They can create small equipment and make them available on lower prices. The other means of mass media available are hoardings/wall paintings, shanties/hats/melas, non-price competition, special campaigns etc. A marketing strategy which is hugely untapped by most of the companies is employing the villagers themselves to market the products.HUL has been the pioneer in this form of marketing by the launch of the campaign HUL Shakti where women in villages are employed to form a distribution network of HUL products in the rural areas. The most extensively adopted strategy is personal selling and retailing of the goods and services. Fans which may work well in closed rooms may not be effective in open areas. The REAL 2. It covers the marketing strategies aspects of rural produce with special reference to products and services within the rural areas. The brand name awareness in the rural areas is fairly high. 2. Meaningful product strategies for rural market and rural consumers are discussed here. There is also this problem of finding labor to work in fields. Most rural families are reluctant to buy consumer durable items because they have the mindset that they will not be able to use them. Some agriculture work like sowing paddy is so intensive that these crops cannot be grown if laborers are not available. Rural markets are the most attractive markets for service industries. All that is needed is a well-analyzed and planned rural marketing strategy to penetrate these markets. Mass media is a powerful medium of communication. Since many of them are also educated to some extent, they are very open to new methods of farming that will improve their level of income from farming. Some of the typical characteristics which will help in rural market segmentation are land holding pattern, irrigation facilities, progressiveness of farmers, cropping pattern; mix of enterprise, education levels, proximity to cities/towns, sociological factors, occupation categories. Product Strategies. To effectively tap the rural market, a brand must associate it with the lives of rural folk. Change ). The rural consumer should connect and relate to the message. They are also ready to make a change in the crops that they have been growing traditionally in their farms and are willing to grow crops which give them more income. 2) Customer Power – Good quality products to be served to enhance customer power. RURAL MARKETING STRATEGIES • Promotion Strategy - Ways Direct talk with traders, co-operative societies Contacting friends and relatives Village fairs Towns and Village market days Agents (Commission Basis) Agriculture Magzines … RURAL MARKETING. Many villages may be connected to the grid but the supply is very erratic. For rural market, it will be ideal to think of strategies from the marketing mix point of view, main strategies are related to product, price, place and promotion. This packaging strategy is now widely adopted by every FMCG company is successful not only in rural area but also in urban area especially among the middle and lower income groups. For some instance, rural consumers will not use refrigerators for storing fruits and vegetables because they pluck these from their farms when they require, but they may have surplus milk that they may need to preserve. Professional services would now be required in most of the rural areas very soon.