No more ‘PAKAAU’ bus stations!

‘Mera Bharat Mahan… Sau mai se ab Sau honge entertaan’

There were times when people were less, demands were less and options were nil. But with another century added to our existence, things have seemed to change drastically. The development, the demands and the need for a change are all together responsible for the kind of India that we are living in today. From Hindustan to Bharat to India, it has been a long journey towards development.

What development are we talking about here? The development that we are talking about is the Bharat i.e. the rural and semi-urban part of the country which is turning into India i.e. the fast developing part of the country. Understanding the increasing needs and demands in the rural and semi-urban areas, marketers are compelled to draw newer marketing strategies that will help change the current state of Bharat into a better, newer and developed India.

Vritti iMedia have designed a new tool is called as the Suddha Desi Auzar that uses public announcement systems at the bus station to communicate with the masses living in Bharat in a way that educates them and at the same time entertains them too. This tool creates the much needed awareness about products that can help the masses improve their lifestyle. The awareness referred here is created by using jingles and rhymes made in simple and understandable language that the people at the bus stations follow. This in way happens to be entertaining to the bored commoner at the bus station. These steps have helped the bus station in the rural areas to be entertaining and informative at the same time.

Infinite chances, Definite safaltaa

‘Log nachu kirtanache rangi, Vritti dnyandeep lavu jagi’

(People Will dance to the tune of kirtan and Vritti will light the lamp of knowledge to them)

India is home to many cultures and there are numerous festivals and days which are celebrated 365 days of the year. One such example is the Pandharpur wari which is a pilgrim on foot that takes place every year during Ashadi ekadashi i.e. June-July as per the Marathi calendar. Millions of people from rural to semi-urban to urban areas of Maharashtra take part in this yatra to praise Lord Vitthal on the auspicious day.

What could you best think of doing with such an audience? First of all, to have such a mass gathered at one place going in the same direction is like a cherry on the cake for all the marketers looking for huge audiences. This could be one of the best places to carry out marketing activities and penetrate premium goods in these rural and semi-urban areas. And with the kind of development that India is seeing today in the rural and the semi-urban areas, it is pretty obvious that a good outcome can be achieved.

Vritti iMedia has understood the scenarios in the Indian market and have accordingly planned steps towards marketing in these areas. For the past years Vritti has been actively pushing products like the TATA swatch water purifier, Good Knight coils and many such premium products in these areas taking a leap towards developing India. Along with using strategies like distributing pamphlets, brochures and booklets, installing stalls, mobile stalls, putting up hoardings & banners; they have also brought about a change in the way rural marketing can be done. They have innovatively created the tool for mass communication in these rural and semi-urban areas which they call it as the ‘Suddha Desi’ tool. This tool uses the public announcement systems at the bus stations to advertise premium products with the regular bus schedules. This in a way creates awareness about the products that can be useful for people in these areas and for the marketers willing to promote their products in these areas.

Cabin wali PPT bhool jaao! This is Rural Marketing!

‘Jab sunnega India… tab hi toh baadega India’

Markets are made, not found. This is especially the case with our rural Indian market. When we compare the rural market to the urban market the imperative difference is not only the income but also the infrastructural and the socio-cultural factors. Looking at it from the Indian point of view, rural marketing has emerged as an important marketing discipline because India still is in the developing phase and 75% of the population lives in approx. 6 lakh villages in the rural India.

How is a rural market to be studied? Marketing in rural areas is no rocket science but has to be studied taking different factors into consideration. These factors may include mindset of the people, general awareness, affordability and acceptability. In this case, Vritti iMedia have studied the rural Indian market fully and thereupon initiated a tool for mass communication which suits for rural marketing as well. They call this tool as the Suddha Desi tool, which uses the announcement speakers at the bus stations to broadcast advertisements in the form of entertaining audio clips which educate, attract and entertain the awaiting passengers. This tool is made accounting several factors to consideration like the mindset of the people at the bus station, which is pretty much gullible; the gap of knowledge i.e. product awareness which is filled with the advertisements from the announcement speakers at the bus station.

Considering Vritti’s Suddha Desi tool as a tool made for rural marketing in India to educate and entertain the passengers at the bus station, we can conclude that rural marketing is no rocket science and is to be looked at just like any other market is.

Audiowala Bus Station

‘O Bharat maa teri santaan hai hum,Tune diya hume jo bhi…

Useke liye tujhe Pranaam’

Prakash reached home in the evening, as soon as he entered home he yelled at the top of his voice to his wife and said, “Arey Sudha, soun rahi ho! Aaj toh mai unsab ko khatam hi kar dunga, koi nahi baachega!!” Sudha wondered who was he talking about and Prakash continued, “Dekho mai kya laaya hu? Good Knight Coil! Ye ghar ke sabhi machhro ko mardega aur muje aachi neendh lene dega.” Sudha giggled and said, “Ye sab kya laaya karte ho, inn maacharo is chutkara pane ke liye?” “Areey vo aaj bus station pe intaazar kar raha tha, tabhi maine ek jaheraat mai soun, ‘Good Knight coil aur laagao maachar bhagao!’ Aur uske advantages baataye. Aysi aur bhi kahi jaheraatain bus announcement ke beech-beech mai aati raheti hai,” explained Prakash.

Prakash is one of those millions of people travelling between the bus stations that link rural – semi urban – urban areas, these millions are what Suddha Desi’s target audience is. The buzz of the increasing demand of premium products in these rural and the semi urban areas is to an extent the work of the so called ‘Audiowala Bus Stations.’ The announcement speakers at the bus stations are the medium through which the ads are played at intervals between the schedule announcements. Since the passengers have to compulsorily listen to the announcement to keep up on the schedule, they have to mandatorily listen to the infotaining sound clips that keep playing in intervals. The tool of Suddha Desi is an amazingly designed medium of mass communication that helps in rural marketing and also helps to inform & entertain the bored commoner at the bus station. This in turn creates awareness about the premium products, the demand for which has considerable increased in the rural and semi urban areas. According to researches 75% of the Indian population lives rural and semi- urban areas and today these areas are fast mirroring the urban areas.

With proper research and analysis, Vritti iMedia have considered all the facts that add up to the advantage of creating awareness in the rural areas and if we look at it from the macro point of view it has also helped develop India.

Suddha Desi Ko Ab Mili Manyata

OOH advertising today is one of the most essential mediums of advertising, since the scope for marketing and advertising today has grown over the past year. Outdoor Advertising Convention has been recognizing to OOH media leaders and professionals for years, motivating them for their efforts in the field. OAC awards have reached the milestone by completing 10 years of awarding and giving recognition to the leaders. This grand award functions was held at the Grand Hyatt in Panjim, Goa on the 4^th and 5^th of July.

How is a medium of media created? Leaders in the OOH media (Out Of Home advertising) put a lot of thought, look into various aspects in our society and accordingly create a medium of media that best suits for marketing and advertising. One example of the OOH medium of media is created by Vritti iMedia, which they have termed as the Suddha Desi mass communication tool. Suddha Desi tool in itself is a way through which not only rural marketing can be done but the rural lifestyle can also be improved. Suddha Desi is where INDIA meets BHARAT, by saying this it implies that Bharat i.e. the rural India meets the developed part of the country, thereby improving the conditions of rural India. This medium of advertising uses the announcements speakers at the bus stations in the rural India to communicate/advertise premium products and penetrate them into these rural areas. Suddha Desi is a simple, straight and compulsory medium of media, because all the advertisements at the bus stations are played in simple and understandable language that the locals follow and compulsory because the passengers have to involuntarily listen to the announcements speaker to keep up on the bus schedules. But the passengers at the same time are entertained while they await their buses. This tool has been implemented in many rural areas in India and its reach is evident. This amazing tool stands as an asset to Vritti iMedia for which they have won a gold award in the ‘Zonal Media Owners of the Year – West’ category and a silver award for the ‘Zonal Media Owners of the Year – South’ category.

Along with the awards, Vritti iMedia have bagged a feeling of pride and gratitude towards the recognition they have received. Vritti’s Suddha Desi tool has proven to be awe-inspiring tool for rural marketing as well as advertising, and this has be proven consistently for the past four years as they have won the same awards four times in row consequently.

Bus Station ab aapke ummedoo se adhik pradān karenge!

‘Ummedoo se judi hui hai yatrioan ki dor…’

A passenger waiting for his bus at the bus station is a potential buyer and hence his expectations are a must to be met. As the passenger’s expectations increase the marketers have to find newer ways and means by which they can fulfill these expectations, and one of such expectations gave birth to the tool of Suddha Desi mass communication, which seems to have set perfectly for rural marketing. Along with the expectations comes more and more business for the marketers. Like for example with the advertisements played through the announcement speakers, will have an effect on the passengers and in order to prolong this effect; brochures can be distributed and banners can also be put up looking at which the passengers can take more interest in the products.

Now what do you think could the passenger’s expectations be?  These bus stations are typically those that link the rural areas to the urban cities, so they all naturally are long distance buses. Now the spare time that the passengers have while waiting for the bus is very frustrating, and the passenger would expect some kind of entertainment in such a situation. Now if we make the bored passenger listen to songs or may be an infotaining audio clip through the announcement speaker; his expectations can be fulfilled and also he might take interest in the products that the marketers advertise. The audio clips in way create more and more business for the giant companies who are willing to market their products here. And these announcements will be a way through which the giant companies will penetrate their premium products into these rural areas, thereupon remolding the rural lifestyle.

With the improved lifestyle in the rural areas, the people’s expectations will keep on increasing and thus transforming the rural area into a developed town. This is the same treatment that today’s fully developed cities had once been given to improve their lifestyle. The process is gradual but the results will definitely be worth while.

 

Vo Kya Hai Jo Passeners Ka ATTENTION Akarshit Kar Raha Hai?

‘Yaatriyaan Kreepiya Dhyaan De, Yaaha Gadi… Aye Dhinka chika Dhinka chika Dhinka chika Aye Aye!’

Bus stations are the heart of India and, are also a meeting point between the urban cities and the rural areas. There are thousands of people travelling between these checkpoints and thus these bus stations are a prime spot to catch the passenger’s attention. Passengers listing to the advertisements through the announcement speakers at the bus stations are the potential buyers, hence ‘A Passenger = A Buyer’. Here, grabbing the passenger’s attention is of utmost importance; and Vritti iMedia have correctly spotted these potential buyers and have accordingly created the tool of Suddha Desi mass communication which best helps grab attention.

Why is it that we say the bus stations are the heart of India? Bus stations in the rural India are like malls to the passengers, this is because the bus stations are surrounded by shops and hawkers. And the passengers are masses, buying media from the advertisers who advertise their products through the announcements speakers by listening to these announcements. Now these advertisers have to work hard and create pleasing content regarding their premium products, because this is what is catching the passenger’s attention. And they not only have to grab the attention of the passengers but also have to see to it that their products are easily available in the shops and stores around these bus stations, so that the passengers can go and purchase them.

Suddha Desi mass communication tool is an ideal way to market the premium products which will directly lead to sales, and in addition improve the rural lifestyle. Vritti iMedia’s Suddha Desi tool is a simple, straight and compulsory medium of mass communication; simple and straight because the audio advertisements played at the bus stations are in simple and straight language that the locals follow, and these advertisements also Infotain the passenger and compulsory because the passenger have to listen to announcements to keep getting updates on the bus schedules.

The audio advertisements through the announcement speaker create a buzz at the bus stations thus keeping alive the spark needed. And in addition all this, the bus station also fulfill the passenger’s expectations by entertaining them at the same time. This can be an amazing selling factor from the advertiser’s point of view thus and thus leading to GROWTH.

Pure Native Auzar

“Naye daur ka naya auzar, suddha desi ka mazaa hi hai kuch aur!”

When you visit your native, don’t you want to treasure the fragrance and taste of the food cooked in pure suddha desi ghee that your grandmother has prepared? Similarly, Suddha Desi mass communication tool is built in such a manner that if you were ever to visit your native again, your favorite place to hangout would be the bus stations. This is the chamatkar of this new mass communication tool which is currently being used in rural India, a tool that is made for flawless INFOTAINMENT

What is Sudddha Desi Tool? Suddha Desi ek chamatkari auzar hai, jiske bare mai aaj hum charcha karnege, this mass communication tool has been built in such a way that it benefits not only one, but all. This new type of media can neither be compared to radio nor to television. It is altogether a new concept; the main feature of this tool is that the advertising cost for an ad to be aired is just 1 paisa per passenger. Now for example, if you are watching television and you catch a sight of a store advertisement offering you good discounts on grocery but it would naturally slip off your mind by the time you are back from work. Now waiting at the bus station, you suddenly happen to hear the same advertisement in between the announcements; won’t this be a reminder call for you? Yet another advantage of this auzar is that you can simply kill time at the bus station listening to informative news, interesting advertisements and entertaining music.

India is a country where people hear you only when you yell. This specially happens at the bus stops in the rural areas where the conductor is yelling at the top of his voice about the destination of the bus, hawker on the street screaming aloud to sell his goods; all of this is to attract customers. In a similar manner this Suddha Desi tool would play audio clips at the bus stations wherein any song clips, important news, offers at the stores and many such audio clips can be play. Vritti iMedia has brought about change in the way rural marketing can be done. Suddha Desi tool has been aired in many rural Indian areas and has also proved to be productive, all thanks to Vritti iMedia.

Rural advertising has a new trend

‘Suddha Desi ka chamatkar layega bharatiya gaaon mai parivartan’

Rural India now is rapidly mirroring Urban India. Rural India accounts 50% of the GDP and comprises upto 70% of the country’s population, which naturally means that such areas have now become a new hub for investment. And due to this fast growing transformation in rural areas, companies willing to market in these areas are finding for new and innovative ways to market their products. The urge of innovative marketing strategies in rural India has encouraged Vritti iMedia to create a new mass communication tool, and they have coined this as, Suddha Desi Tool.

What is Suddha Desi all about? Suddha Desi is ‘Where India meets Bharat,’ a well developed mass communication tool, which is made to reach new heights in rural marketing.  This tool has been made keeping in mind the rural Indian aspects which will best help to target the rural audience. In fact many products have already been marketed using this tool of Suddha Desi. This auzar can neither be compared to television nor to radio because it is altogether a new concept. And it is made keeping the ‘Out Of Home’ advertising (OOH ad) factor into consideration. Television is tool which can reach only to people who have a television and Radio also is an option for the individuals if they want to hear it or not. Suddha Desi uses the announcement speaker at the bus stations to market products and this innovative tool is designed in such a way that the commuter waiting at the bus station has to mandatorily listen to the advertisements in order to keep up on the schedule for his bus. Using this new auzar, products like TATA water purifier, TATA salt, Good knight coils and many more products have already been marketed. And the reach is evident. This tool can do wonders and can keep the marketers surprised; such is the approach of this new auzar created by Vritti iMedia.

Vritti iMedia wants to teach India how to live. And they are one step closer to doing this by helping market premium products in these rural Indian villages and giving them a newer and better lifestyle. Now that Vritti iMedia has given this tool, it is upto the marketers to define ‘What is it that is catching the passenger’s attention?’

New Creamy Layer for the FMCG cos

With Vritti iMedia’s new innovative tool of Suddha Desi Mass Communication, many Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies have shown their interest in investing in this new type of media where only a specifically calculated number of villages are targeted. Out of the total 6 Lac villages in India, merely 10,000 villages round up as the new ‘Creamy Layer’ for these FMCG cos. Companies like Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL) are now targeting this new ‘Creamy Layer’ to extract growth by offering them the premium products. Scenarios are being re-experimented on the Creamy Layer of villages just like the now fully grown towns had been experimented.

Our first question is that, why have the FMCG companies turned their eyes to the Creamy Layer of villages? Well, there could only be one strong reason, and that is GROWTH. But our next question is an imperative one, how do you think can the FMCG companies market their premium products to the Creamy Layer of villages? There are numerous options they could opt from, but with the Modi sarkar campaign turned successful using Suddha Desi auzar, it is obvious that the best entry they could get is by using this tool which is purely Indian. Here we say purely Indian because after several considerations it was concluded that Indians as a whole, hear you only when you yell and also yell when they have to tell. Hence Suddha Desi mass communication tool is created keeping the ‘Indian Aspects’ in mind, which will add up as a factor towards sales. The bored commoner who waits at the bus station has to by default hear to the infotaining news from the announcement speaker because he has to keep up on the schedule for the buses and cannot afford to be inattentive to the announcements.

The metro cities which were once called as the creamy layer have now grown fully, so naturally the next creamy layer i.e. target audience would be found in this 10,000 villages, which gross up to 50% of the total rural GDP in India, and these villages only total upto 2% of all the villages in India yet contribute so much to the economy. Vritti’s new auzar is one of many rays of hope for the FMCGs to market their products in these villages, subsequently improving the village lifestyle.