

He started a system of marketing by which artisans could 

showcase their work in the cities, by way of sales exhibitions 

christened Gram Shree Melas or wealth of villages. The travel 

and other expenses of the artisans were funded by the 

Government and they were allowed to keep all the profits 

they made through sales. He executed 300 exhibitions across 

75 cities in India, over 10 years, helping hundreds of 

thousands of women. He remembers the first exhibition held 

at Udaipur, which was attended by the then Prime Minister, 

Rajiv Gandhi, who was impressed and suggested that such 

exhibitions be held in every state. 

In his next assignment, he was tasked with reviving the Khadi 

Commission, which, despite having 8000 showrooms, was 

not doing well. From answering queries of people from far-off 

states on a plethora of products like how to market a special 

type of chilli, to understanding how a mela is organised, every 

day, Kashyap says, would be exciting. “It was a very rich 

learning experience understanding the fabric of this country,” 

he adds. He was also advisor to the UN and World Bank. 

In 1993, he was requested by Ela Bhatt Founder, SEWA to bid 

for a World Bank- funded women's economic empowerment 

project. He worked on the proposal, which the bank liked and 

wanted him to execute for which he was required to set up a 

team. And that was the genesis of MART. 

“I had no grand vision, no plans or inclination to set up an 

organisation because I had left my corporate career to serve 

the poor,” he confesses. MART continued to work only on 

livelihoods and enterprise till 2000. 

In 2000, Kashyap was presenting MART's work at a 

conference in Hyderabad where the President of Birla 

Cement was present who approached him to do a marketing 

study. This was the beginning of MART's work with the 

corporate sector. Its work with Unilever's Project Shakti is the 

most notable where 46000 women micro-entrepreneurs, 

from micro-finance groups were appointed as company 

dealers. This caught the world's attention and went on to 

become a Harvard a case study. This marked MART's rural 

marketing work going global. 

According to Kashyap, it is only in recent years that 

companies have started showing interest in rural marketing. 

“Till 2000, there was not much serious interest in rural 

marketing from the corporate sector, except for companies 

like ITC and HUL. The usual response used to be 'where is the 

market'; 'people are so poor',” he says. 

From the year 2010 onwards, companies started showing 

serious interest. They wanted to know more about the market 

and go beyond pilots. “The rural market has arrived. It is now 

growing faster than the urban market. Also there is much 

more headroom to grow in rural because the penetration and 

consumption levels for brands is much lesser than urban. 

Affordability too has improved,” he observes. He firmly 

believes that the opportunities, for innovation and pathbreaking 

ideas, are much greater in rural than in the urban 

sector. 

His advice to young rural marketing professionals is to have a 

lot of passion but more compassion. “One must empathise 

with the poor. One should have affinity and associations with 

these people. Corporate marketers tend to look at these 

markets as business opportunities only. My mantra is 'you 

need a business mind with a social heart',” he says. 

Kashyap says that it is 'common sense' that has helped him 

achieve the success and stature he has today. “I'm not a 

management graduate; have never worked for an FMCG 

company. My idea of marketing was very basic and that was a 

huge disadvantage. I have learnt everything from common 

sense considering I had never read a textbook on marketing.” 

he says. 

Having worked for 45 years, Kashyap now wishes to 

slowdown. His idea of unwinding is watching the snowcapped 

mountains from the window of his cottage in the hills. 

16

THE 


JOURNAL 

JANUARY 2015 

RMAI 

FLAME AWARDS 2014 

INTERVIEW 

S. Sivakumar, 

Jury Chair 

Chief Executive ITC Ltd. (ABD) 

1. What are the key parameters on which you will judge the entries 

this year 

Whether the product or service has (a) made a positive difference to the rural 

consumers, (b) done things on scale, (c) excelled in execution, (d) brought in 

a new insight or a novel idea… 

2. How well do you think marketers and agencies have been able 

to adapt to the changing rural landscape, over time 

Two things have basically changed in the rural landscape, over time. Firstly, 

the aspirations of rural consumers have, by and large, converged with those of 

their urban counterparts. And, with improving transportation and telecom 

infrastructure, they are better connected to the world than before. Marketers have done well to introduce new categories, improve 

features in their offerings to fulfil the consumer aspirations. Marketers have also done well to leverage new technologies and 

channels to reach out to the rural consumers. 

On the other hand, relatively lower incomes, inadequate availability of electricity, unreliable agricultural extension services, poor 

quality of education and healthcare are also harsh realities for a large majority of the rural consumers. Regrettably, one hasn't seen 

enough innovation in business models to bring access to these basic services to rural Indians. 

3. From your observations, which are the categories that see most innovative rural marketing initiatives and 

which don't 

Generally speaking, I see innovation in marketing consumer goods (both fast moving and durables) as well as automobiles. Not as 

much in categories like financial services and agricultural inputs. 

4. What are your expectations from the entries this year 

As has been the case every year so far, I expect to see more and better entries than last year! An interesting trend last year was the 

advent of partnerships, either product + service or product + channel, which helped marketers achieve more from less. In the 

previous year, it was technology in focus. I hope to see more consumer-centric innovations this year. 

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INTERVIEW 

Govindraj Ethiraj 

Committee Chairman, 

Founder of Ping Digital Broadcast and 

ex-Founder-Editor in Chief of Bloomberg TV India 

1. What are the key parameters on which you will judge the entries this 

year 

Impact. The entries should have the ability to have influenced consumers to adapt to 

a new concept or switch loyalties where an existing product or service exists. Next is 

innovation, particularly in context of the challenges of creating or distributing a 

product or service in rural India. 

2. How well do you think marketers and agencies have been able to adapt to 

the changing rural landscape, over time 

Marketers and agencies have adapted well. Going by the entries that we have seen in 

recent years, there is evidently a lot of thought and effort going into understand and 

then create for the rural market. We have to bear in mind that margins are often low 

and returns take time. So it's not a simple bet for companies, large or small. And India is a complex market with sharp differences 

between regions and geographies too. 

3. From your observations, which are the categories that see most innovative rural marketing initiatives and 

which don't 

Acutally, all categories see innovative entries. It's not fair to compare, let's say, a tractor maker's renewed rural push with a more 

customized model versus a telecom company's subscription drive versus a pharmaceutical giant's attempts to disseminate 

knowledge on a new veterinary product before seeding the product. Companies and agencies innovate within the briefs they are 

working with and the constraints they are fighting against. Obviously the ones that do the best win the awards ! 

4. What are your expectations from the entries this year 

India's rural landscape is changing dramatically. Telecom penetration and thus habits continue to change. Mass media 

consumption is broadening. There are continual shifts in demographics. Did you know that horticulture production at 268.9 

million tonne, surpassed foodgrain production, at 257.1 million tonne, in 2012-13, for the first time in India This figure may not 

mean much to marketers today but reflects changes of a nature we had not anticipated, at least in the agrarian part of rural India. 

We would expect campaigns that respond to changes in the landscape, in attitudes and purchasing propensity. Successful, 

innovative campaigns by nature will reflect a strong understanding of rural India as we know it, in all its ever-changing vastness. 

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JANUARY 2015 

CSR 

Project Sampark: 

Promoting mobile telephony among women 

As part of its CSR activity, telecom service provider, Uninor, has been promoting the use of mobile telephones among rural 

women and also empowering them in the process. 

Newspapers routinely carry reports of panchayats prohibiting women from owning mobile phones. Telecom service provider, 

Uninor, has taken a stand against this and through its CSR (corporate social responsibility) activity, Project Sampark, it has been 

promoting the use of mobile telephones among rural women. 

The project was launched in September 2014, with the sole objective of bridging the mobile gender gap in rural India. It was 

revealed in a study commissioned by GFK in Aligarh district, in Uttar Pradesh, that while 76 out of 100 males used a mobile phone, 

the figure was only 29 for women. 

The reason for this was that it was the men who decided 

whether or not women should get a mobile phone. Also, mobile 

phones were thought to be too complicated for women. To 

combat this misconception, Uninor, with a grant from GSMA's 

Mobile for Development Foundation via its Connected Women 

Programme, launched Project Sampark. 

Uninor has committed to a contribution of $113,654 towards 

this initiative, while the Mobile for Development Foundation 

will be contributing $ 70,000. 

The project aims to create awareness regarding mobile phones 

as a tool for facilitation of women, and encourage their 

ownership by women. The project also aims to enroll 62,000 

customers within the first year in its pilot project alone, and 

then target 200,000 customers in the second year, of which, 50 

percent will be women. 

Speaking on the launch of Project Sampark, Morten Karlsen 

Sorby, CEO, Uninor, said that mobile technology had the 

ability 'to change the way people communicate', and that 

'gender disparity is echoed in mobile usage'. 

Uninor launched the pilot project for the initiative in 87 villages 

of Aligarh district in western Uttar Pradesh. Its uniqueness lies 

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JANUARY 2015 

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in the fact that while 

promoting the use of 

mobile phones, it also 

provides employment 

o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o 

women, who are the 

main drivers of the 

project. It uses forty 

w o m e n a n d f o u r 

supervisors including 

A n g a n w a d i a n d 

A c c r e d i t e d S o c i a l 

H e a l t h A c t i v i s t s 

(ASHA) to help spread 

knowledge about the 

benefits of mobile 

phones among women. 

Also, Project Sampark 

attempts to deal with 

the barrier against women by working around it rather than demolishing it. It makes men active participants while giving SIM 

cards to women. Uninor introduced a unique product that links to the SIM card in a manner that the recharge of either SIM accrues 

additional benefits to the other. In addition, a pre-decided number of free minutes is offered between the two cards. The aim is to 

offer a bonus to the male member whenever he tops up the SIM used by the woman relative. The Bandhan Pack, as it is called, 

provides an incentive to the men on taking a SIM for their wives or sisters, as they get an additional benefit each time the card is 

recharged. At just Rs 50, it is affordable too. The Bandhan Pack also allows for future value addition on the SIMs, like mobile health 

services on the woman's SIM, to create benefits in addition to connectivity. 

To ensure that both SIM cards are used, Uninor also set up a women-only call centre, Dial, in which the women call up the 

subscribers and ensure that both mobile connections are used. The women are knowledgeable about Uninor's products, and are 

able to assist the callers about the services. The call centres are also used to reach out to the mobile users whenever new schemes 

and facilities are offered by Uninor. In this way, Uninor also contributes to improving working opportunities for rural women. 

To spread knowledge about the benefits of mobile phones, Uninor conducted nukkad nataks or street plays with the theme 'Mera 

Mobile Mera Sathi'. Performed at the local markets, village haats and panchayat meetings, these street plays talked of the benefits 

of mobile phones for women. They also talked of how mobile phones can improve a woman's social and economic status as well as 

bring in gender equality. 

Since the launch of the project, Uninor has sold nearly 7000 Bandhan packs in its pilot scheme. The project also became selfsufficient 

within four months of its launch. 

Project Sampark showcases how corporates can align their social responsibility with commercial interests. In its attempt to 

highlight the importance of mobile phones, Uninor managed to promote its own brand and was able to get customers for its 

network. It also paved the way for other networks to make inroads into the rural markets with their own products. 

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JANUARY 2015 

TREND - INDIA 

A Soap that Floats 

An innovative soap that promises to be a boon for all those who prefer bathing in rivers and ponds 

Villagers in Kerala often face a typical problem. While bathing in the rivers or ponds, they often lose their soap in the water, where it 

eventually sinks. CA Vincent of Katoor in the Thrissur district of Kerala decided to solve this problem by manufacturing a soap that floats. 

The floating soap was a result of experiments conducted by him in his soap manufacturing unit for about 14 years. The idea was to create a 

soap whose density is lighter than that of water, enabling it to float. 

Made from Sodium Hydroxide and coconut oil/vegetable oil, the composition of the floating soap is kept the same as regular soaps. 

However, the process of making it is modified such that its density is maintained at 0.873 g/cm3. Further, this soap is less acidic than 

traditional soaps, helping the skin retain natural oils. In the making of the soap, no animal fat or synthetic chemical is used. The soap also 

dries quickly on removing from water as compared to traditional soaps. 

impact of audio in Rural Markets 

Can you imagine an ad running on the TV without any audio 

Well that will not make any sense and in a similar way any 

advertising without the audio is ineffective. If you try to recollect 

the famous ads then you will realize that the one thing you 

remember about them is their audio or jingles or the slogan. Be it 

‘washing powder Nirma, or recently, ‘Har ek friend zaroori hota 

hai’, you must have noticed that you can recall the audio easily. 

Music and advertising is a combination that helps the audience 

to connect with the ad in an emotional way. Studies shows that 

audio in an advertisement has more recall value than the video. 

Audio mediums have their own set of strengths. For many 

businesses, audio mediums are much more affordable, 

convincing and effective advertising media. Unlike newspaper 

ads, audio ads are more than just ink on paper. Apart from audio 

advertising, a major theme is that each medium has its own 

biases. Apparently, each medium presents certain types of 

information easily and well. Compared with print, television and 

computers, audio seems to be relatively stimulating to the 

cognitive process of imagination. 

SBI-KCC (State Bank of India – Kisan Credit Card) campaign 

conducted by Vritti iMedia is a fair and clear example of audio 

advertising. The purpose of SBI-KCC is to provide timely and 

adequate credit to farmers to meet their production credit needs 

besides meeting contingency expenses, and expenses related to 

ancillary activities through simplified procedure facilitating 

availment of the loans as and when needed. 

To identify the power of audio ads Vritti i Media carried out a 

research of SBI-KCC campaign in Karnataka through which they 

came to know about the following facts :- 

1. Out of every 500 hundred people 477 witnessed the 

automated bus announcements. 

2. 308 people heard the announcement of SBI-KCC. 

3. When asked about their opinions on the ad around 35% 

people felt that the ad was very good and informative. 

4. Around 237 out of every 500 people wait on the bus stops for 

more than 15 mins which confirms that they have heard the 

ads. 

The positive point's people have mentioned about the SBI-KCC 

coming to bus stand audio media are: people are happy to know 

about the details of loans at bus stand. They feel that this process 

of passing information will reach most of the farmers. Also it was 

educating and audio was very clear and loud. 

This brings us to a conclusion that audio medium is far more a 

better medium when it comes to reach and the recall value. 

The writer is Mr. Rajesh Radhakrishnan - Director- Marketing 

Strategies and Public relations at Vritti i-Media 

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INNOVATION – INTERNATIONAL 

Mobile App to Help African Farmers 

A mobile app helps farmers in East Africa diagnose and treat their cattle and livestock for common diseases 

There are over 100 million farmers in East Africa, spread across thousands of square miles. For these farmers, livestock and cattle 

are prime assets, providing them meat, dairy, manure and a mode of transport. However, owing to the remoteness of the farmers 

and the fact that they are spread across a large area, establishment of a centralised healthcare system would prove to be costly and 

also inefficient. 

Veterinarians and animal health workers who visit these remote locations are rarely aware beforehand of what ails the animals. 

Microsoft funded a Scotland-based technology company, Cojengo, to create a mobile app for the farmers in Kenya, Ehtiopia, 

Uganda and Tanzania. The app, called VetAfrica, is a tool that farmers can use to provide quick and effective healthcare to their 

farm animals. 

VetAfrica works in two ways. First, it helps farmers treat their ailing animals by providing them a correct diagnosis based on the 

symptoms entered into the app. Second, vets and animal health workers can use the data given by farmers, when they visit the 

rural areas, to provide better healthcare, as they are better informed. 

The app covers common animal diseases, like Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Cowdriosis, Fasciolosis, Parasitic Gastroenteritis, 

Schistosomosis, Theileriosis and Trypanosomosis. Keeping in mind the unreliable Internet access in rural Africa, VetAfrica is 

designed to work offline, and syncs data when an appropriate network, WiFi or GPS, is available. 

VetAfrica is currently available only on Windows phones on a try-before-you-buy basis. Users can use the app for free for 15 times 

to evaluate its usefulness before opting for a full subscription. Keeping in mind the cost consciousness of rural African farmers, 

VetAfrica offers subscriptions for 30, 90 and 360 days. 

24

THE 


JOURNAL 

JANUARY 2015 

ON GROUND 

PERFETTI 

On Ground Activation: Anugrah Madison 

“MASTI KI PAATHSHALA” to schools for a major confectionary brand 

Brief – 

Perfetti Van Melle a leading confectionary manufacturer in the country launched its Juzt Jelly & Creamfills candies in WB & Bihar 

Post distribution & fair amount of TV bursts it wanted us to achieve the following business 

objectives. 

1. Generate fun centric brand awareness and like ability of the product 

amongst the TG( Kids) 

2. Highlight that Juzt Jelly is made from Strawberry & Creamfills is made 

from Cream 

Idea Implemented - 

Kids loves & hates going to schools at the same time. He loves to hang 

around with his friends and hates boring classes. With learning and fun 

being poles apart from him, we build upon the concept of learning can be fun. 

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JANUARY 2015 

THE 


JOURNAL 

The program was named “Masti Ki Paathshala” 

Implemented across over 500 schools in the state of WB & 

Bihar, the program emphasized upon the need of learning 

with fun. The activity had 3 modules as follows. 

1. Introduction of Theme – Emphasis on the need to 

learn with fun was established. Anchor gave quick tips to kids 

around the same and asked them to ask good questions. Both 

the brands were subtly placed and kids were encouraged to 

ask questions around it. E.g What's the cost, Does it come in 

other flavour etc. Kids asking good questions were 

rewarded. 

2. Drawing Competition – All the kids were handed over 

drawing sheets which contained a sketched image of Juzt 

Jelly candy. Kids had to fill the colour and the best of them 

were rewarded. This was done to help them connect Juzt 

Jelly with the focus Strawberry flavor. 

3. Engagement Games - An innovative game was 

designed to hammer the brand name in the mind of kids. 

Based on a simple game of hop-in hop-out a single line was 

drawn on the ground. One side of it said Juzt the other Jelly. 

Kid had to jump in the name section being called for. More 

than 20-30 students playing together this game had a mass 

appeal and was played by almost all kids of the school. 

Similarly activity was done for Cream fills too. 

4. Sampling – Post the completion of the above modules 

and before wrapping up the activity, each and every kid of the 

school were given out both the candy variants. 

Results 

The intervention reached out to over 550 schools against a 

target of 500 schools across 200 towns. It reached out to 

over 1,60,000 kids and engaged 1,10,000 kids directly 

via games & drawing completion. 

26

THE 


JOURNAL 

JANUARY 2015 

ON GROUND 

Mahindra Automotive 

On Ground Activation: Insight Outreach, 

Introduction: 

LCV segment had experienced a slowdown in the beginning 

of 2013. Slowing economy coupled with weak consumer 

sentiment had further affected the growth of the segment. 

On the other hand, because of good monsoon Pickup segment 

wasn't affected by the slowdown as it was dependent on farm 

and agribusiness. 

Client Brief: 

Client wanted to develop the farmer segment. Farmer was 

currently using Bolero Pik Up for 2 to 3 months to transport 

farm produce to mandis after harvesting. Apart from these 2 

to 3 months farmers used Bolero Pik Up for different work 

and earned additional income. 

Activity: 

Phase 1: Anaj Mandi: This activity was conducted after 

Diwali when farmers had harvested their fields. They would 

go to Anaj Mandis to sell the produce. 

Anaj Mandis are markets in small towns and cities. Farmers 

from nearby villages bring their produce after harvest to sell 

to a small group of traders. 

Agricultural produce is bulky and itcan't be transported 

easily. Even if it is carried to the Anaj Mandi, it's not possible 

to take it from one trader to another in case the farmer isn't 

happy with the offer price. 

A plan was formulated and it was decided that the activity will 

be conducted in 2 stages: Pre and Main Activity. 

Stage 1: Pre, Activity focused on creating the required buzz. 

Major touch points were targeted, leaflets were distributed, 

and people were invited to the main activity. The major touch 

points covered were Anaj Mandis, Transport Addas, IDAs, 

Haats etc. 

Stage 2: Dhol and Dappu artist invited people to the center 

stage on the D-day at the venue. The demo van acted like a 

backdrop and a Bolero Pik Up was placed on a red carpet. The 

Emcee invited people to the van. 

When the crowd gathered, a skit was performed in which a 

prosperous farmer and Bolero PikUpowner explained the 

benefits of owning one to a young prospective buyer. He 

highlighted the features of a Bolero Pik Up. 

After the skit, test drives were offered, features were 

explained and leads were collected. After finishing the 

activity at Anaj Mandi, the van moved to other touch points. 

Camps were pitched at Transport Addas and in IDAs for 

maximum visibility. Test drives were also offered at 

Transport Addas and IDAs. 

Anaj Mandis were covered with Bolero Pik Up branding post 

main activity. Branded carry bags and key chains were 

distributed as gifts. These efforts ensured effective brand 

communication. 

Dipstick Study: 

The results of the Anaj Mandi activity further encouraged the 

client to identify various phases of a farmer's life and also to 

27

JANUARY 2015 

THE 


JOURNAL 

identify the touch points to create customized 

communication plan. A dipstick study was conducted in the 7 

districts in AP and Telanaga, and 4 in Karnataka. 

Based on the findings, farmers with net income of Rs. 15 lakhs 

p.a were targeted for the activity. 

A communication plan was designed to position Bolero PIK 

UP as an additional source of income. The campaign was 

called “Kisaan Unnati Bolero Pik-Up sangati”. To 

communicate an insight and story based TVC was shot. 

Phase 2: Gram Panchayat and Haat Activity: 

Gram Panchayat: 

The dipstick study also revealed that farmers spend about 2 

hours every day at Panchayats and they visit Haats at least 

once a week. At Panchayats they spend their time discussing 

village welfare and farming. They also read newspapers and 

magazines. 

The Sarpanch holds a high regard in a farmer's mind. That's 

why Panchayat Samiti was chosen to interact with the 

farmers. 

Location was recced and necessary permissions were sought. 

Activity posters were put up. Leaflets were distributed by 

visiting door-to-door and villagers were invited. 

On the D-day a well-crafted AV was played. The theme of the 

campaign and AV was “Kisaan Unnati Bolero Pik Up”. It 

provided a comparative analysis on the lives and prosperity of 

a Bolero Pik Up owner cum farmer and that of a regular 

farmer. The AV explained how an additional income can be 

generated through a Bolero Pik Up. 

Emcee engaged the crowd by asking questions and inviting 

suggestions on village development. The Sarpanch was 

felicitated and the recorded suggestions were passed on to 

him. 

Haat Activity: 

The study also revealed that they combine Haat visits with 

other activities like purchasing ration, groceries and also 

visits to a doctor. Haats are also a major source of 

entertainment for a farmer's family. 

A Haat is visited by at least 50% of the population every week 

from the villages it covers. Keeping a farmer's family in focus, 

activities were designed. 

Posters were put up after the Haat was recced and necessary 

permissions were sought. The vehicle was placed on a red 

carpet near the demo van. “KisaanUnnati Bolero Pik Up 

sangati” AV was played. Test drives were offered and after 

every 5-7 test drives, Emcee quizzed people on the features of 

a Bolero Pik Up. 

In another activity, farmers were invited to have their photos 

clicked with their families and Bolero Pik Up as a backdrop. 

Instant photographs were given to prospective leads. 

Results of Gram Panchayat 

and Haat Activity: 

In a span of 46 days, 7 teams covered 263 Haats and 277 

Panchayats in 3 states. 

• Generated a total of 11,410 enquiries, of which 980 were 

hot leads and 934 were warm leads. 

• 16% of the total enquiries were considered to be hot and 

warm leads were expected to purchase the vehicle sooner 

or later. 

• Apart from campaigning and promoting the vehicle at the 

village and small town level, the teams booked 33 

vehicles in these states on the spot. 

28

THE 


JOURNAL 

JANUARY 2015 

ON GROUND 

JOHNSON & JOHNSON 

On Ground Activation: Lowe Lintas Linengage 

BRIEF AND OBJECTIVE 

The first decade of the millennia saw India setting forth on a 

development course that saw the creation of the India success 

story. This developmental phase encompassed all spheres of 

the economy and improvisation in quality of life across both 

urban and rural India. 

The numerous welfare and developmental initiatives by the 

GOI in Rural India not only improved the quality of life in 

general, it also empowered them with an ever increasing 

purchasing power. The disposable incomes of the people 

grew and they were readily lapping up products and services 

which hitherto were urban phenomena. Aspiration and 

affordability drives the upsurge. 

Rural India was the cynosure of all marketers as this was the 

sector that was growing exponentially compared to Urban 

India. The opportunities were immense, but not without 

challenges. 

Johnson & Johnson India, whose presence in the Indian 

hinterland was very low only added to its void in this 

emerging market. 

Though the awareness of J&J brands are very high in this 

middle India market cluster, the perceived notion is that 

there is no need for the brand as what is being traditionally 

used is all right coupled with the fact of J&J's products being 

expensive. 

The objective was to build awareness and usage of Johnson 

and Johnson Consumer products in the weaker penetrated 

geographies but the challenges were multi-fold- 

• Challenge 1 - J&J's baby products are to be used 

mostly for first three years of baby growth. Reaching the 

same geographies again and again leads to a very cost 

ineffective marketing initiative to build the brand 

relevance amongst the target audience. How to design a 

consumer education program that is self-sustainable 

• Challenge 2 – Is there a common consumer insight 

that can help in designing a uniform campaign all across 

middle India geographies 

• Challenge 3 – Can there be a supportive and selfsustaining 

distribution channel in these markets that 

not only help in product penetration but also can help in 

building a long term relationship with the consumers 

29

JANUARY 2015 

THE 


JOURNAL 

CONCEPT & ACTIVITY 

Consumer Insight 

The young married women are educated and want to become 

a source of income in family. She has high awareness of the 

developments in society; usage is based on Voice of Authority 

and familiarity, e.g. Bhabhi (Sisters In Law), MIL (Mother In 

Law), etc. They believe that professionals' word carries a lot 

of weight. 

It was observed that the women in these geographies are 

constantly seeking information from credible source and are 

ready to accept changes that improve their lives. They 

understand the benefit of education and believe in being 

empowered and are ready to be independent. Family values 

are important for them. The challenge was to intersect these 

women's lives to impart relevant knowledge without being 

intrusive and preachy. 

Key insight for this target group is that all of them are 

currently struggling to be at par with the dynamics of 

changing world around them. To cope up with this situation 

they need knowledge about various aspects of life situations. 

The Concept 

Since the root of the problem was lack of knowledge, the 

solution was to instill proper understanding through 

education. Across India 'SANSKARS' or VALUES as we 

understand them, play a crucial role in molding a personality. 

This insight was explored further which led to the idea of 

promoting usage of J&J products as Healthy Habits. 

Rigorous research in various markets has given us 40 key 

areas of knowledge to be communicated to the target 

audience. These areas of knowledge were identified on the 

basis of linkages to the genes of our brands. The key brandbenefit 

messages are weaved into the good habits of life and 

are being propagated as modern Sanskars to make life better 

and healthier. Thereby, create relevance of the products in 

the lives of our target group, in a way, that is non-offensive 

but all encompassing. 

The Activity 

This idea was executed using different platforms. 

An on ground, engagement program called 'Stree Shubh 

Sanskar” was one of them. 

This program was devised to promote usage of our J&J 

products as a Healthy Habit. This proposition was justified by 

pitting our products against the substitutes being used. The 

differences and the benefits as compared were highlighted in 

the process with the help of an Audio-Visual. 

Folk music which is a source of daily entertainment was used 

as a catalyst to make the entire process memorable. Lyrics 

were written and composed using the typical tone, manner 

and tempo. These lyrics subtly created a positive perception 

of our products. 

The platform of Sanskars-or life values gives us the 

opportunity to talk to them in their language keeping the 

highest level of respect to their cultural values and yet passing 

the information about good practices in an easier and 

effective way. 

AMPLIFICATION & SCALE 

The program is planned to be implemented in 2419 most 

potential villages of Uttar Pradesh in 3 rounds of middle India 

initiatives. In the first round of initiatives, 840 priority 

villages were selected and the program was executed. 

Ground Activation comprised of: 

• Pre-publicity - through audio announcements, home-tohome 

invitation, banners and posters at vantage points in 

the village and help of Key Opinion leaders of the village 

• Retailer contact - using POS put up at the retail counter for 

brand visibility, product monitoring chart and a special 

invitation for theretailer's family to the event. 

30

THE 


JOURNAL 

JANUARY 2015 

• Doctor Contact - Height Chart put up at the PHC and 

distribution of Doctor Detailer to the Doctor at the PHC. 

• Stree Sabha – Target audience (women, aged 15 years+) 

were invited at a pre-designated place. Stree Sabhas 

(Women Sessions) were conducted in the priority 

markets. The program was designed as a 60 minute 

interactive session for women in the age group of 15 to 45 

years with the musical AV and a Q&A session based on the 

AV. The program was conducted by a team of trained 

female moderators (3 days on/off field training).\ 

• Sampling – sample products were distributed at the end 

of the program. 

• Radio was used as a medium to augment the impact of the 

ground activation. A 13- episodes radio program based on 

Stree Shubh Sanskaars were broadcasted on AIR stations. 

• Merchandising–To enhance brand visibility, various 

merchandise elements were put up at key touch points 

including retail shops and Primary Health Center. 

• Local Cable Television was identified as low cost alternate 

reminder medium for the program. 

• Program Sustenance 

J&J focus on making life-changing, long-term differences in 

human health by targeting the world's major health-related 

issues. They work to fulfill this and other philanthropic 

efforts, through community-based partnerships. In order to 

achieve this mission, a brand ambassador for the company in 

each of the priority village is recruited during the activation 

program. The brand ambassador christened 'GramyaJyoti' 

(Light of the Village) is currently responsible for driving the 

consumer promotion in her village. 

The legion of GramyaJyoti will be a force to reckon with: 2419 

GJs will be enrolled in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh 

alone. This force can be used for information dissemination, 

merchandising, gather target group for future program at 

short notices, etc. 

Gramya Jyoti is essentially a Health Volunteer who provides 

information on topics related to women hygiene and child 

health care. GJs also drive the consumer promotions drive, 

facilitating sales, merchandising at retail outlets, sharing and 

distribution of IEC material with village women, interaction 

with distributor, profiling health of women and children in 

the village with tracking and reporting of improvements in 

these areas achieved. 

RESULTS 

Program implemented in 840 priority villages in Uttar 

Pradesh – in the Middle India Cluster - that led to the creation 

of 167 GramyaJyoti – the brand ambassador for the Company 

in these villages. 

Key Achievements 

Improvements in Brand Relevance 

• JB J&J Baby Soap - Association on the following has 

increased since activation: Suitability for younger and 

older babies, Reasonable prices, Anti germ, etc. 

• JB J&J Baby Powder - Significant improvement in all 

imagery parameters since the activation. Association on 

the following has increased since activation: Does not 

block baby's skin pores, does not cause irritation to 

babies, has less powder dust, has mild ingredients, 

recommended by doctors, etc. 

• JB J&J Baby Oil - Significant improvement in trials and 

purchase intention 

• Stayfree Secure - Significant improvement in purchase 

intention, significant decline in non-users for Stayfree 

31

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