When the chips are down it is time to wonder how to improve the scenario. As data from market research firm IMRB shows that drought conditions in the country have hit rural consumption and volume growth has slowed to 3-4 per cent, the ninth Annual Rural Marketing Forum this month will try to figure out how to activate economic activity in the hinterland.

Organised by the Rural Marketing Association of India, the focus will be on ‘The Era of Digitalisation’. The forum will serve as a platform for experts from various industries to share their ideas and expertise to increase business revenue whilst reaching out to the rural consumers. Some of the companies likely to join in include Hero Cycles, Bajaj Alliance Life Insurance, Bajaj Corp, Indian Oil Corporation, RBL Bank, Nestle India, Parag Milk Foods among others. To be held in Mumbai on May 26 and 27, the rural marketing forum will hold mini-workshops, roundtables, and brainstorming on using technology to widen the net. It will discuss effective digital and mobile strategies to increase numbers and activate consumption, as also the challenges that need to be overcome.

The speakers are those who are directly involved with the rural market. They include Neeraj Chandra, Vice-President Rural Business of Hero Cycles; Mahesh Israni, Chief Marketing Officer of Parag Milk Foods (Gowardhan); Yogesh Gupta, Senior Vice-President and Head of Business Procurement and Financial Inclusion, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance; Piyush Kant, Director of Primary Care Business, Merck Serono; and Syed Kazi, Deputy Director – Strategy, Governance and Policy Digital Empowerment Foundation among others.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW