Innovative and interactive solutions for accentuating your brands promotion – Audiowala bus-stand

When you run a marketing campaign, it is important that it is targeted to the right audience. It should be catchy, and most importantly, it has to be cost-effective. Yes, in the fierce competition you can’t afford to be extravagant. Marketing gurus have to be on the toes to find out innovative and pocket-friendly ideas for their clients.

Vrittii Media is a reputed name in India for their out-of-the-box thinking and effective outdoor advertising ideas. In the recent years, the company has made an impressive presence in the rural and urban marketing by making use of appropriate ways of communicating to the large audience. There unique creation “Audiowala Bus Stand” got accolade of marketing gurus. The idea is outstandingly effective and one of its kinds.

What is Audiowala Bus Stand?

Statistics says that bus stand is the second most frequently visited place in India, the first place goes to Railway stations obviously. According to reports, there is an enormous footfall of around 100 Million people if we consider the prominent 100+ bus stands of the Maharashtra state only. You can imagine the huge potential if we consider the bus stands of all other progressive states put together.

Strangely, the immense potential of Bus terminal Advertising in India was underutilized till Vrittii Media came out with their path-breaking idea, Audiowala Bus Stand! It is the trendsetter company who made a wise use of it by embedding their marketing skills and modern technology.

The idea is a massive hit indeed

Bus service is the lifeline of rural areas. It is an approachable and affordable mode of transport. A few states in India offer exceptionally reliable and punctual bus services, e.g. Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Goa, and Karnataka. Vrittii Media, one of the top outdoor advertising agencies in india did adequate research before launching the concept. The company didn’t look back after the first success. Today, it runs incredibly effective campaigns in several states and promoted services and products of diversified clients.

The Success Story

Many brands used the concept and reaped big business benefits by advertisement in rural areas. GoodKnight Fast Card, SBI, Cadbury and Parle are a few examples. Since the reach of the campaign is immense, while the costs are relatively low, it adds a good value to the profitability. No wonder, Vrittii Media replicates it in other states also. Surely, it will become a big differentiator in the coming times. Advancement in the technology will refine it further.

Audiowala bus-stand :An innovative plan by Vritti-i media

Gone are the days when the rural market of India was considered a minuscule subset of the overall marketing strategy. Today, companies keep a sizeable chunk of the annual marketing budget for the rural campaign. The growing expenditure on lifestyle products in the rural areas opens new pastures for business growth. It is needless to say that the companies who understand the power of it earlier will get the benefit. Vritti I Media is one of the leading rural marketing agencies in india that identified he immense potential of the rural market well.

Audiowala Bus Stand, a thought that is just unequal

Bus service is the second largest public conveyance system in India, and bus stands are the places with the largest footfall after railway stations. Surprisingly, marketing gurus overlooked the potential of bus stands to market products and services. Vritti I Media is the pioneer in the niche who converted them into ‘Audiowala Bus Stands’.

The idea of using bus stand for product campaign was not a fluke, but a well-researched thought. Since the maximum percentage of bus travelers belong to the rural areas, Vritti targeted products that are close to the heart of rural population making it the best rural marketing companies in india.

They picked states where bus services are not only popular but quite efficient as well. The quality of buses and roads in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Rajasthan and Punjab are lucidly better than other states; they were the obvious pick for the campaigns.

Vritti ensures that every campaign reaches to the target customers

Audiowala Bus Stand is a concept that makes intelligent use of bus stands to promote a wide range of products and services. The campaigns are not confined to consumer products such as Parle products or Cadbury only, but they promote banks and automobiles as well.

Use of audio-visual medium, announcements, and video scrolling creates a long-lasting impression in the minds of consumers.

Since both unique and repeat footfalls are enormous, product campaigns have a widespread reach. It makes them cost-effective.

Experimentation is the key to success

A marketing company has to explore new and creative ways of promoting products. A progressive company always goes beyond the set boundaries and explores something unique. Vritti has shown an unparalleled sense of out-of-the-box thinking by using Bus terminal Advertising in India. The idea achieves a grand acclaim. It has proved that simple but effective ideas can bring a huge success if applied well.

Rural marketing trends 2016

According to the marketing gurus, the time has come when companies need to change their perception and perspective about the rural market. The trends are changing rapidly, and rural consumer becomes more aware now. Apart from the conventional 4 P’s of marketing, today marketing gurus need to incorporate four A’s in the marketing strategy. These A’s are affordability, availability, accessibility, and awareness.

Though affordability is not a constraint with the increase in spending capacity of rural buyers, they are still price cautious. Accessibility was an issue earlier because of the poor infrastructure. The situation has improved in the recent years. Product awareness can be effectively achieved by designing appropriate marketing strategies for rural promotion to grab the attention of rural consumers.

Focused rural marketing strategy “Think Local and Act Local” is the need of the day

Earlier, the rural market was considered merely a subset of the overall marketing strategy. Now, marketing managers have to exercise their minds for developing relevant product marketing strategies that meet the particular needs of the rural consumers. For example, when voltage fluctuation or low voltage prevails in the rural areas; there is no point in marketing sophisticated electrical equipment that can’t withstand voltage fluctuations. Robust and durable products can only drag the attention of the consumers. Similarly, low unit packs or economy packs are a big success in the rural market because they are perceived as cheap and affordable. Hence, they need to be targeted in accordance with the Local needs, tastes, perceptions, preferences and aspirations . Advertising in rural areas needs to be specific, direct and relevant and only such medium should be used which helps marketer achieve this.

Rural retail stores are the markets of tomorrow

Rural consumers have a great exposure to the lifestyle aspects nowadays. They frequently visit nearby town and cities and experience the lavishness of malls, departmental stores, and multiplexes. When similar outlets are available in their locality, they feel excited about it. The proliferation of posh retail stores is the call of the day. In fact, distribution giants such as ITC and Tata have already started exploring the possibilities by setting Chaupal Sagar and Kisan Kendras respectively. Surely, other giants like HLL and P&G will also follow the footsteps. Well-organized rural marketing events in india would help in blowing the trumpet loudly.

Market research must go on

Yes, the trends are rapidly changing. A company can’t afford to stop the market research. Rather, more qualitative and focused study is required to read the pulse of the market proactively. Those who succeed in it will taste the fruits of success. The laggards will lose a lot of ground.

Bus Stations in Rural India are a gold mine for Captive Audiences !! Intelligent brands are already tapping it

Bus service is the lifeline for most of the rural areas because it is affordable, accessible and available. In states like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punjab, Karnataka and Goa where roads and buses are distinctively better than other states; People find travelling by bus to be convenient and time saving. Also for large Pockets of rural India it is the only viable transportation mode available.

A Brand today can stand out and use the bus stands for effective visibility.

Why Bus stands? The potential is enormous

If you consider bus stands in Maharashtra alone, then the annual foot fall in 80 prominent bus stands is more than 92 Million which is a huge figure. Bus stands have the largest number of footfall after Railway stations. Quite obviously, they are the best places to showcase products and services. Since the majority of the gentry belong to rural areas, marketing campaigns that focus on rural needs are greatly successful at the Bus Stands.

Properties to target at a Bus Station consists of Audio system to play advertisements through public addressing system, LCD TV, and branding and visibility are to name a few.

Audio Wala Bus Station, a revolutionary concept

“Audiowala Bus station” is pioneered from Vritti by Partnering with State Transport corporations across 5 States (MSRTC,KSRTC&NEKRTC, PRTC, RSRTC ,Kadmaba) over the course of last 8 yrs. This audio medium” Audiowala Bus station” is today biggest mass medium for targeting small towns and rural markets as it gives a reach of 250 Million people.

Vrittii Media has equipped the bus stands with state-of-the-art audio-visual facilities. They also made the bus stands equipped with facilities of engagement and sampling, activation and spot sale.

Vritti Media sets new standards in Rural Marketing by effective use of Bus Stands

Due to the immense potential of making or breaking the business strategies of a company, the rural market of India keeps marketing managers busy in deriving effective strategies specific to this mass market. Vrittii Media is a respected name in the niche for its intelligent and effective marketing strategies that have made a significant impact. The company has brilliantly used the opportunities to grab the maximum attention. Use of bus stations to promote products and service is one of the most innovative and successful ideas so far.

Brands that got immensely benefited by the campaign

Marketing brains at Vrittii Media made clever use of bus stands to promote products that had immediate appeal to the rural population. From consumer products such as Goodknight Fast Card, Parle and Cadbury to Automobiles like Honda Motors and banks such as SBI, Bank Of Maharashtra and Central Bank Of India; the spectrum is quite widespread. Promotion at Audiowala Bus Stand has been found quite instrumental in activation, sampling and playing audio and video commercials.

Veerendra Jamdade CEO of Vritti says “When all these bus stands get converted into Audio Wala Bus Stand, imagine the reach of products and services to the rural population. Vrittii Media is determined to explore the potential up to the fullest extent and reaching new heights of market promotion. It is a win-win situation for clients and Vritti iMedia both. ”

Rural Promotion depend on rural Consumer Mindset

In the past three decades, India has emerged as one of the strongest economies with incredibly fast growth rates, where the rural areas showed a tremendous development. With advanced methods of farming, better water management, and intelligent use of cash crops; agriculture income increased manifold.
Information technology revolutionized brand awareness amongst the rural population. They are well-acquainted with the lifestyle products today. With the close encounter of cable TV and DTH, there is a big impact on the rural consumer mindset nowadays. Marketers have to derive separate and focused marketing strategies to attract rural consumers. While FMCG sector understood the importance of it, others are also changing their stand rapidly.
Understanding rural customers is difficult
Marketing experts say that the biggest challenge faced by marketers is to understand the mindset of rural customers and exposing the right products to them at the right time. Right communication and reaching to the last mile are two main issue. As companies need to invest huge money in managing the vast heterogeneity of the rural market, there is immense pressure on managing top and bottom lines.
It is very obvious that companies that didnt pay sufficient effort in understanding the rural market faced crushed out terribly. On the contrary, companies that understood the aspirations, requirements, and interests of the rural consumer did pretty well. ITC and Unilever are to name a few.
Communication strategy, the pivotal aspect of success
It is said that advertising is the business booster. However, rural markets were considered a sellers market for ages, where there was no need of informing consumers about the benefits or unique selling propositions. When they know the distinct benefits of buying a product or service from their perspective, they appreciate the product.
The scenario has totally changed today. Due to the influence of the electronic media and awareness of consumer rights; companies need to derive a specialized strategy for the rural markets. It is a paradigm shift indeed where taking care of the aspirations and emotions of rural consumers become an inevitable business strategy. Communication strategy for rural consumers has to be totally different. Entrepreneurs know it well today.
Since the mindset is different, corporates have to focus on rural consumers through different rural advertising methods. They should be considered differently. Those who realize it early, reap the benefits.

A different market but a completely different socio-cultural entity – ‘Rural India’

Rural market is the latest buzzword not only in India but many other big economies such as China, Indonesia and Vietnam. Marketing gurus look at this highly potential market segment as the market of the future. Yes, in a country like India where economic growth has been consistently good for more than a decade; it is a high time to concentrate on this unique socio-cultural entity.

According to economists and marketing experts, urban economies show an immediate reflection of the global economic change. Rural markets take quite some time to show the impacts. In such scenario, they can be a good buffer for diverting the business. It is needless to say that the complexities of rural markets should be kept in mind while designing marketing strategies.

It is the common mistake that marketers extend their urban marketing programs without focusing on rural market. Quite obviously, they fail to create any impact because of the fundamental differences in the mindset and concepts. Here are some aspects that distinctly differentiate between the rural and urban market.

Rural customers are not influenced externally, but internally

What do we mean by it? It means that they are closely knit with the community, and real-life experience is more convincing for them than a marketing campaign. Therefore, community campaign is an effective way of communicating about product and services. Since people rely more on the word of mouth, it is critically important to have the first impression right.

There is a lack of media channels, but the recall value is incredible

Unlike urban market where consumers have a plethora of media channels, but a feeble recall value, rural markets have very high recall value. Once they get connected to a marketing campaign, it is very difficult to erase the impression. It is the reason; the products and services that reached to the rural market still enjoy terrific recall value. Seasoned marketers have used intelligent micro-marketing campaigns to tap the markets.

Audio – Visual campaigns, Haats, Yatra/Mela Marketing programs, Bus Stand announcement advertising, mobile vans, and marketing campaigns in the fairs or local events are a few successful marketing ideas.

It takes time to establish the brand, but it is long-lasting once established

Typically, you need quite a long time to establish a brand in the rural market. However, the loyalty of the rural market is amazing. Hence, front-loading the investments and waiting long for the results would be the right marketing strategy. The returns will come without fail, but you need to give sufficient time and have to be consistent in approach.

Pandharpur Wari becomes an ideal occasion to reiterate pain-relieving capabilities of Iodex

Gyanba Tukaram and Mauli Mauli are perhaps the most uttered words in Maharashtra during the Wari period. The famous 250 kilometers walk that crosses the length and breadth of Maharashtra isnt just a religious procession, but a huge social event. It shows the great respect and intense belief in Vitthal, the most beloved deity in the state. People dont leave any opportunity of being part of this highly praised event.

The 21 days procession of Pandharpur Wari becomes one of the best ways of establishing brands and products. Marketing brains come out with innovative and interesting ways of establishing products and services without hampering the religious and cultural setup of the prestigious event. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, one of the leading healthcare companies, brought a highly creative idea of Iodex Massage Van last year. The concept was greatly appreciated by everyone because of its utility and direct mapping with the event.

The history repeats itself

The overwhelming success of the campaign last year was so encouraging that the team wants to acquire further heights of success this year. The biggest cultural and religious event in Maharashtra will be used as the platform for customer activation in a contextual manner.

Since the pilgrims cover approximately 250 kilometers distance in 21 days, it is a tough task indeed. Since Iodex is already an established brand for quick relief from all kinds of pains, the catch line is just perfect in the context of Pandharpur Wari.

Badan Dard ka Expert, Sirf Iodex is the punch line which means Iodex is the best remedy for every kind of body ache. When people walk almost 12 to 15 kilometers every day, it is very obvious that the majority of them face back pain, pain in the calf muscles or headache.

What does the Iodex brand campaign do?

The campaign offers 12 branded vans that accompany the Pandharpur Wari from the first day to the day procession gets over. The well-equipped and well-branded vans offer instant relief from pain and discomfort to the pilgrims. The procession that claims attendance of more than two million devotees every year is the biggest and brightest opportunity to showcase Iodex, the best pain reliever brand in India.

Other than vans, massage tents offer free massage to the pilgrims. These well-branded tents serve pilgrims during the breaks or night to rejuvenate and make them ready for the next day.

Pandharpur Wari is an event of international stature where brand establishment brings an incredible identity.

Fattack se Furr, GoodKnight Fast Card offers instant relief to the Warkaris

Good Knight Fast Card carries good reputation due to its incredible speed of repelling troublesome mosquitoes, responsible for Malaria and Dengue. Where other mosquito repellent products take some time, Good Knight Fast Card is pretty fast. The catchy and engaging punch line Fattack Se Furr (vanishes instantly) underlines the speed of the result.

GoodKnight Fast Card uses the opportunity for creating a mass brand awareness program by offering an immediate resolution of the problems faced by pilgrims during the Pandharpur Wari. The objective is to resolve the issues with an incredible speed so that it justifies the tag line of the product, i.e. Fattack Se Furr.

the majority of people, come from the rural areas where mosquito outbreak is a major issue during the monsoon season. Therefore, it makes more sense to create the brand awareness in the PandharpurWari.

What is the entire brand awareness program?

Since the pilgrimage continues for 21 odd days, the brand awareness program gets sufficient visibility. A specialized First Aid van is designed for maximum visibility during the event. The van is equipped with instant relief and treatment of most commonly occurred ailments during the pilgrimage. The van runs along with the Wari proceedings, and sufficient noise is created to make it as popular as possible.

Since the van offers quick relief to people, people don’t look at it from the brand promotion perspective only. Pilgrims establish an emotional connection between the people who attend their problems.

Why is GoodKnight Fast Card appropriate product?

Since Fast Card is established in the market as one of the fastest mosquito repellents, pilgrims can relate it very well because the First aid treatment offered to them provides immediate relief. The van also educates people about the dangers of mosquito bites and the easy methods of getting rid of mosquito  outbreak.

Pandhapur Wari is an event that is equally popular across the geographical and social boundaries in Maharashtra. It is the event of everyone and not restricted to a particular class, caste or cluster of the society. It is one of its kind programs organized during one of the mega events in the state. Using the pilgrimage to establish a brand is a smart move indeed.

Marketing strategies for corporate to succeed in rural India

Rural market of India is quite enormous than people think. Statistics says that it contributes to almost half of the GDP, and the per capita income there shows faster growth than the urban sector. People are ready to spend for lifestyle products, electronic items, and entertainment. It is needless to say that a corporate house cant give impressive results unless it uses effective strategies to attract this huge marketplace. It is the success mantra of the 21^st Century.

So many studies have been conducted so far to understand why and how companies did miracles, and they revealed that only those could succeed who overcome the hurdles and explored the opportunities.

Three secrets of success

Studies also revealed that entrepreneurs who performed exceptionally well in the rural market had three things common.

(i) They reached to as many consumers as possible.

(ii) They acquired as many customers as possible.

(iii) They retained the customers for as long as possible.

It looks quite a simple thing to achieve, but there are practical difficulties in it. Inadequate distribution network, delayed payments, and frail marketing channels are the biggest roadblocks. Companies that manage these issues can only mark effective presence in the marketplace. Also, the marketing brains should think from a different perspective while designing marketing campaigns and promotions for the rural India. The mindset, thinking patterns and ideologies are quite different there.

Two measures of performance in the rural India for a company

If we think about measuring the success of a company in the high-potential rural market, then there are two performance measures.

Firstly, it is checked on up to what extent the company finds rural market strategically important as far as the long-term or short-term goals are concerned. The more is the importance; higher is the performance.

Secondly, it is checked on the percentage of rural contribution to the top lines and bottom lines of the balance sheet. When we talk about rural segment, product innovation, effective market penetration, and controlling expenses are the effective ways of keeping top and bottom lines under control.

Since the rural market is expanding with great speed, companies need to focus on the sales and distribution channel. It is critically important to improve the top line without disturbing the bottom one so that profitability gets enhanced.

When urban demand indicates sluggishness because of saturation, it is the time to look at another fertile field; the rural market!

New perspective in rural marketing

Several game plans are suggested by the experts when we ask about the best way of getting success in the enormous rural market in India, and everybody has a different story to tell. However, everyone agrees to the fact that developing an effective distribution channel is one of the key elements of success. Failure in achieving it would be a major inhibiting factor for business growth.

Whether it is a consumer product, food product, or electronic item; it should reach to the right people at right time. Thus, effective distribution network, fast and swift modes of transportation and good warehousing facilities are extremely important.

What could be the best means of reaching the masses?

Many companies have done exceptionally well in the niche of reaching the rural markets and consumers. They developed fast and economic models to reach as many people as possible. Other than meticulous planning and flawless implementation, they developed smart ways of doing the things. Experts say that it is possible to take the performance to further high by doing something exclusive and unique. It is certainly a new perspective towards rural marketing.

(i) Is it possible to use the public distribution system which already exists? Since thousands of fair price shops and millions of people depend on it for the supplies of food grains, kerosene, and sugar, the system is fairly efficient and accurate. Using the same infrastructure for marketing the products in the rural areas would be cost-effective and accurate. Of course, it will be a chargeable service. However, the accuracy and dependability will make it the preferred service.

(ii) Use of rural cooperative societies: Almost every village in India has some or other cooperative society. Marketing experts say that these societies can play a pivotal role in making a product or service hit. They can be instrumental in distribution on a chargeable basis. Since the societies would earn handsome money, they will do it enthusiastically.

(iii) Using social and religious events for product marketing: In the recent years, marketing experts have realized the huge potential of events that take place in the rural areas. Mela, Urs or other religious events showcase the product or services to a large audience. The cost of product promotion is quite reasonable, and the results are superb. As the products are displayed in the local event, people associate to it pretty well.

These groundbreaking perspectives have a great potential to change the rural marketing.