• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager
• BL Club
• Smartbuy

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth
• Events 2007

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

– G.R.N. Somashekar

Mr Ramanujam Sridhar delivering the BL Club lecture at Al-Ameen Institute of Management Studies in Bangalore on Friday.

Our Bureau

Bangalore, Nov. 24 Brands must not only be relevant but also affordable to consumers in rural markets, said Mr Ramanujam Sridhar, CEO of Brand.comm, here on Saturday.

Delivering a lecture on ‘One Land, Billion Minds’ at the Al-Ameen Institute of Management Studies, organised by the Business Line Club, he said that companies are increasingly looking at rural consumers for growth and this segment, which lies at the bottom of the pyramid, offers a huge challenge to brand managers.

He said that rural consumers are price-conscious and brand managers need to be aware of this fact. “You may think globally but give it an Indian perspective,” he told the students. He said that probably the thinking “value for money” was invented in India. Quoting a scooter brand, he said, “We waited for seven years to ride our ‘family of four’ on it and we sold it at the same price, say after fifteen years.” Sharing his experience in advertising over the years, Mr Sridhar said advertising has made a big difference for many brands in India. He gave an insight into branding through various ad clips.

Taking the example of a watch company, he explained how all its products in three different categories (for the high-end customer, the young and the common person) became a success.

“In India, owners of multiple watches are few. Many young Indians don’t believe that this particular accessory is a need as they all carry mobile phones. Triggering a demand and desirability in such a market is a huge challenge and this company has successfully done that,” Mr Sridhar said.

He said that 57 per cent of India’s population is below the age of 24 and some advertisements, which appealed to this segment, did not make sense to the old. “Young Indians don’t mind laughing at themselves but it wouldn’t have made sense to a 50-year-old,” Mr Sridhar said.

He said public relations (PR) is a growing discipline and some companies are using this tool quite effectively. A software company has used PR to great effect to become one of India’s most dominant and admired brands. To a query by Mr M.A. Ataulla, Joint Secretary and Director of Al-Ameen, on whether advertising in India is ethical, Mr Sridhar said that some are not.

“A lady who is using a fairness cream would surely know that she wouldn’t be fair in two weeks. But, these things have to be looked at differently,” he remarked.

Ms B.A. Anuradha, Principal, Al-Ameen Institute of Management Studies, welcomed the gathering, while Vice-Principal, Mr Ghousia Khatoon, proposed a vote of thanks.

More Stories on : Retailing | Education | Karnataka | BL Club

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line