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The first and second year PGP students of IIM Indore conducted the rural marketing fest, Utsaha, at the Janapav Kutti village of Indore on November 3-4, 2017. The fest is conducted every year to gain key consumer insights for companies that find this crowd difficult to reach. The students partnered with companies like Airtel, LIC, Policy Bazaar and John Deere this year. A footfall of 50,000 villagers was witnessed on both the days, with the entire village turning up to see what the young minds had in store for them.
Utsaha was inaugurated by the village Sarpanch, Mrs. Kavita Patidar and her husband, Mr. Sushil Patidar, who graciously welcomed the students to the birthplace of Lord Parshurama, as the legend goes. The crowd swarmed into the stalls with excitement to participate in the gamified surveys which were a part of the market research.
Games were organised on behalf of John Deere to gauge the extent of digital awareness of the brand, and to understand the factors that consumers consider before buying a tractor. Surveys for Airtel Payments Bank aimed at understanding the perception of rural consumers about online payment and their apprehensions on its usage. Major influencers who can convince people to start digital payments were also identified. Similar games were organised for LIC and Policy Bazaar as well, which focussed on brand awareness, internet usage, influencers, factors considered for purchase, and post-sales services. On asking about his experience, one of the villagers commented, ‘My wife and children really enjoyed the games. It was a fun way to educate villagers on online payments and the like, as the rest of the country seems to be going that way.’
A dash of colorful decorations and popular music attracted the villagers. Excited villagers thronged the stalls to participate in the various activities that had been organized. Particularly, children were seen enjoying the various games.
Surveys for Airtel Payments Bank held to understand the perception of rural consumers about online payment, their apprehensions on its usage and major influencers who can convince people to start digital payments were also identified.
The student team succeeded in gaining useful insights about consumer behavior.
The event was an overwhelming success and concluded on a successful note.
