EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA IN RURAL MARKETING INITIATIVES WITH REFERENCE TO HERITAGE FOODS INDIA Ltd

Abstract

Brand promotion in rural areas requires certain actions. Personal selling efforts have a difficult function to play in this respect because of the social and backward state. In rural communities, word-of-mouth is a crucial means of spreading information. Opinion leaders have the most influence on the promotion technique used in rural areas. The marketing strategies of consumer durable and non-durable businesses may be guided by the experience of the agricultural input sector. The mass media's relevance is another crucial element. In this sense, established Indian industries have advantages over multinational corporations. significant Indian brands have a devoted and effective dealer network, significant brand equity, and customer demand-pull. These attributes have been developed over time. Strong country stores dominate the rural market, which has an impact on the sale of a variety of goods there. The businesses are attempting to spur development in rural regions. They are pointing out that rural residents now have more discretionary income and are in a better position. The availability of low-interest loans has also made it more affordable for rural residents to buy pricey goods. Marketers should be aware of how sensitive rural consumers are to pricing. Thus, this essay is an effort to enhance the brand's reputation in the rural market. The project aims to highlight how rural marketing might help close the growing gap between India's rural and urban economies. The proposed rethinking of rural marketing emphasises the need of both "producers' empowerment" and "strategic marketing," as well as broadening its scope to include a range of market ties that are a part of the expanding rural-urban connections. Through the consolidation of agricultural and rural businesses, this challenging and complicated job may be accomplished by assisting rural producers in successfully competing in the market on the basis of competitive/comparative advantage. More precisely, "minimising market resistance to rural products" and "maximising market orientation of rural enterprises" are necessary to connect agricultural and rural businesses to rural and/or urban markets. Rural marketing makes it easier for agricultural inputs and consumer items to go from urban to rural areas and for rural producers to sell their products to urban customers at competitive rates at the earliest feasible moment.