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Articles and Opinions

Bal Sabha, the lost tradition revived by JK Cement

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By, Rajender Chhabra When we say that education develops the personality, then the traditions and methods associated to it contributed to the development significantly. Do you recall the good old days of the school when Saturday used to be the most exciting day because of the ‘Bal Sabha’? Yes, it was not just a formal gathering in the ground, but a fantastic forum to bring out the talents hidden underneath. Today, we have a plethora of other avenues where students can showcase their talent, but there is nothing comparable to ‘Bal Sabha’! The tradition revives in the Diggi Kalyan Ji Mela Recently the famous Diggi Kalyan Ji Mela was organized in the Tonk District of Rajasthan. It is an important religious event that lasts for a week, and thousands of devotees come to attend the event. JK Cement and Vritti Imedia took the challenge of reviving the age-old tradition of Bal Sabha that people do not even remember today. The organizers renovated an old school in the Mela premises into a glorious building to organize the Bal Sabha. Students from the surrounding villages gathered everyday and organized Bal Sabha with the devotees attending the event. People exchanged ideas and demonstrated their talent. People enjoyed the event with their kids. They shared jokes, sung songs and showed their dancing skills. There were seven classrooms in the temporary school established by JK Cement. The rooms were decorated with attractive posters about ecology conservation, the importance of the joint family, traffic rules and save the girl child. Ten teachers volunteered in the event. They taught the children and satisfied their queries. Kids enjoyed the event which was full of entertainment and knowledge. The experience was awesome! The event continued for a week, and it was a huge success. Not only JK Cement enhanced the brand value, but also established their sense of social responsibility. The school was named as JK Cement Bal Sabha. The event was termed as celebration of education, respect, and entertainment’. Everybody enjoyed and appreciated it. Devotees actively participated in the Bal Sabha along with their kids, and carried the certificate with immense pride. It is said that it is a tough task to know the mindset of the rural consumers. However, this event was unbelievably successful. When more than 25000 people carried the certificate, these many households established a direct connection to the brand. It is the biggest success of the event.

My Experience with Vritti I Media

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By, Dhiraj Naik I was just getting into my car when I saw our old neighbor leaving for Panjim, for his usual stroll and to buy his favorite fish. I called him and offered a ride. He accepted the invitation happily as it would save some time on his travel. I was equally happy to extend the help to an elderly neighbor who would bless me for my gesture from the deepest corner of the heart. We had a chat while driving. He inquired about my workplace. I told him that I work in Vritti I media .He asked me to explain about it further. I explained to him how Vritti helps to promote brand and social awareness by Bus station announcement system. He immediately replied that he has heard the latest Campaign going on for IFFI 2016 and was planning to go today with his grand children for the same. My life took a full circle to an incident when I had a conversation with a Cloth merchant. He asked me. “Who would listen to your advertisement on bus stand and how effective this medium would be? “ I replied, Sir it will work for your brand and people would listen to it. We would certainly help you in reaching out to the people and your name would be heard. I was really delighted as I had a firsthand experience of the effectiveness of our media. An old man who is passionate about travelling Panjim to get a tasty fish which he could savor upon over lunch planned to visit IFFI and enjoy with his grandchildren. This is a very small experience which I had. I would like to emphasize again that our media is very effective. It has been a great tool to reach people effectively. Because Ab bus stand bhi Bol Raha Hain

Rural consumers contribute in service and industrial sector more than agriculture, increase in the GDP

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By, Rajender Chhabra If you weigh the development on the parameter of infrastructure, then we can say that the rural India has developed tremendously in the recent times. Experts say that the digitalization has triggered a plethora of opportunities in all sectors. If you look at the survey done on 2016 to know assess the growth of vehicles n the rural sector, then a shocking reality reveals. As against the 39.2 percent increase in the population, the number of vehicles showed an increase of 685 percent. There has been a transformation in the lifestyle of the rural population due to the availability of resources and access to the information. As there is a drop in the dependency on agriculture and higher contribution by the service sector and industries, GDP of many states recorded an increase. If you look at the state of Rajasthan only, then there is a phenomenal increase in the GDP was recorded by the state. Figures say that the Per Capita Income has reached to the level of 66779 rupees in 2015-16 as compared to 8300 rupees in 1995-96. The gush is overwhelming Experts say that the surge in the rural market is visible after 2011 when there was a change in the calculation of the GDP. After 2011, the revenues of the state are considered based on the market cost instead of the production cost. In a state like Rajasthan where financial independence is almost non-existent, the number of vehicles in the rural areas has increased exponentially (to be precise 1, 33, 50,646 in 2016 as against 100,000 in 1996). Only two-wheelers are more than a Billion today as against one million in 1996. The number of cars has increased to 876000 from 77000 in 1996. At the same time, there is a drop in the population growth in the rural areas because of several reasons. In 1995, the population of Rajasthan was 4.92 Crores. Today it is 6.85 Crores. The rural markets performed extraordinarily well in the past two decades, but there are some strange aspects also. If we look at the GDP, then the contribution of the agriculture sector has dropped to 25 percent as against 40 percent in 1990. Finance experts feel that the change is because of the ups and downs in the agriculture. Particularly, the youth in the rural market considered the industrial sector more lucrative. It is the reason; industries contribute 28 percent in the GDP today whereas the figure was 18 percent in 1980. What do the experts feel? The change in the rural markets it quite positive and welcomed by the financial experts. They feel that people look at the new possibilities of economic growth instead of being dependent on the agriculture. You can see the effect on paper. Today, the service sector contributes 47 percent to the GDP. In 1990, the figure was 30 percent. Abhishek Gupta, Brand Head (North) Honda Two Wheeler says that the financial dependence has turned into financial independence today. People aren’t confined to the agriculture today. They are finding their own paths. With the development of the industrial sector and availability of alternate jobs (such as call centers) in Rajasthan, the state is marching ahead effectively. The Generation Next has got financial independence which triggered growth in the industrial sector. Rajiv Singh, State Sales Head Honda Two Wheeler feels that there is another important reason behind such a fantastic growth. He says that the rural consumers are more aware and alert today. They know about the brands and interest rates. Undoubtedly, it results in the delay in the decision-making. However, it is good in the long run. Nowadays, you need to market the brand to reap the benefits. There are many examples where products that were superior in quality fell to cope up in the market whereas inferior products got success due to proper marketing. Ankit Jain, Director Airtel Infratech Ltd thinks that the industrial sector has increased contribution in the GDP, but it is a tough job to keep the momentum. Companies will have to be focused in the rural markets. The mindset of the rural population has changed with time, and they are quite aware of the other sectors such as service sector and industries. It brought a positive change in the overall market. Brand Manager of JK Cement Rajiv Soni gives the credit of this positive change to the massive digitalization. He draws the attention towards the Digital India Campaign of the government. He feels that when 900 Million mobile phones and 300 Million Internet connections can be achieved without an active participation of the Government of India, it is easy to imagine the massive benefit of Digital India since it is driven by the government itself. The long-term benefits will be unbelievable. He says that it is a high time that we look at the rural market from a different perspective. Consumers are more educated and informed today, and their preference to quality has made the industrial sector more concerned about product standardization. A few important facts There has been a remarkable change in the lifestyle of rural consumers. In spite of the recession, the rural areas showed significant progress. FMCG market records a consistent increase of 15 to 20 percent per annum in the last three years. Maruti Suzuki India Limited sold 1,29,599 cars this year. The numbers are pretty high than the last year’s numbers 1,26,220. It is certainly due to the financial independence in the rural areas. As people have the liberty of taking financial decisions, they explore new ideas. World Rating Agency Fitch feels that the number of commercial vehicles sold in India will show the growth of seven to nine percent in 2017. It is due to the positive approach of people in the rural areas. Of course, liberal policies and lowered prices of fuel will play a major role in it. Agency says in a report that the growth in the sale of commercial vehicles will be seven to nine percent

Rural Marketing strategy undergoes a change; conventional methods yield great results

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By, Rajender Chhabra Rural market is expanding consistently from the past one decade or more. So rural marketing consulting agencies are growing day by day. Out of the total consumers in India, rural consumers have Lion’s Share of 65% approximately. Reports say that the revenue contribution from this segment has recorded 625 Billion Dollars which was around 25 Billion earlier. Rural market is shining because of the increasing allocation of budgets for the segment. If we take the example of the state of Rajasthan alone, then the past 20 years brought a transformation there. Coming out of the conventional image of a Backward State, it has marched successfully on the path of economic development. Facts and figures substantiate the facts. GDP of the state touches the figure of 5440 Million from 795 Million, and the contribution of the rural market is substantial in it. With such an enthusiastic economic situation, the state conquers new heights of economic growth. The mindset of people is changing fast and the markets in the interior areas are also buzzing with consumers. With the change in the market dynamics, entrepreneurs are also changing pretty fast. Big brands that used to consider the rural market inferior changed their marketing strategy. Marketing geeks feel that the rural consumers are different and it is not the right policy to take them for granted. They are relatively slow in changing their notions, and it is the companies that need to alter their strategies to suit the consumers. Still, a long way to go The rural market gets the benefit of infrastructure development and telecommunication revolution. A survey indicates that many companies haven’t reached to this vibrant market till date. They were greatly successful in the urban market by based on the analysis of consumer behavior, but the same is not valid for the rural market. Moreover, it is a risk prone market also because of the huge size and spread. Conveying the product information is a mammoth task. However, a few brands recorded 10 to 20 percent increase in the niche. Rural marketing consulting agencies feel that it is the high time to take the market into consideration while deriving the mainstream marketing strategy. Companies that sensed it and altered their thinking process accordingly could do well. As the middle and higher income strata occupy 17 percent of the total segment, there is a big scope for lifestyle related products and services. Conventional methods are scoring high The recent survey of NCAER says that companies are nowadays analyzing the market in-depth and launching products after understanding the lifestyle of consumers. Marketing research companies are spending quite a lot time in the countryside for it. The research says that mouth-to-mouth publicity is the most effective marketing method there. Hence, connecting to the consumer directly helps a lot. Ankit Jain, Director ARIL InfoTech says that information revolution is still miles away from the villages. Even today also, more than half households in the interior areas don’t have TV or Newspapers. Hence, ARIL tried some innovative ways of promoting their product. They sent mobile vans in 135 villages equipped with the puppet show, folk dance and music, and the famous ‘Kachchi Ghodi Dance’. The campaign was more successful than expectations in establishing the brand in the market. Ankit says that we never thought about the rural market so intensely earlier. It is true that we can’t change the mindset of consumers, but it is very much possible to find out convenient ways of establishing a dialogue. Companies are using NGOs to reach the remote consumers. Colgate-Palmolive and Tata have been using NGOs to promote their products. Street plays are also being used to promote the products. It is important to understand the need and the lifestyle Rajiv Soni of JK Cement feels that marketing experts are surprised to see the immense growth in the rural sector. Therefore, they are finding effective ways of reaching the last consumer in the queue. If you look at the attitude, then the rural consumers are much patient than the urban ones. It is needless to say that the entrepreneurs are also required to be equally patient. JK Cement actively participated in activities that are related to the social responsibility, and it resulted in a fabulous sales growth. Companies like Honda Motors used traditional attire to appeal the masses. Their marketing team does an in-depth research of the dialect, lifestyle, and living standard before entering a virgin market. Who are the biggest beneficiaries? HLL, Philips, and Colgate are the frontrunners whereas LG, Nokia, Samsung, Voltas, P&G, Pepsico, Nestle and ITC are expanding their market share rapidly. A few companies have decided to spend 2 percent of their budget in the rural segment. Today, 40 percent of the FMCG revenue is being contributed by this market, but very soon it is expected to reach up to 60 percent. Not only low-cost products but expensive lifestyle products are also getting popular in the rural areas pretty fast. Marketing head of Miraj Marketing, Mr Pradeep Ametha says that the speed of growth in the rural market is almost double than the urban one. In the recession time also, it recorded 6 percent growth year on year. Not only that, but there is a major change in the approach also. Now, the consumers focus on quality instead of price. FMCG companies are able to record 14 to 15 percent growth in this market as compared to 12 percent in the urban market. No wonder, all big and small companies are running to the villages. Rural consumers are different The government is putting a great emphasis on the development of the rural areas. There has been a significant provision in the Union Budget for the rural India. There is a huge cash flow because of various loan relief schemes announced by the government. Still, the rural people are more concerned about the price and not quality, the perception is changing rapidly. As the middle-class population increases, there is a significant change

Trust, Faith, Trade Fairs, Religious Mela’s Turn Into Marketing Events

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By, Roopnarayan Sawariya When you think about India, it is the country where people are always driven by faith in their personal, professional as well as social life. They believe in god, they believe in good deeds, and they believe in good thoughts. At times, thre are situations when the evil sense tries to overrule, but the immense power of faith saves them from committing bad deeds. The whole country is driven by a magical power that is, the faith. Some people believe in Lord Rama; some have faith in Ramdevji where as for some people have an intense faith in Lord Krishna or Lord Vitthal. Everyone believes in some supreme power. People do different things to pay homage to their deities. Some people fast for a certain period. Sometimes, people gather to some religious place to show their devotion towards the god. It is called Yatra or pilgrimage. Yatra, the grand event In Rajasthan, the ‘Yatra’ is considered a special way to show the devotion and respect to the deities. It is a big state (in fact, the largest state). Hence, these ‘yatras’ cover 100, 200 or even 300 kilometers of distance where people go barefoot. Regardless of the troubles, pain or discomfort, they reach t the destination just because of one thing; their immense faith in the deity. They face difficulties; their feet get hurt, but they do not give up. While some people feel immense pleasure in going barefoot to their god, some people feel pleasure in serving the pilgrims. They consider it the true representation of their devotion. They offer services to the pilgrims such as good quality food or arrangements for their daily chores. Cozy beds and tents are arranged where the pilgrims can rest during the night. Those who can’t go to take the ‘darshan’ of the deity get the satisfaction of going to the pilgrimage by serving the pilgrims. When hundreds, thousands or millions of people reach the destination; it is undoubtedly a challenging task for the local administration or deity trust to manage the things. If the Yatra continues for more than a week or fortnight, then the situation becomes further difficult. Corporate houses and entrepreneurs serve in the event There has been a remarkable change in the situation recently where big corporate houses are coming forward to offer their services. It is a tremendous step indeed. Recently, I visited Baba Ramdev Yatra where fantastic facilities were offered by Vritti iMedia Solutions Limited. They offered portable toilets, wash rooms, changing rooms and camps to the pilgrims. I talked to Shrimati Bhuri Devi who is the Sarpanch in the Gram Panchayat about this change. According to her, millions of people visit Baba Ramdev Mela every year and it is impossible for the local administration to offer sufficient facilities to them. However, with the voluntary contribution of Vritti Solutions, there has been a tremendous improvement in the condition. Vritti Solutions collaborated with big brand names such as JK Cement, Ankur Chadar, Honda, Ghadi Detergent to provide state-of-the-art facilities to people. When I visited Mela place, I was surprised to see the fantastic facilities being offered to the pilgrims. Earlier, ladies used to face a great difficulty in changing clothes in the open air after taking the holy dip. This time there were well-maintained changing rooms. I was really wondering that how come these big corporate houses that are known for their commercial approach came forward to offer the services. However, the motive was not purely to offer services. It was a big opportunity to showcase their products and services to millions of the people, and that also at the lowest costs. Today, companies are required to spend fortune on promoting their products using expensive media such as TV, newspapers, FM Radio or others. Moreover, the penetration gets confined to the urban areas predominantly. The rural areas are still unreachable. When such mass events are targeted for brand promotion, it reaches to the rural market. There is nothing more effective way to reach the rural population other than such events. The strategy of service-cum-marketing brings benefit to the companies. Imagine a situation when a person is desperate for the glimpse of the deity and he sees the signboard of JK Cement where it is mentioned that the temple is just a kilometer away. Or a situation where an elderly person gets a head and foot massage in the relief camp organized by Navratna Oil. He gets energized for the further journey. The combination of service and marketing by corporate houses is a great success mantra. Yes, there is a bit of business along with a lot of reverence!