Digital Marketing is Getting Inroads in Small Town and Rural Markets

Changes come more often and faster as the world grows more and more accustomed to the internet. Time and energy required to accomplish a task have diminished but effectiveness and efficiency have increased.
(The below figures are approximately)

The statistics clearly push us towards the current Industry favorite method of marketing- DIGITAL.

What is Digital Marketing and how is it used by marketers?

It is the use of technological tools to promote a product or a service or brand in order to get more customers and retain them as well. The aim remains the same as traditional marketing but the scope widens due to improved availability of resources.

There are various channels through which digital marketing can be done such as:-

• Social Networking.
• Social Media.
• Online PR.
• Display advertising.
• Email marketing.
• Search marketing.
• Game advertising.
• Affiliate marketing.
• Video advertising.

Let us give the jargons a break and understand by simpler examples, the use of social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.), email channel, SMS or videos are few of the ways.

Why is Digital Marketing Preferred?

Let us first see the benefits that it brings on board,

• Better reach at reduced cost
• Refined real time results
• Better implementation of plans
• Equivalent exposure

Brand building becomes easier when the targeted audience can be reached easily through virtual means even if there are physical barriers. There are several instances where traditional methods of marketing may be expensive and still ineffective, in such scenarios, the biggest problems are faced by small and medium sized enterprises. These are taken care of by integration of Digital Marketing but there is a bigger picture here. Marketers need to think outside the urban limits on this one, the success of these methods in the city should encourage them to try an extended version in the rural areas.

Small and medium sized enterprises rely on small towns and villages to step up on the ladder, so do regional brands. These also include up and comers playing the field for the first time and trying to figure out their place in the market.

Here is where we sew the connection between digital marketing and rural India but let us first cover the basics. Why should marketers opt for digital marketing in Small towns and Rural Areas?

-Against popular beliefs, mobile internet has made reaching the rural public through digital ways easier. Sometimes easier than the traditional ways depending on the region.

-There is the added benefit of the massive reach small and rural towns provide and by using digital, this benefit can be reaped at a reduced cost.

-Brand building has many stages and takes time but in the 21st century these steps can be hopped by the exposure from social mediums.

-A lot of planning goes into utilization of companies resources to cater to their promotional needs. The time, energy and money saved by shifting few gears towards digitalization can be allocated elsewhere.

This is just the tip of the iceberg as the age of digitalization has just begun in the rural parts of the country. Policy makers need to start now to get the early bird’s special.

Marketers Should Prefer Adding Layers While Devising Rural Marketing Campaign for Better ROI, Reach and Impact

Organizations often put a lot of thought into the selection of an appropriate marketing strategy that runs in parallel lanes with their overall objectives. The focus remains on the selection of a singular marketing approach which is to be adhered to before, during and after the campaign.

What if this approach does not bring the desired results? Identify your mistakes and start again. A lot of small organization’s strategy revolves around the trial and error methods, which have become more available due to digital and new age tools of marketing. The hit and miss of a campaign can pose series concern in rural marketing campaigns where it is be difficult and pricey to start with a clean slate.

Therefore, the need for a more secured and effective way arises, a way which is not completely eccentric to render the current approach useless but can be merged into it to devise a stronger campaign. If it is a safeguard that the current marketing approach requires, the best one is to add layers to it.

What does adding layers to a marketing campaign means?

It’s like when you plan a dinner party to 100, you don’t just offer one dish, you try to include diversity in the menu and if the budget is not a problem, you make it a 3-course affair with appetizers, main course and desserts. Moreover, you opt for a buffet arrangement so that the attended can exercise choice and you can save money on catering. Why is this done though? Because the simplest ways to ensure satisfaction of the guests whose personal preferences are varied, is to provide the palate that has something for all of them.

It is the same when devising a campaign for rural marketing, the best way to increase its effectiveness and ensure a good return on investment is to add layers.

The only difference is that a singular approach marketing campaign is like having to complete the appetizers in order to get the main course and gulping the main course to be able to get your hands on the yummy desserts, while layering gives you the option to taste everything on the menu and go for whatever pleases your taste buds the best.
So, in the most basic form, layering is refereed to use of multiple channels in a single campaign.

Layering the rural marketing campaign – Advantages and Methods

There are various benefits that are added to the system with addition of each layer into the mix. Below is a list of few such pointers that will push you towards the decision:-

• Better reach as when multiple channels are used, more audiences can be targeted and reached.
• Increased visibility through these channels help promote awareness about the brand.
• A brand which uses multiple channels is perceived as more approachable as there are different ways available to contact them .
• Better utilization of funds, time and efforts as if one channel fails to produce results, another channel can back the costs.

Myths about Digital Marketing Busted

The more people talk about something, the faster the facts get twisted. Digital Marketing and its success has attracted a lot of eyes but it has also attracted a lot of speculation at the same time. However, it is important to clarify the same to ensure efficiency in the work. Therefore, here are few such statements circulating around:-

1.Business strategy and Digital marketing are exclusive to each other

The truth could not be far stretched from this sentence; Business strategy is holistic in nature. It means planning, implementing and evaluating cross-functional decisions which would render some long term benefit to the organization, brand and marketing strategy a part of the process. Digital marketing is a subcategory of marketing strategy and goes hand in hand with the overall business strategy.

2.Importance of good content is over-rated

This belief has led as many as 29% marketers to reuse content to pursue marketing. However, what they should be concentrating on is the fact that about 61% people prefer organizations which are capable of providing original content and approximately 65% would appreciate if the old age sales call was replaced by engaging content. These statistics prove that downplaying the importance of content would do more harm than good.

3.All or Nothing

There are two trains of thought, one where having a website is sufficient work and another where the organization feels the need to tap into every platform there is to market their products. Both of which are inaccurate and may result in unfavourable results.

4.SEO is extinct

“Search engine optimization was imperative 5 years ago”, this sentence is true but it is also incomplete, SEO was and still is significant to attain effectiveness and efficiency in digital marketing. It is absolutely incorrect to say that SEO is extinct; it has simply evolved to become more relevant.

5.Change is constant when websites are considered

Yes, change is a constant phenomenon but there is also a certain thing called “changing too often”, redesigning and renovating can be a good thing but these decisions should be rationalized. If the surrounding is changed repeatedly, customers might never feel the familiar welcome they seek.

6.Conversion rate is low on mobile

This might have been true at a point of time but these words ceased to have value a while back. The logic behind this statement was that customers do not prefer to fill out forms or go through lengthy payment procedures on mobile. As customers evolved, so did their approach and that’s how this statement became irrelevant. The only reason this might transpire in reality is slow and unfriendly operations of the website.

7.Social Media is not required by the established brands

It is true that social media marketing is preferred by small organizations and startups but there is no strong reasoning to it. Social Media would provide the same benefits of communication, reach and connectivity to established brands as they do to new ones. The approach will surely be different for them but it is still good for business.

8.The more keywords you repeat, the better it works

Again, excess of anything cannot be productive; instead it can render the content irrelevant and agitate the customers. The use of keywords should be optimum, not maximum for best results.

Incomplete knowledge is worse than ignorance, it is better to know than to assume.

Social Media Model for Start-ups & Small Businesses

#Social Media  #Trending now

As the use of social media diversified, people started seeing opportunities that went beyond social networking and leaned towards business.
After the success of E-commerce websites, many sellers were attracted towards the option but many still shied away due to the prerequisite and maintenance that goes into the achievement. Now, startups and new entrepreneurs started to look for a platform similar to Ecommerce but with less responsibility and cost. Somewhere they could market and sell their products or services without a considerable charge on their profits but still manage to attain the reach that websites seem to have achieved.

A platform which will be perfect for a pilot run- social media.

Are we talking about social media marketing?
Social media marketing entails a different meaning than social media business, whereas marketing refers to promotion of the product, the latter means outright sale using social media handles. Simplistically speaking, Social Media business replaces E-commerce websites with Social Media handles top accomplish sales. The same can be done using Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter etc.

Benefits of Social Media Business Models:- 
1.Understanding and Identifying the Target Audience 
Social Media comes with the valuable data that can help you identify and target the customers you want easily. At the same time, following their habits and preferences becomes easier too which can be used to improve the marketing strategy.

2.Real time conversations with the audience
Feedback, positive or negative has a big impact in the evaluation of the performance of the organizations. Social Media allows your audience to communicate directly their grievances or suggestions which are valuable to the development of products & services.

3.Cost Benefit 
The biggest advantage of starting a social media business is that the funds requirements drop drastically as the basic office expenses can be avoided in the start. Moreover, whatever expenditure is done is justified by the effectiveness of the platform.

4.No entry or exit charge 
There is no mandatory entry charges to the market place and the exit is also without much hassle, this gives new and small organization the breathing room they require.

5.Other benefits 
Other advantages include
-Easier expansion
-Effective platform for product testing

Growth of Startups and Small Business on Social Media
There are several benefits tagged to the use of social media as a market place which have attracted the attention of many budding entrepreneurs. Number of Startups and Small business have significantly increased after the commercial use of social media started.
At this point, Facebook has a dedicated marketplace for such startup as well as small businesses. Instagram has millions of pages selling various commodities such as clothes, accessories or even ideas.

Why? 
Social Media Business Model presents all the benefits that a startup or a small business is looking for- low cost, good reach and good results. This model is perfect for:-
-Pilot run
-Product Testing
-Market Research
This has encouraged many creative individuals to enter the business world through this route due to its easy ways. Many people who earlier were scared to start their own business are now selling through social media. However, this has also led to alarming downfall of startups & small business as they enter unprepared and with minimum or no support. Their resources often get exhausted in a year which forces them to give up.
Therefore, even though Social Media Business Model is a very attractive and efficient model, it is not for everyone.

At the end, it all boils down to one thing:-

If you can sell your product from the comfort of your house while your customer buys it the same way, wouldn’t we all want to try our hands at being our own bosses?

Edutainment can play a catalytic role in conveying intended message to rural people for better understanding

Why rural marketing is considered a challenge? 
Experts keep talking about the blurring lines between the rural and urban boundaries but they still face troubles implementing similar campaigns in these two areas. The evidence has proven that rural marketing needs additional helping hands to pull the weight of the campaign to achieve the same level of effectiveness.

The reason behind this can be summarized as following:-

• Lower literacy level in rural areas
• Lack of education among working class
• Conventional cultural and lifestyle preferences
• Absence of proper channels of distribution
• Dearth of established marketing channels

This creates a need for creative and improved versions of the campaigns, this is fulfilled by options such as one to one marketing or edutainment or use of folk art.
One to one marketing, we are all aware comes in many shapes and sizes and so does folk art, the new and shiny name in the list is – EDUTAINMENT.

What is Edutainment? 
It is a blend of educational and recreational materials such as videos, songs, games etc. The purpose of the content is to educate while entertaining the target audience which ensures better understanding and lasting memories. The primary motive however, remains to pass along important information but the use of recreational mediums is done.

There are various examples of edutainment such as:-
Nukkad Natak

A scripted skit which is played out on a platform other than a professional stage with the sole intention of passing along an important message.

Bioscope

An old age movie camera with attractive interiors that shares a concept similar with slideshows but done in a much more entertaining manner.

Puppet show

Puppet show catches not just every child’s but also most adult’s eyes in the first attempt, it also is one of the most entertaining ways to pass on information which otherwise might seem bland.
Participatory games
People may not want to listen, watch or see but they generally are drawn towards games and if they come with a promise of reward, they feel the force of the gravitational pull.

Advantages of Edutainment

• Easiest way to engage an audience which is not participating in usual circumstances as entertainment taps into their emotions and provokes a response which is good for marketing.
• Once the audience is engaging in the process, the connection between them and the brand is established.
• The effectiveness of the medium is not affected by the education or literacy of the target audience.
• Retention of information is increased when it is delivered clubbed with entertainment so it leaves a lasting impression.

These advantages transform into solutions for the problems faced in rural areas and thus Edutainment can play a catalytic role in conveying intended message to rural people for better understanding. The fact that it fits the requirements of a marketer who is looking to crack the code of rural marketing.

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Regional mediums can be aligned for better results in rural marketing

India is a secular state with vast regional differences and that means that the type of audience will differ from place to place. The difference is not solely based on the change of vernacular but is rooted deep in the cultural and ethical differences that arise out of this change. The biggest example can be seen in comparison of North and South India- the cities in North are known to materiality driven whereas the south stands out for its simplicity.

What does this mean for your business?

Regional differences do not always lead to difference in basic needs of the customers; however, it does mean that their perception of that need might be varying. Therefore, the need of innovation in marketing strategy is required. The challenge that a marketer faces in this circumstances is that while the brand building activities should be consistent over time, they should also be flexible to incorporate such regional differences.

What is the solution?

“Regionalization and localization of marketing strategies”
After the mitigation of the fancy vocabulary, it simply means to adopt different marketing strategies for different regions, contrary to the globalization approach where a uniform approach is chosen. The theory advocates for division of the market into smaller segments based on regional differences, these might be states, cities or provinces. This adds the much needed spice to the marketing mix of an organization which is operating in different regions simultaneously.

Why promote regionalization?

It is essential that this approach should not be confused with price differentiation approach which is not being talked about here. It merely directs the choice of marketing strategy and focuses on the aptness of such choice in the respective segment so classified. Some evidence that speaks in defense of the theory are given below:-

• The needs of the customers can be taken care of beyond their differences and thus customer satisfaction can be achieved.
• Regionalization ensures effectiveness and efficiency of the promotion techniques.
• A good brand image is established and loyal customers can be retained

How can regionalization be done without making extra efforts?

There are many aspects to regionalization and localization of marketing strategies but the simplest one is use of regional mediums to enhance the effect of national ones. The logic behind this choice is rather flawless, majority of people will always prefer their mother tongue and familiar environment. After all, nothing attracts more than comfort and ease. There are about 22 languages as per the Indian constitution, other than Hindi and English, 11 other languages come into the category of prominent. This data only helps point out the need of use of regional mediums to make regional campaigns more successful.
This selection should be made at the time of formulating the regional strategy and designing the campaign, communication with the target audience should be made in a language that they generally converse in and through a medium they are used to. For example, an English newspaper is a very effective for advertising in New Delhi but choosing the same medium in Orissa might prove to be useless. Even though these decision seem very easy, they can turn around your dead end regional marketing campaigns and blow a new life into them.
As per the marketing and advertising needs of your business, at times, you need to stop thinking global and start thinking regional.

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“Understanding the Importance of Lead Generation and the Impact of Unattended Leads at the dealer level for marketing campaign optimization “

In the time we are living in, information is money and money is power. The same can be applied to a business, lead generation has become one of the most important parts of marketing.

What is lead generation?

Technically, lead generation is the initiation of consumer interest or inquiry into products or services of a business. Basically, a lead is a person or organization who has shown their interest in the product or services provided by the company in any way. So, lead generation, simplistically speaking is the process of creating such leads by attracting people towards the products or the services. Lead generation, however is a long process and can be categorized as follows:-

  The process of lead generation

Traditionally, this is the process of Lead generation but there is one step missing from the picture. Can you guess what?
Follow Up to be conducted after the process

Why is Follow up important?

The process described above seems like the complete solution to lead generation necessity of an organization and incorporated every step from identifying avenues for generation to executing leads that qualify. In spite of the obvious fullness of the circle, the climax does not deal with one very important aspect – Unattended Leads.Leads that were generated but not dealt with during the process.
The secret behind managing the efficiency of any process is to concentrate on reasons for failure, doesn’t matter how small. A campaign can be a huge success but still face the problem of some unattended leads, which might seem doable at the time but for long term, it is another story altogether. In the rapid economy of this era, unattended leads turn cold in no matter of time and may result in ultimate loss of revenue due to negligence. As per a study done by Harvard Business Review, almost 71 percent of leads are not followed up on, making the organization suffer in opportunity costs.
If the process of lead generation has to be optimized, the matter of unattended leads should be made part and parcel of the procedure.

How unattended leads can be followed up?

There are various ways of generating leads, one of which is executing campaigns at dealer level. Involving them by distributing leads and placing responsibility to identify new ones. In spite of the traditional viewpoint, this can also be the difficult. The constant problem of motivation and control arises in lead generation at dealer level. This can result into greater unattended leads at dealer level which can turn the investment in the campaign, a less profitable one.
The best way to increase return on investment is to deal with unattended leads at dealer level with efficiency. Monitoring and Supervision of unattended leads at dealer level can be useful as:-

• If unattended leads are taken care of at dealer level, loss of opportunity costs can be saved by the organization.
• Unattended leads, if identified in time can be nurtured to create future customers
• Dealers have the advantage of inherent networking channels that can be used to effectively generate leads. Therefore, if they are followed upon to prevent them from turning cold, it can potentially be very profitable for the organization.

Therefore, the way to ensure optimization of return on investment, unattended leads should be taken care at dealer level which should further be monitored at organization level for campaign optimization and ROI control.

Story telling is an effective tool for rural marketing campaign

Once upon a time, in a land far away there lived a marketer who wanted to help companies build their brands. He and his team were determined to create a channel of assistance to make this possible. However, he soon hit a roadblock named rural marketing which was considered a challenge and agencies faced their own share of troubles to make it work, So did this marketer. They wanted people to pay attention but they also wanted to ensure they kept listening long after. After years of hard work, the marketer and his team decided to try a new way of engaging the audience which was also entertaining. He was weary about the expenses, efforts and time that would go into creating this tool and the uncertainty that would follow its usage. Despite all of these problems, the marketer kept his hope and kept on going.

People wondered if this new way would work but the marketer was determined to make the tool effective and efficient to prove its worth to others.

What was the way? Did it work?

If there is even a slight curiosity in your mind right now or you have been reading this article up till this point, you have experienced that it works. The tool is called- “Story Telling”.

Storytelling is narrating an event or a product with the help of words or images, often conveyed in an attractive manner. Curiosity can be sparked with the help of a vivid imagination to assist in designing a successful campaign. Nowadays, there are numerous methods and channels used to pursue sales and they frequently are bashed by the audience for various reasons such as lack of personal touch or being repetitive in nature. This creates a gap for fresh and innovative ideas that can bring the numbers without facing so much criticism. The audience is no longer seeking smart sales call, there needs to be a personal connection with them to expect loyalty and support from them.

Benefits of Story Telling in rural areas:-

1.Shaping the known

A story gives a face to an event and similarly it gives shape to the unformed information that has to pass along as a message. When raw data is passed as a story, it converts itself into meaningful ideas which leads to communications and opinions.

2.The thing about stories

A story is more predictable to give better options and avoid wastage of resources and it predicts the same with rightful precision. To jump hop on the main focal point, it is a proven fact that taking a cab will be later than a normal rickshaw and likewise. Basically, storytelling increases open and close rates as it targets the heart, not the brain.

3.Communication and sharing

Stories lead to more sharing as audiences find it easier and more fun to share stories rather than sharing videos or ads. This causes communication to kick start around these stories which ultimately help the brand find deeper reach and better sharing.

4.Connection through the stories

Storytelling is known to bring out a stronger emotional reaction to stories rather than ads etc. They touch the cords they are supposed to touch so that people start feeling closer to the brand. This is how a loyal customer base starts growing, it relates to the audience to form a bridge between the product or service and the brand.

May The Story Always Be With You

Top 5 myths about Rural Marketing Busted

Often, rural markets have presented a challenge, the lack of understanding has added to the grief and led to the birth of many fables. The thing about fables is even though everyone is aware of their non-reliable nature, they tend to stick around long enough to cause damage. To achieve perfection is improbable in marketing but it is important to strive for it anyhow and therefore the reality behind these tales should be discovered before tagging them as mantra for success.

Let the debunking begin…

1.Rural people can be fooled easily

The universal truth is that there is no fooling the customer, long-term results cannot be achieved by conning the field. While it might be true that it is difficult for people to identify a brand or even understand its value, these same people perform cost-benefit regularly. So, maybe selling a fake product is easier in rural area as they have nothing original to compare it to but at the same time, it is not easy to manipulate the customers.

2.The urban drive

It is the same concept as it is with the town, people think that small towns follow big towns and the same way small towns think rural areas follow them. There is no ambiguity about this trajectory but it rather stems out from the need pyramid. However, the concept also threatens the very belief of following. Does acceptance of change only root from coveting the luxury? No, it does not. Even though It remains true that there is a pattern here but assuming that rural people want and need whatever they feel the people in urban life uses, is not entirely true. People still need to be told why they should use it and the answer cannot be because people in the cities are.

3.Rural India is one market

The biggest mistake a marketer can make is to underestimate the versatility in a market which will render its strategies inefficient. The assumption of evenness in customer preferences and habits is often made but the truth is that rural India is as good as a chapter heading. The content is usually divided with sub-headings and categorizations, the same Rural India is dividend geographically and demographically. Planning should be done likewise.

4.Choice of method or technique

These decisions should never be solely based on word of mouth, the only things that start to matter is hard facts. For example, television is considered good source of marketing but in reality approximately 40 % families have access to it. Folk is considered a way to assist in marketing, which is true for few areas while untrue for others. The same can be said for various such examples and they all are cautionary tales.

5.Product & Money matters

A lot of marketers believe that only products can be sold in rural market whose prices are low, which is the worst myth for a business. The basic point remains the same, if the product fulfills customer’s needs or desires, price becomes secondary. Delivering value has become very valuable.

Do not make a mistake because you were believing on myths.

Understanding Rural Consumer Psyche Is Very Important For Devising Rural Marketing Campaign

What does marketing campaign mean?

The marketing campaign is a set of activities specifically designed to promote a product or a service through the use of several media channels, the scope of such campaigns go beyond advertising and spreads through other alternatives such as word of mouth.
Simplistically speaking, the end results of such campaigns have to be better sales, increased revenues and enhanced brand awareness and visibility. However, the process cannot be simplified the same way, a lot of planning goes into devising a successful campaign to forge required outcomes.

The most basic elements

Every plan needs a careful curation of prerequisites to ensure its smooth functioning, the same goes for a marketing campaign. It remains the same when the prefix rural is added to it, a Rural Marketing Campaign requires preparation more than an urban one.
Why?
Since, contrary to popular opinion, rural people are more complicated than urban ones as they perceive needs differently. Marketers usually come from an urban background themselves and this makes it difficult for them to predict buying behavior of rural customers which makes understanding it all the more important for devising rural marketing campaigns.
As Jonathan Lister said, “Speak to your audience in their language about what’s in their heart” and in order to do so you need to comprehend the psyche of the rural consumers. Technically, Consumer behavior of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services,
experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society.

Significance of this knowledge

Following questions can be answered through this understanding:-

• What does the consumer want?
• When does the consumer buy?
• How often do they buy?
• What is the worth of the product to the consumer?
• Where do they get their information from?
• What qualities attract their loyalties?

The answers to these questions are the secret to the success of any marketing campaign, especially rural ones. Their decision is always based on more than just desire or amenity, they have seen lower economic growth and lesser opportunities over the year while living in a completely different cultural environment, which makes them more complex to an urban eye. Understanding of consumer behavior and psyche helps appreciate the factors that influence the purchasing decision of the consumers, factors such as:-

• Social status
• Economic factor
• Family and group influences
• Cultural factors
• Individual factors such as attitude, experience, the perception towards the cost, product worth, usability etc.
• Demonstration of the product or service

Clearly only one of the above is in control of the organization. However, there is a way to remedy that, by letting the last one depending on the above; the company creates an illusion of a relative air. This attracts the consumer and sparks the start of a relationship which may end in sales if stirred in the right direction through clever persuasion and delivery.
If the product or the brand is presented in a light that is similar to the needs of the consumer and fills boxes in their checklist, the marketing campaign can achieve its objectives easily. Knowledge of the items on the checklist comes from the understanding of consumer behavior and psyche.
Therefore, understanding rural consumer psyche is fundamental to a successful rural marketing campaign.

Puppet Show Is a Proven Medium for Rural Marketing Campaign Giving Meaningful Engagement With Rural Audience

The life that people have in this era basically involves work and worry, there are issues that need to be dealt with at house, office and self. This amplifies in rural areas, contrary to popular belief life is complicated when you live without the resources that promise to make your life more convenient.
This adds to the stress that rural marketers are already in, imagine trying to sell a product to people who are easily agitated and already grieving the economy. This way the challenge extends to easing the audience into the marketing process before actually being able to sell the product.
People are not ready to accept the age-old selling methods, to some extent they work but when creating a distinct name for a product or service that puts the brand in the headlines is considered, innovation is the key. Finding a way that not only makes the audiences want to stay but also listen and understand the features of the product.

Registration of the emotion and retention of the name is the key to succeeding through a rural marketing campaign but how to break the monotony of life and create magic is the real question.

What is the problem?

Making rural marketing campaign interesting enough to attract and hold audience’s interest.

What can be the solution?

Three words, plain and simple-

Entertainment, Entertainment and Entertainment.
If people want refreshment, give it to them and subtly combine your marketing objectives under the pretense of fun and rejuvenation.

One of the best ways to do that in rural areas is through, everyone’s favorite- Puppet shows.

A dramatic performance delivered by a puppeteer with dialogues and background music using human-looking dolls controlled through strings by the puppeteer.

The art of puppeteer has a long tradition in Rajasthan, but the puppets themselves are fairly simple creations.
Photograph showing such show from a fair while people capturing it on mobile video.

• Advantages of using puppet shows in rural marketing campaigns
• Attendance and participation of the audience in rural areas, puppet shows are considered an attractive option for entertainment and thus attracts a lot of crowds easily. This also attracts some unlikely candidates who shy away from other promotional activities. This is best suited to draw out women out of the houses with the whole family as it is not considered a business activity but rather fun one. This way a diverse audience can be accumulated which can be used while trying to market homely products or services.
  At the same time, the crowd brings the promise of participation as they often enjoy responding to a puppet rather than a foreign looking salesman.
• Keeping things interesting,
• The puppet show is designed to make the audience jump now and then, this dramatic value ups the excitement of the crowd. This energy brings a positive aura to the event and people wish to stay longer in such places.
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• Efficient branding activity
• The puppet show is designed to make the audience jump now and then, this dramatic value ups the excitement of the crowd. This energy brings a positive aura to the event and people wish to stay longer in such places.
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• Sharing and caring
• The thing about rural areas is that almost everyday people like to get together and share each other’s daily adventures. When a brand breaks through using a puppet show, it is sure to become the talk of the town during these discussions. This positive word of mouth and exposure goes a long way with the brand.
• Cost-benefit
• It goes without saying that in comparison to its impact, the cost is utilized in an effective manner. Even the return on investment remains nearly impossible to be devised, no one can deny the impact.