UltraTech Cement – “Baat Ghar Ki – On Wheels”
Rural Experiential Marketing Case Study
Background
For individual home builders in rural and semi-urban Maharashtra, building a house is one of the biggest investments of their lives. The journey involves multiple decisions, from planning and budgeting to selecting construction materials and seeking technical guidance. The post-Kharif and post-Diwali periods see increased home-building activity, while consumers often rely on dealers, contractors, masons, local influencers and word-of-mouth for purchase decisions. This created an opportunity for UltraTech to move beyond traditional product communication and become a trusted partner throughout the home-building journey.
About The Brand
UltraTech Cement is one of India’s leading cement and building solutions companies and the cement flagship of the Aditya Birla Group. The brand has a strong presence across urban, semi-urban and rural markets.Beyond selling cement, UltraTech focuses on providing solutions and knowledge that help consumers make better construction decisions.For individual home builders, this presented an opportunity to position the brand as a home-building expert a brand that understands the consumer’s journey and is available when important construction decisions are being made.
The Challenge
- Right Place, Right Time: Reach individual home builders when home-construction activity increases, particularly after the Kharif season.
- Relevant Communication: Provide useful information across the entire home-building journey, rather than focusing only on the product.
- Strong Brand Differentiation: Create an engaging on-ground experience that sets UltraTech apart from competing cement brands.
- Build Trust & Recall: Strengthen UltraTech’s association with home-building expertise and encourage consumer recommendation.
- Beyond Product Selling: Address real consumer questions and construction needs through interactive, informative communication.
Big idea
“Baat Ghar Ki – On Wheels”
The idea was to create a mobile home-building experience centre that could travel directly into rural and semi-urban markets.
The branded UltraTech van became more than a promotional vehicle; it became a “Go-To Expert on Wheels” where consumers could interact with the brand, understand different aspects of home construction and get answers to their home-building questions.
The entire home-building process was simplified into 7 stages, from planning to moving in, making complex construction information easier and more engaging for consumers.
The core thought:
If the consumer is building a home, UltraTech should be there for every important conversation that helps build it.
Campaign Objectives
Primary Objectives
- Build stronger brand engagement among individual home builders.
- Create awareness around UltraTech’s home-building expertise.
- Establish stronger brand recall during the purchase journey.
- Generate qualified leads for the sales/technical team.
- Create meaningful on-ground experiences in rural and semi-urban markets.
Secondary Objectives
- Drive footfall and registrations at activation locations.
- Engage consumers through demonstrations and interactive experiences.
- Strengthen retailer and dealer-level visibility.
- Build post-activation engagement through call-centre follow-ups.
Target Audience & Geography
The campaign targeted individual home builders, farmers, rural households, contractors, masons, dealers and local influencers involved in or influencing home construction decisions. It focused on rural and semi-urban markets across Maharashtra, particularly mandis, villages and high-footfall local markets, where home-building activity and consumer engagement were strong.
Campaign Strategy
The campaign followed a 4-stage activation ecosystem:
01. Pre-Buzz Activity
A day before the main activation, the team travelled through the market with the branded van.
The team:
- Identified key locations
- Took necessary permissions
- Located high-footfall areas
- Identified local influencers
- Built awareness for the upcoming activity
This ensured that the main activation already had an audience waiting.
02. Main Activity
The main activation was designed around the proposition of “Desh Ka No. 1 Cement.”
The fully branded UltraTech van became the centre of attraction at the Mandi and surrounding market areas.
The activity included:
- Full van branding
- Consumer engagement
- Home-building information
- Product communication
- Interactive experiences
- Lead registrations
- Visibility at shops and residential areas
To extend the brand presence beyond the activation site, No Parking sun-pack boards were installed at shops and house gates around the Mandi.
This created additional brand touchpoints within the local community.
03. After-Mandi Activity
The engagement did not end when the Mandi activity ended.
Technical meets were conducted from the following day and continued for a week across multiple counters.
The team also conducted:
- Product displays at retail counters
- Technical interactions
- Consumer engagement
- Lead collection
- Sales-team follow-ups
The sales and technical teams received hot leads from the Mandi activity, wherever generated, within 48 hours.
This helped connect brand activation directly with business conversion.
04. Call Centre Activity
The campaign also incorporated a dedicated call-centre follow-up mechanism.
Leads generated through the on-ground activation were contacted by the call-centre team on the very next day.
The registrations were categorized into:
- Hot
- Mild
- Cold
This enabled the sales team to prioritize follow-ups and convert relevant prospects more efficiently.
Experiential Execution
The biggest strength of the campaign was its ability to bring the brand experience directly into the consumer’s environment.
Rural Van
The branded van served as a mobile communication and experience platform, allowing UltraTech to reach consumers across multiple locations.
Mandi Activation
Mandis were selected as high-footfall locations where home builders, farmers, traders and local influencers naturally converge.
Retail Visibility
Product displays and branded communication at retail counters helped maintain visibility even after the main activation.
Local Visibility
Sun-pack boards and surrounding branding extended communication into nearby shops and residential areas.
Technical Meets
Technical teams continued engagement after the main event, helping consumers understand construction-related requirements.
Lead Management
On-ground registrations were followed up through the call centre, creating a connected consumer journey from
Campaign Journey
- Pre-Buzz: Build awareness before the activation through local market outreach.
- Consumer Awareness: Introduce the campaign and create curiosity among the target audience.
- Mandi Activation: Engage consumers through the branded “Baat Ghar Ki – On Wheels” experience.
- Lead Generation: Capture details of interested home builders.
- Technical Meets: Provide expert guidance and address construction-related queries.
- Retail Engagement: Extend the campaign through retail counters and product visibility.
- Call Centre Follow-Up: Connect with leads and classify them based on their interest.
- Sales Opportunity: Pass qualified leads to the sales team for further conversion.
The integrated journey extended the campaign beyond a one-day BTL activation, connecting on-ground engagement with continued consumer interaction and sales follow-up.
Business Impact
The campaign successfully transformed a traditional rural BTL activation into an end-to-end consumer engagement platform.
Brand Impact
- Strengthened UltraTech’s rural presence.
- Increased consumer interaction with the brand.
- Positioned UltraTech as a home-building expert rather than simply a cement brand.
- Created stronger brand recall through experiential communication.
Consumer Impact
- Made home-building information more accessible.
- Provided consumers with guidance during their construction journey.
- Created direct interaction with brand and technical teams.
- Delivered information in a familiar local-market environment.
Sales Impact
- Generated 3,600+ registrations.
- Enabled lead classification through the call centre.
- Connected activation leads with sales and technical teams.
- Enabled follow-up on hot leads within the campaign journey.
What Made the Campaign Effective?
Right Place
Mandis and local markets provided access to a concentrated rural audience.
Right Time
The campaign targeted the period when home-building activity increases after the Kharif season and around the post-Diwali period.
Right Experience
Instead of simply displaying a cement product, UltraTech created a mobile home-building experience.
Right Follow-Up
The campaign continued beyond the physical activation through technical meets and call-centre engagement.
Right Conversion Journey
Every stage was connected from awareness and registration to lead classification and sales follow-up.
Key Takeaway
“Baat Ghar Ki – On Wheels” transformed UltraTech’s rural activation from a product demonstration into a home-building engagement platform.
By taking the brand directly to consumers through a mobile experiential format, connecting Mandi activations with retail and technical meets, and following up through a structured call-centre system, the campaign created a complete journey from consumer awareness to qualified sales opportunity.
