In conversation with Ravikant Banka, Managing Director & Founder, Eggfirst

The marketing landscape across India has evolved in the last couple of years. As an outcome of this upwards shift in the marketing space, we are seeing the emergence of newer channels of marketing to cater to all sets of audiences. One such form of marketing which is seeing magnificent growth in India is Rural Marketing.

To understand the current scenario, challenges, and the growth prospects of rural marketing in India, Agency Reporter had an exclusive conversation with In conversation with Ravikant Banka, Managing Director & Founder, Eggfirst.

Agency Reporter – How do you think the pandemic has affected consumer behavior in rural India?

Ravikant Banka – Just like the corporate world, adopted work from home, online meetings, and many newer ways of working, rural consumers were quick to adapt to the newer world order. They swiftly adopted digital in their lives and became more aligned with the newer world order.

Agency Reporter – What are some of the biggest challenges faced by marketers trying to reach rural audiences?

Ravikant Banka – The one size fits all approach doesn’t work in general and surely doesn’t work for rural consumers. The dreams, aspiration, life and lifestyle, and every aspect of the rural consumer is markedly different from that of urban consumers. So, one of the foremost asks from a marketer trying to connect with rural audiences is to understand the rural consumer. The basis on this understanding, they craft communication campaigns that connect with the rural audience.

Agency Reporter – Can you discuss any successful marketing campaigns that specifically targeted rural audiences?

Ravikant Banka – Bayer Fame: We did the repositioning campaign for the brand. As per a study conducted by the client, the erstwhile positioning of ‘Taakat aapke haath mein’ with an animated Genie as the mascot, seemed a bit intimidating to the TG – farmers. We were tasked with making the brand friendlier and hence, more approachable. We changed the positioning to ‘Saath aisa, jaadu jaisa’ and gave a human touch to Genie. For further engagement and brand connect, we did a multi-state canter van activation where the model who became the face of the brand, traveled to various villages, engaging with farmers. We planned activities such as a magic show, tattoo, the hammer hit game, and many more. The whole rebranding exercise did wonders for the brand, making it more affable and recallable. This had a direct impact on sales as Bayer Fame became the first brand in the Bayer CropScience portfolio to become Rs. 200 crore brand.

Agency Reporter – What are some of the key differences between marketing to urban audiences versus rural audiences?

Ravikant Banka – Since the consumer is different (in rural VS Urban), the difficulty of crafting communications arises out of the inability to know and understand the rural consumer. The essence of the communication which targets the rural audience is to align the communication with their dreams and aspirations.

Agency Reporter – How important is the use of local languages in marketing to rural audiences?

Ravikant Banka – If ads we receive are in French or German language, how much of it will we comprehend, let alone connect with? Similarly, what’s the point of advertising in languages that the rural consumer doesn’t understand and relate with? Hence, it’s a moot point whether to advertise in a regional language or not.

Agency Reporter – What role do you think technology and digital platforms play in reaching rural audiences?

Ravikant Banka – Technology and digital platforms are the new media outreach mechanisms for rural India. Reliance Jio has totally changed the landscape of rural India in connection with Internet connectivity and digital usage. With more than an average of 1.8 active Internet users per household, digital media is one of the most effective and efficient media to deploy.

Agency Reporter – Can you speak to any notable trends in consumer behavior or preferences in rural India?

Ravikant Banka – Rural India is now getting into the zome of being digital natives. They are taking to the internet like fish to water. Now, with access to what’s happening around the world, the aspirations of those who live in rural India are aligning with ideas and possibilities around the world. Their expectations are no less than an urban counterpart. They are willing to pay for the best and certainly expect the value for the same.

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Agency Reporter – How can brands effectively navigate the cultural diversity of rural India in their marketing strategies?

Ravikant Banka – India is a huge market with languages and cultural nuances changing every 100 KMs. So, surely a one-size-fits-all will not work. Different elements from the marketing bag of tricks get deployed. While the central positioning for a brand remains the same, the local and regional flavors get added and changed basis markets. And the media if judiciously deployed, it allows selective communication to selective audiences. Interesting to note that for a brand, we’ve actually quite successfully launched two different campaigns for two different regions basis the business ask. For one region, the campaign was ‘pehla vaar karo dumdaar’ and for another, the business ask was to deploy ‘doosra vaar karo dumdaar’. And it worked like a hot knife through butter.

Agency Reporter – What are some common misconceptions about marketing to rural audiences, and how can they be addressed?

Ravikant Banka – Some common misconceptions about marketing to rural audiences continue to be to dumb down the rural audience to think of them as people who lack aspirations or are backward in their thought and approach. To not provide them with the very best and to think of them as having limited knowledge/ information. Marketers would do well to note that the rural consumer is a very demanding consumer and an aspirational one. Just that their dreams, motivations, and aspirations are different than their urban counterparts.

Agency Reporter – In your opinion, what are the most important factors for success when marketing to rural audiences in India?

Ravikant Banka – Think of rural India as marketing to Russians or Germans or any distinctly different audiences. Rural India and its consumers to be treated with respect and sharply thought of marketing approach, creative ideas, media deployment and more. It’s important to note that in recent times this audience has also undergone a dramatic change in their life, outlook, media habits, aspirations and more. So this makes the marketeers job that much more dynamic and difficult. Having said that, we at Eggfirst deploy the traditional marketing textbook techniques and it does wonders. Right from research to understanding consumer behaviour, preferences and beliefs to crafting the right marketing elements including the media platforms to deploy its bespoke approach that works. Marketing components include consumer and market research, creative campaigns, influencer strategy, social media outreach, btl activations, performance marketing, video and films strategy and execution, multilingual collateral and more. Once you crack the rural marketing code, the creation and deployment is a delight.