One of the most important factors influencing a marketing campaign and its success is the reach it can muster, but when marketers place their reliance on specific regions and urban geographical limits, they often fail to comply with the future prospects of the brand. Since every brand wants to eventually grow and expand, there is a constant need for innovation.
This is the moment when marketers should move their gaze to the Real India, Rural India where they often tread lightly or avoid going completely. Few of the things stopping them are the lack of resources, transportation problems and distribution challenges.
However, are these reasons sufficient to ignore the huge market potential of Rural India?
The answer is No, they aren’t. Even though Rural Marketing can be challenging, the rewards are worth it.
Why is concentrating on Rural India important?
The villages and small towns are famously referred to as Rural India. Against this backdrop, let us see why ignoring Rural areas may turn out to be a marketing blunder:
Growth and expansion
In order to expand, a brand needs to enter into markets that are out of its comfort zone. At the same time, once a target market is captured, it is important to expand your business into new territories to ensure growth and sustainability.
Population
About 70 percent Indians live in rural areas, and the access to such a large audience is very important for a brand to grow and achieve better results. Ignoring such a large portion of the audience can be a risky move as that restricts the brand’s visibility and limit its exposure.
Future Possibilities
Through the union budget, the Government of India has ensured its focus on Rural India.
The allocation has been made to provide better infrastructure such as better roads, electricity, irrigation facility, internet centers, digital platforms etc. Various schemes have been introduced simultaneously to protect farmers’ interest and provide them with a stable income.
All these efforts lead to increase in standard of living of the people and also a gradual increase in their disposable income which makes them a potential customer.
Long-term benefits
A look at trends & statistics will give you an idea that the spike in rural growth and development has already started, and will surely rise in the future. This means that Rural India would soon become a more attractive market, and if marketers ignores it now, they would face problems finding an entry later on when the market reaches its peak.
Space for everyone
While urban markets allure everyone, they are not strategically fit for few brands. At times, products demand a more regional approach and different crowd, which is perfectly provided by the rural areas and small towns.
Smart marketers know that rural India is the market of the future. They understand that neglecting Rural is going to be a costly affair in the long run, and that is the reason why they are giving it the due credit, which is the need of the hour.
