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Is India shining! The remarks of
Shashi Tharoor, Minister of
State for External Affairs, when he described Indians who
traveled by economy class as `cattle class' and used the expression `Holy Cow'
has far more connotations than the controversy that the comment
had drawn on Twitter. India is a country having a heterogeneous
population of multicolored hues and shades. With a rich cultural heritage,
the regional needs vary spectacularly and it is a mind-boggling
demand that the `cattle class' puts forth to the marketers of today.
The majority of the youth still lives there and speaks the language of
the region with an inborn affinity towards the English
language. Thanks to globalization and the success of the IT industry!
What is rural in the real sense of the term in India today? There is
a very thin margin that divides the urban from the rural. Earlier,
rural would mean a deprived part of the country without access to
electricity, water and education. Today, it could be the language barrier or
the lifestyle of the farmer. There can also be an entire village as in Tamil
Nadu, where the literacy level is high and the awareness about issues
is considerably higher than in other villages in the country. The place
is still rural but the needs and aspirations of the people out
there are urban. The diversity of India is large and the definition of `rural'
can vary for one brand to another. This perhaps brings to notice the
point made by Harish Bijoor, a successful brand manager,
teacher and consultant, that the demands of the rural folk is increasing and
the disposable income in their hands is far greater than that of an urban
IT professional. An IT professional in urban India earns a fat salary
and pays a considerable portion of it towards tax. Compare this to
a farmer in rural India, who has reaped a good harvest and sells the
produce at a good price with additional support of increase in the
Minimum Procurement Price and waiver of agricultural loans. Will it not
be naïve on part of the manufacturers to ignore the profits that can
be reaped by creating products for rural India? What then can be the
best strategy to enable sales during the downturn period in urban India?
It has been noticed that the rural belt has remained insulated from
the global effects of recession and advertising to the rural masses
has been on an increase in the current scenario. Marketers have
realized that the pockets are heavier in the rural markets, compared to
the urban markets, which has directly faced the brunt of the
recession. Marketers have to realize that an intelligent marketing strategy
with the right mix will help increase the sales turnover in all categories
of products. |
