Product Branding in Rural Markets : The Outline of Marketing

ABSTRACT A Hindi poet has rightly said, “Bharat mata gram vasini” which means Mother India lives in her villages. In country like India, where 70% of the people lives in rural area, the rural market holds a lot of marketing potential. There is a wide spread difference in the standard living between urban and rural India. In order to launch products and develop advertising for rural market there is a need to understand both the rural context and also the consumer very well. Promotion of brands in rural markets requires the special measures. Due to the social and backward condition the personal selling efforts have a challenging role to play in this regard. Good branding strikes a chord with viewers help them relate will the product and reflect their aspirations. The studies suggest that there has been extra ordinary growth in this sector and the trend is likely to continue over a period of tie as the market is in the very initial stages of the life cycle. The purpose and objective of this paper is to find out the where the rural market does offer a vast untapped potential, it should also be recognized that it is not that easy to operate in the rural market because of several attendant problems. Rural marketing is thus time consuming affair and requires considerable investment in terms of evolving appropriate strategies with a view to tackle the problems.