Indian Institute of Management Nagpur

Post Graduate Programme in Management (2016-18)

Rural Marketing –Course Outline

Instructor
Varsha Khandker
IIM Nagpur
varsha@iimnagpur.ac.in

Introduction

Objective
Rural markets have become critical for marketers due to its size, potential to grow and consumers’ openness
to products and brands they had never used before. However, this opportunity comes with its own
challenges in terms of wide dispersion, limited infrastructure, diversity and increasing but limited capacity
to spend. The objective of this course is to understand the nuances of marketing products and services to
rural markets.
This course aims to achieve the following objectives:
• To understand and appreciate how rural markets are different from urban markets
• To apply the marketing concepts in the context of rural markets
• To expose the participants to the innovative business models prevailing in rural markets
• To identify the opportunities and challenges in marketing to the bottom of the pyramid

Pedagogy
The course will be taught primarily through case method of teaching, lecture and discussions. The course
also involves a project which will run parallel to the course and the details will be shared at the
commencement of the course.

Course Textbook
Kashyap, P. (2016). Rural Marketing. Pearson Education India. Additional optional readings, if needed,
will be shared during the course.

Preparation and Submission

Pre-class preparation for cases is compulsory and important for a good learning experience. Preparation for
sessions involves (i) thorough reading of the assigned reading material and (ii) reading and analysis of the
case. Each group has to submit a case analysis report before the start of the session. The submissions should
not be more than 6 pages (3 sheets) long.

Evaluation Components and Weightages:

• Case Analysis - 25%
• Class Participation - 15%
• Project - 20%
 • Quiz - 10%
• End Term Exam - 30%

Policy On Plagiarism
Any incidence of academic dishonesty or plagiarism will lead to an automatic F grade for the entire course.

In-class discipline
There is a 100% attendance requirement for this course. Coming late to the class in NOT allowed and will
be treated as absence. Cell phone usage is not permitted in the class.
 Indian Institute of Management Nagpur
Post Graduate Programme in Management (2016-18)
Rural Marketing - Session Plan
Session 1: State and Scope of Rural Markets
Case: -
Reading: Chapter 1: The Call of Rural India
Chapter 2: The Rural Marketing Environment
Session 2: Researching and Segmenting Rural Markets
Case: -
Reading: Chapter 4: Rural Marketing research
Chapter 5: Segmenting and Targeting Rural Markets
Session 3: Rural Buyer and Consumer Behavior
Case: Mahindra & Mahindra: Marketing A Low-Priced Mini-Tractor
Reading: Chapter 3 : Rural Consumer Behaviour
Session 4: Product Strategy for Rural Markets
Case: GE Healthcare India (A): The Marketing Challenge of Low-Resource Customers
Reading: GE Healthcare India (B): The Product Innovation Journey
Chapter 6: Product Strategy
Session 5: Pricing Strategy for Rural Markets
Case: TBD
Reading: Chapter 7: Pricing Strategies
Session 6: Channel Selection and Distribution Management
Case: D.Light Design: Marketing Channel Strategies in India
Reading: Chapter 8: Distribution in Rural Markets
Session 7-8: Communicating with the Rural Markets
Case: Hindustan Unilever Limited: Missed Call Mobile Marketing in Rural India (A)
Reading: Hindustan Unilever Limited: Mobile Marketing in Rural India – Kan Khajura Tesan (B)
Chapter 9: Communication Strategies for Rural Markets
Session 9: Marketing of Services to Rural Markets
Case: Aravind Eye Care (Tentative)
Reading: Chapter 10: Rural Services Marketing
Session 10: Marketing of Consumer Products to Rural Population
Case: Unilever in India: Hindustan Lever’s Project Shakti – Marketing FMCG to the Rural Consumer
Reading: Mahajan, V. (2016). How Unilever Reaches Rural Consumers in Emerging Markets. Harvard
Business Review
Session 11: Rural Retailing
Case: Hariyali Kisaan Bazaar: A Rural Business Initiative
Reading: -
Session 12: Social Marketing
Case: Population Services International: The Social Marketing Project in Bangladesh
Reading: -
Session 13: Marketing of Rural Industry Products
Case: Mother Earth: Great Design, Great Values
Reading: -
Session 14: Innovating for Rural Markets
Case: Chotukool (A): Consumer-Centric Disruption at The Bottom of the Pyramid
Chotukool (B): Consumer-Centric Disruption at The Bottom of the Pyramid
Reading: -
Session 15: Financial Inclusion in Rural Markets
Case: Bandhan (A): Advancing Financial Inclusion in India
Bandhan (B): Sustainable Banking in India
Reading: -
Session 16: Marketing at the Bottom of the Pyramid
Case: Selco – Harnessing Sunlight to Create Livelihood
Reading: London, T. (2009). Making better investments at the base of the pyramid. Harvard Business
Review, 87(5), 106-113.
Session 17: Strategic Innovation at the Bottom of the Pyramid/ Emerging Markets -1
Case: India’s Amul: Keeping Up with the Times
Reading: -
Session 18-19: Strategic Innovation at the Bottom of the Pyramid/ Emerging Markets - 2
Case: Schneider Electric in Rural India: Integrating Social Responsibility with BoP Strategy
Reading: -
Session 20 Role of the public and private sector in developing rural/ BoP markets
Case: -
Reading: TBD

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