“Building a cluster-level marketing plan for rural OOH”
“Building a cluster-level marketing plan for rural OOH”
By Praveen Bose, Business Standard | bangalore – April 20, 2021
In a time of heavy uncertainty and an overabundance of content clichés, it makes sense to take inspiration from the agriculture marketing ecosystem and come up with ready-to-use communication strategies for better awareness. and rural marketing campaigns, writes Prashant Mandke, Advisor – Social Impact Initiatives and Rural Marketing.
Prashant Mandke
If there is one thing that has become starkly evident today, it is that nothing is the same. For the rural sector, the challenges are even more pronounced; and the reasons are many. In the last quarter, non-food inflation was higher than food inflation, which made it very difficult for most farmers to manage their household expenses.
Due to the pressure on household incomes, both in the agricultural and non-agricultural sector, the consumer is more cautious when shopping. There are very basic questions that are asked: What is essential. What can wait.
In this situation, it is difficult for marketers to be able to retain loyal customers. Ambitious product categories obviously face a higher level of challenge than everyday essentials. Traditional consumer awareness may therefore need some tweaking.
Essentially, the need for innovation has never been greater, especially for marketers and advertisers. It gets more complex if you go further afield, to rural markets. There has always been a call for innovation from marketers when briefing agencies. Agencies have also been up to the challenge on many occasions, but with a basic approach. But the current times call for a change in approach, to come out with something really impactful and translate into demand for goods and services.
For any marketing ecosystem, especially rural OOH and BTL, there are certain resource chains, marketing infrastructure, and channels necessary for it to operate at high efficiency and achieve desired marketing milestones.
It can be helpful to understand the nuances of rural OOH through the lens of a well-established marketing ecosystem model.
The Rural Marketing Ecosystem
Agricultural Marketing Ecosystem is the oldest, most mature and best established. This is probably the genesis of rural marketing. This ecosystem is so well established that it works with absolute precision and finesse, whatever the season; rain or no rain.
Over the past year due to the pandemic, these resource chains, marketing infrastructure and communication channels have been vulnerable to imposed restrictions and have had their shortcomings exposed. But while the commercialization of agriculture has also been affected, it has greater resilience compared to other categories in rural areas. And there are very good reasons for it to continue to operate with relatively less disruption.
Let’s understand how it works for the agro-marketing ecosystem. There is a cluster approach that seems to emerge from technical factors such as agroclimatic zones, cropping patterns and irrigation sources. Since agricultural inputs are a very specialized segment, they require higher levels of knowledge and experience. On the other hand, from a marketing perspective, it is necessary to engage experts, extension service personnel and other resources to reach the last mile with communication. So, in a way, a cluster becomes more of a self-contained marketing unit, with its own SOPs, seasonal demands, and marketing calendars.
However, for other sectors like FMCG or BFSI, the necessary factors may vary to some extent; such as the need for a credible source or opinion leader to champion the benefits and features of the brand. These are less technical and more massive, where the space for an influencer is limited and is more likely to be based on societal and cultural equations than technical knowledge. Then there is the marketing infrastructure to create proximity communication.
In the current scenario that has been dragging on for more than a year, the limitations imposed due to health and safety concerns are difficult to overcome unless you think outside the box. This is where I refer to the agriculture marketing ecosystem, which has a higher degree of localization, in terms of influencers, marketing infrastructure, and resources on the ground.
Break through content fatigue
One aspect of marketing that has been difficult is content. CONTENT FATIGUE is setting in today due to the impact of the pandemic. Every communication apparently revolved around the functional aspects of health and safety. On the other hand, the emotional or human connection is leveraged to advise consumers to be careful. Well, while this is important information to leverage to communicate, the content has probably become repetitive and monotonous. The fact is, whether it’s outdoor, retail or any other communication platform, getting consumers’ attention has become increasingly difficult. The main reason for this, as mentioned earlier, is CONTENT FATIGUE.
This is further compounded by the fact that a few people from agencies and marketers have started to believe in vague terms like “Phygital”. Can’t we separate physical and digital? What is the compulsion to invent a word? Why not simplify life by keeping things simple and clear? The physical is more mass-based and involves traditional consumer outreach methods, while the digital is certainly becoming more personal and offers a direct connection to consumers. The two can coexist and complement each other. So why combine the two?
Finally, the most critical aspects of creating a localized marketing ecosystem at the cluster level could lead to a new model of rural campaigns. This is certainly possible if rural marketers and agency officers can leverage existing resources and infrastructure to create an effective marketing unit at the cluster level.
There is light at the end of the tunnel. However, you must create a spark to overcome the practical challenges and get out of the puzzle.
