Advertising and personal selling are above-the-line activities. Sales promotion and use of non-traditional media are below-the-line activities.

Rural markets are traditionally oral cultures. They would like to see, smell and touch a new offering. For them, seeing is believing. The engagement is tactile, interactive and imaginative.

Lavani

The hinterland audience can be reached through the lavani performance. A beer brand Tuborg hitched a ride to the interiors through regional musical events in small towns. The company offered one free ticket to a chowfulla for every beer bottle purchased. The lavani performance was by Suvarna Kale.

Haats

Tata steel’s corrugated tin  roofing was presented through the rural haats by setting up stalls. These sheets last a life time. Games were conceptualised using the silver screen’s romantic couples e.g. Raj Kapoor -Nargis or Dharmendra-Hema Malini. This was to drive home the selling point a life-long bond. In South India, they used the local stars instead of the Hindi film icons.

Mobile Vans

Sonata watch by Titan was promoted in Tamil Nadu through promotors riding cycles in the interiors. They had audio adverts, late, flip charts and watch samples. The villagers were invited to a nodal village where a branded van was stationed. A short film was screened to show the importance of the watch. Villagers judge the time linking it with certain events e.g. the arrival of a bus or toll of the temple bell. If the bus arrives late, the child appearing for examination can be late. The film went down well. The villagers could purchase the watch from the mobile van.

Lost-and-Found Stall at Pandharpur

Unique marketing concepts can be built around the brands. Essar Steel sets up a lost-and-found stall on the occasion of Ashadhi Ekadashi at Pandharpur where there is a congregation of a million people.

Health-care

Eye camps could be arranged for automobile mechanics. It helped GSK to get a foothold in this field. GSK also takes a mobile medical van to the hinterland to promote their products. These free camps require pre-publicity for engaging the village audiences.