JK Seeds Rural Campaign for Cotton Seeds in Rajasthan, Punjab & Haryana

Introduction

India’s seed industry has become the sixth largest in the world. It is growing faster than the global growth rate. India has spearheaded the introduction of new technology. The role of hybrids in enhancing productivity is now widely acknowledged.

 Hybrid technology fits well for a second green revolution in food grain production, which is a must to meet the challenges of a rapidly growing population.  The efficiency of other Agriculture Inputs such as Fertilizers, Pesticides, and irrigation is primarily determined by the quality of seeds which accounts for 20-25% of Productivity.  It is, therefore, imperative that quality seeds of appropriate characteristics are made available to Farmers.

 

JK Agri genetics is one of the oldest and largest private sector companies concentrating on research and development, production, processing, and marketing of hybrid seeds. The company has been offering JK 1947 Bt Cotton in the northern cotton belt comprising  Punjab, Haryana & Rajasthan.

 

These three states account for 18% of the total cotton production. The stakes were high. The brief called for a pre-season activation that required touching base with farmers in a way that results in sales. To club it with our understanding of the given market, which suggested a clutter-breaking approach as the range of promotional schemes and activities sprung up during the pre-season.

 In our quest to find the insights to lay a solid foundation for the activation, we were first hooked to the name of the brand, i.e., JK Seeds 1947 Bt Cotton. Further study revealed that the brand successfully fights against CCLV, a disease widespread in cotton. Another set of benefits includes early maturity, better valuation, and pest control.

 1947 is remembered for one and only one reason “Freedom”. 1947 witnessed India attaining freedom and marked the end of India’s struggle for freedom. The Hardship that we as a nation sustained holds vivid memories in the minds of the masses. The good times that India is enjoying have been the outcome of the same. Freedom after all, is the birthright of every individual on this planet.

 On the same line, JK Seeds 1947 BT is another proposition filled with the freedom that every cotton-growing farmer aspires to have, i. e., Freedom to inspect free crops, freedom to have crops early, freedom to have another crop, etc.

Thus the campaign idea of Azadi ke Beej was formulated, which directly pitched to the freedom of farmers that they want in terms of getting a hassle-free cotton crop.

Objectives

The following were the objectives to be achieved from the campaign:

  • To reach out to farmers with the key message of Ajadi Ke Beej
  • To Activation them on the key message
  • To Drive them to the retailer in their catchment area

Concept and Activity Concept

AjadiKeBeej pitches the very idea of freedom that a farmer aspires to in terms of realizing a hassle-free cotton crop. On the contrary, inferences were to live with the problem. We needed to translate it into a meaningful and cohesive concept.

Before farmers could relate the projected claim of the hassle-free crop, they first needed to be reminded about the pain areas. The response from farmers would inevitably hint towards JK 1947 BT Cotton as the only viable option.

The other area to look at was the missing link between preseason and season. It was indeed crucial. We cracked a concept that interestingly broke the clutter and activated the farmer. The underlining trigger was to get a response from farmers that could compel them to go with JK 1947 BT Cotton. This makes them realize the very idea of freedom.

Expressing freedom came in the form of a video shoot where farmers were determined to talk about the pain points. The same video was edited and given to farmers back during sale season. This has served as a push cum reminder for farmers.

 

Activity

The concept was carried out with the help of two vans, and the key was to get the desired response from farmers. To achieve this, farmers were put at ease and were oriented about JK 1947.

Anchor did manage the job tactically. The gimmick of a video camera and the other paraphernalia attracted farmers. 

Once the farmers were in ample supply, we started an engagement console (flipper) which made farmers relieved from pain points and persuaded them to choose JK Seeds 1947.

After qualifying through flippers, farmers would have the time of their life. In a camera frenzy gimmick, farmers were asked to share their opinion on the hassle of growing cotton and the same challenges.

Rural marketing planning

There was a camera on the tripod, and our van served as the perfect backdrop for the video shot. 

After shooting the video, the field team would keep passing on the raw files. The Ascent back office team edited the footage and ensured that all the Video CDs of farmers reached the retail outlet of that catchment area.

By the time the sales window started, all the short videos had reached their designated outlets in a CD format so that farmers could have their videos. A round of tele-calling was done to let farmers know that VCDs are now available at retail outlets.

Once the farmers arrived at the retail point, the retailer pushed JK Seeds 1947 to farmers and converted them into sales. Amplification and Scale (pre and post-activity) The activation relied majorly on the video shoot and post-distribution of the same.

Amassing more videos eventually resulted in more CDs being made. This was like a magic spell as the idea was to increase the reach with the focus on desired responses from farmers so that many of them are in the gamut of sales conversion.

 The prerequisite for a video shoot, or rather a qualified video shoot, was the content. 

The content should explicitly state the scope for JK 1947. Now next in line was how to make good use of CDs. Since through this, farmers were waiting to watch themselves on the video, we needed to amplify the pull. The CD had three parts. First, JK Seeds builds farmers’ confidence in the brand. Next was the video of farmers.

Lastly, an animated JK 1947 short film entertainingly reminds farmers about JK 1947 and “AjadiKeBeej.” The third piece in the CD was further tailored to become a 15 sec TV ad aired in the given 3 states through 2 leading news channels. The TV ad perfectly filled the vacuum between preseason and season.

Above all, the pre-season van activation was widespread in its reach and has been on for 67 van days across 340 villages. These villages were primarily from 10 districts of Punjab(Mansa, Abhor, Muktsar, Fazilka Bathinda), Haryana (Hisar, Fatehabad, Sirsa)& Rajasthan.

Our idea of taking a video camera sensationalized the whole approach. Farmers, in turn, associated with it, considering it a serious effort to look into their problems by JK Seeds. This is because the camera crew is majorly seen as a News media team. Some farmers expressed anguish over bad-performing brands in front of the camera.

Once the video CDs were made available at retail outlets, the atele-calling team trained in regional language got in touch with farmers and informed them about the CDs. They also pitched the JK 1947 to farmers as a reminder.

 

Results

The whole concept was bang on. It helped JK seeds double the revenue from the state, as shared by the client. Doubling turnover is also attributed to the efforts being put up by company officials on their part. To be specific about the results, the activation managed 16412 farmers in total. Out of whom only 6400 took part in the pre-qualifier, i. e. an engagement console (flipper).

The qualified farmers turned out to be 4814. The team thus went on to shoot a total of 4814 videos. Out of which, 3200 were processed on account of quality. Those who were part of the activation recognized the pain points and hoped to eliminate them. AjadiKeBeej was very well related, and decoded. They also acknowledged JK 1947 as the solution to their pain points.

During the activation, some of the existing JK 1947 farmers were spotted, who without hesitation went on to recommend the brand. It has indeed given our brand more substance and left other farmers feeling confident about the same.

Once the availability of video CDs was announced, farmers in the next 25 days walked into retail outlets and claimed their CDs. Retailers made the most of this opportunity. We could subsequently achieve the objective of driving farmers to retail outlets in their catchment area.

The third piece in the CD was further tailored to become a 15 sec TV ad aired in the given three states through 2 leading news channels. The TV ad perfectly filled the vacuum between preseason and season.

 

4814

Qualified farmers

16412

Total farmers managed

3200

Total quality video processed 

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