RURAL COMMUNICATION METHODS

AND RURAL ADVERTISING (Unit-4)

Ms. Apurva B
 Rural Communication

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

 In this unit we will take a closer look at the communication strategies for Rural
Development. After reading this unit, you should be able to :
• Explain the meaning and scope of communication strategies and draw up a
management plan
• Describe the process of planning, producing, and pre-testing media and material
production plan in support of management plan
• Outline the mechanism for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of
communication activities.
 INTRODUCTION

 Communication has an important role in the total development process. Communication

planning, therefore, becomes an indispensable requirement and an integral part of any planning
process, as it is assumed to be capable of compressing the time required for change and
multiplying the impact of development planning. In our system, we find drat there are scientists,
development administrators, and functionaries at various levels who see as communicators and
plan their roles through expression, interphone and response. If the expression is not clear, the
accurate interpretation becomes difficult and one cannot expect a proper response. As a result,
development means do not always teach the intended clientele group in a way that they can
gain a common understanding of the meaning, intent, and use of such* messages. It is, therefore,
necessary that you as a student of neural development are exposed to the process of planning
Communication - Extension Support for neural development.
 In the previous three units of this block you have learned about planning; preparation and
implementation of communication support; extension management and organizational
communication. In this unit, we shall now discuss communication strategies for rural development.
The discussion would cover apart from defining communication strategy, describing the
prerequisites of the management plan; Media and Material production plan, and Monitoring and
Evaluation plan.
 COMMUNICATION STRATEGY FOR RULAL MARKET

Meaning And Scope

 What is a communication strategy?
 A communication strategy is "a particular combination of channels and messages, designed to
reach certain audiences in order to achieve certain goals" Middleton 1980 in AMRIC Singapore-
1985
 " Communication strategy is a combination of methods, messages, and approaches by which
the planner seeks to achieve the communication objectives" Assifi French DTCP1'985.
 Let us now analyze the above two definitions. We find that there are two important aspects that
are essential to describe Communication Strategy (C.S.). These are that a communication
strategy is
I. A combination if approaches, messages, methods, and channels
II. Directed towards the achievement of a particular communication goal or objective
 If we try to illustrate this, it takes following shape

 There are four things we need to know for developing a communication strategy.
 The need / problem for which communication support is needed.
 The audience (Through Audience Analysis).
 How to set the communication objective or goal.
 How to design a strategy.
 Advertising and Sales Promotion Strategies
WHAT IS PROMOTION?
 Promotion involves all forms of communication that serves to inform, influence, remind, the target
segment about, the company about its products / services / ideas, community involvement and
impact on society.

 ELEMENTS OF PROMOTION MIX

 Advertising: Any paid and non personal communication regarding products, services or company
by an identified sponsor through a variety of media
 Public Relations or Publicity : Any paid or unpaid form of communication designed to promote an
image or stimulate interest about a company, its products / services.
 Sales Promotion : Any paid short - term marketing activity which encourages trial or purchase of a
product / service
 Direct Marketing : Combination of tools to communicate with or solicit response from specific
customers or prospects.
 Success Stories in Rural Market

 Lever's Breeze soap

 A1 Tea
 Britannia's Tiger biscuits
 LG's Sampoorna
 502 Pataka Chai, the tea brand
 Rural Promotion
 Promotion is the process of marketing communication to inform, persuade, remind
and influence consumers or users in favour of your products and service .

THE
Buyer
PRODUCTION

The company Channel

 The Promotion Media
 Newspaper : Eenadu(A.P), Dina Thanthi ( Tamil Nadu), Punjab Kesari (North), Loksatta
(Maharashtra), Anand Bazaar Patrica (West Bengal), Daink Baskar (North), Samaj, Dharitri,
Samaya (Odisha)
 Television: Sun TV (Tamilnadu), Asianet (Kerla), Eenadu( AP), Aplha Punjabi (North), Aplha
Mararthi (Maharashtra), OTV, ETV (Odisha)
 Radio: Radio reach is highest in Kerala (62%) followed by Tamil Nadu (35%) and Karnataka
(32%). Example : Colgate, Jyoti Labs, Zandu Balm are some of the company using radio
communication programme.
 A ten second spot in Regional station would cost only about Rs. 2000/-

Outdoor Advertisement
Form of media which includes signboard, wall painting, hoardings, tree boards, bus boards etc.
 Direct Mail Advertising

 Mailers for seed and pesticides to be sent as per agricultural

season.
 Direct mailers on consumer durables to be sent during the
harvesting season so that the farmers will,. have money for
purchasing the same.
 New Product Launch Techniques For Rural
Markets

 What is rural product?

 Rural products of India are unique, innovative and have good utility and
values. Large number of these rural products (like handicraft items, food
products, embroidery, clothes & other products) sustains a significant segment
of the population in the rural areas.

 How do you launch a new product in rural market?

 Distributing free samples among rural people not only popularize the product
but also gain huge acceptance among them. When the company decides to
enter into new market and launch the new product, in such cases free
distribution of samples is an effective pull-up sales promotional activity.
 SCOPE
 Rural marketing is a process of developing, pricing, promoting, & distributing rural specific goods
& services leading to desired exchange with rural customers to satisfy their needs and wants, &
also to achieve organizational objectives

 Types Of Rural Marketing

 Periodic Markets
 Mobile Traders
 Permanent Retail Shops
 Periodic Markets
The periodic market is one of the important features of rural marketing in India. Despite
urbanization and the growth of retail outlets, periodic markets are also essential for rural
people’s rural economy and social life. Periodic marketing work is done by two
institutions, fairs and weekly markets.
 Mobile Traders
There is another important agency known as mobile traders to meet the limited needs
of rural consumers like vegetables, fruits, clothes, utensils, cosmetics, spices, toiletries
etc. Mobile traders move from one place to another, from one house to another, to sell
items that the rural peoples often need.
 Permanent Retail Shops
With the increase in the population of villages, improvement in their income, demand
for goods, and daily development of permanent retail outlets take place. Traditional
fairs, weekly markets, or peddlers could not satisfy the situation, which led to the rise
and development of permanent shops.
 Recent Trends & Innovation in Rural Marketing
 Following are innovation and recent trends in rural marketing, which give a new dimension to the
rural market and rural consumers.
 Huge population
 Green revolution
 Smartphones
 Increased education level
 Increased employability of rural youth
 Enhanced purchasing power
 Government Incentives and policies
 Media
 IT penetration
 Brand conscious
 Objectives of Rural Marketing
 Rural market research has many objectives which make reach easy for
marketers. Following are the objectives of rural marketing search:-

 Get to know about the Psychographics and Demographics of rural customers.

 To ascertain the impact of promotional efforts.
 To forecast sales
 Find rural customer response for new products.
 Monitor competition moves.
 Investigate “What went wrong”.
 Marketing Strategies In Rural Areas

In this modern age, many rural marketing strategies in India are available that help
marketers reach rural consumers. Complex planning and an effective rural
marketing strategies will help your brand to flourish in rural areas. From hoarding to
mobile, many methods are available in the rural market. With time, rural marketing
India is getting updated, and now reaching rural markets has become easy. In the
below section, we mentioned top rural marketing strategies that help marketers
reach rural market in India. Rural marketing is now quite an easy process with
these ways
1. Rural Market Segmentation
 The first and most important strategy of rural
marketing is the proper segmentation of the rural
market.
 In this process, a potential rural market is
segmented into distinct sub-markets of
consumers with common needs and
characteristics.
 Rural market segmentation is the initial stage of
implementing a rural marketing strategy.
 Once the segmentation is done, the marketer
targets the identified customer groups with the
appropriate marketing mix so that the target
segments can perceive the company’s
product/brand.
 Market segmentation is a method of obtaining a
maximum market response from limited
marketing resources by recognizing differences
in the response characteristics of different market
segments.
 2. Competitive Strategy
 Supplier – In this process, marketers have to focus on supplies. For this, the brands not only
produce high-quality products but also sell them reasonably.
 Customer Power – With increased literacy, the advent of television, promotional efforts and
increased exposure to urban markets, rural consumers have become more
knowledgeable and empowered about products than ever before. Therefore, markets
must offer good quality products to meet their needs effectively.
 Potential Entrants – Rural marketing companies in India operating in the rural market should
work to remove entry barriers by first living there and build good relationships with retailers
so that new entrants are less likely to arrive and survive.
 Alternative Products – Due to high levels of illiteracy, low awareness and dependence on
retailers in rural areas, counterfeiting is prevalent, and alternatives flourish. Hence the
company should have an adequate strategy to counter this menace so that millions spent
in the brand building are not wasted. Companies have to ensure the education of rural
consumers through packaging, promotion, and brand recognition to get exactly what
they want.
 Competitor – The nature of rural marketing competition is very different from that in the urban
market. Thus, the competitive strategy concerning the rural market differs on almost all five
forces, which suggests that the strategic approach required for the rural market is very different
from the approach adopted in the urban market.
3. Product Strategy
 Product strategy in rural marketing is an essential step for good marketing. So, for this, check out
the points mentioned below:-
 Understand product value
 Packaging
 Branding
 Logos & Symbols
4. Pricing Strategy
 Companies must price their products competitively and provide maximum value for money spent in
their rural areas.
 Indian companies can do this by creating an aggressive cost structure. Redesigning of products for
the rural market should be done to maintain a low cost of products.
 Refill packs are an excellent example in this case.
5. Advertisement Via Hoardings & Wall Paintings
 Advertisement through hoarding is quite an old and effective way of branding. And it
sounds strange that it is the best option for rural marketing.
 In this process, the marketer or adviser put hoardings on the side of the road.
 Apart from hoarding, wall painting is most effective in rural areas for branding.
 Markets and advertisers decide the design of wall painting. Then, it is handed over to a
local artist to complete the artwork of the layout.
 The rural area of India prefers to live in simplicity and traditional values.
 Thus, wall painting is a sure way of attracting the attention of the people of the village.
 So, if you want good product branding in rural markets, then this method is best for you.
6. Mobile VAN
 Videos and audios create a more impactful impression for anything. Similarly,
these mediums create highly affected impressions of brands in rural areas. So,
for rural marketing, mobile vans must be a good option.
 Mobile vans also work to spread the brand’s image and message across
multiple locations in a single day in a single village or even in several villages.
 Placing leaflets, flyers and product samples in the mobile van will further
enhance the brand’s image among the local people.
7. Kiosk Setup
 When branders want one-on-one interaction with rural people, then kiosk setup is one the best
ways or rural marketing strategies.
 For this, you have to set up the kiosk in the popular areas of the village like a post office, the
marketplace, near a high school, etc., to attract them. Then, as a result, they will be influenced
to reach the kiosk out of their curiosity.
 Kiosk setup also helps you to have a detailed conversation with potential consumers about the
brand. This, in turn, helps in building a solid image of the brand among the villagers.
 Distribution of leaflets and flyers, product/service display and sampling, goes a long way in
strengthening the brand’s reach.
8. Shop Branding
 Shop branding is another best strategy to make your brand popular among rural people.
 In this process, you have to advertise your brand in and around the village shop, which will
create an immediate response between the rural consumers.
 Shop branding in rural marketing is the same as mall advertising in cities.
 Advertisement of a brand near a retail outlet induces the customer to buy the product out of
curiosity.
 Thus, it is a very impactful way of rural marketing.
9. Fairs (Melas) & Events
 Melas or village fairs are the most anticipated events
in the village.
 These village fairs or events are held in the various
festivals that locals observe.
 Almost the entire village and the crowds of the
surrounding villages participate in these fairs.
 Hence, putting up a stall in these fairs is a prudent
way to draw the attention of a village towards a
brand.
• These rural marketing strategies help the brands to
reach rural markets efficiently. Many brands are
available in India that want to take a position in the
rural market because this market is vast and now a
developed market. Nowadays, most marketers,
whether old or new, want to enter this market. So, if
you are one of them,
 Different Approaches Of Rural Communication In
Contemporary Rural
Radio
 Radio remains the most powerful, and yet the cheapest, mass medium for reaching large numbers of
people in isolated areas. Thanks to the revolution of the transistor, even the remotest villages have access
to rural radio, which builds on the oral tradition of rural populations. Although men own the majority of
radio receivers, women can listen to programmes at home in the evenings when the main chores of the
day are finished.
 Radio is an important tool for the rapid diffusion of important messages on new agricultural production
ideas and techniques as well as on health, nutrition, family planning and other social and cultural issues.
 training and the transfer of technologies. It can promote dialogue and debate on the major issues of rural
development as well as providing a platform for the expression of rural women's needs, opinions and
aspirations. Radio enables women to voice their concerns and speak about their aspirations with external
partners such as national policy-makers and development planners. Finally, radio is a tool that can be used
to develop community cohesion and solidarity. Community involvement is fundamental for the successful
use of radio with rural populations. Radio programmes are most effective when produced with audience
participation, in local languages and with consideration for cultural traditions. Successful features include
live public shows, quizzes and village debates
 Community-based radio
 Democratization, pluralism, and deregulation policies adopted in many developing countries, together with the decreasing
cost of FM transmitters, have favored the proliferation of local community radio stations. In Mali alone there are more than
75 radio stations, established by private individuals, associations, local communities, and commercial, religious, and political
organizations. Community stations treat issues concerning the everyday life of their listeners and also promote local
development. They are an important channel for the motivation and education of women and they raise the consciousness of
gender issues as well as inform women about their rights. They offer rural women the opportunity to use the microphone to
talk about the issues that interest them and they play women's music that is seldom heard elsewhere. More and more women
are receiving training in the programming and management of community-based radio stations so that the programs can
reflect their real needs.
 Television
 The Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995) identified the mass media as having
great potential to promote the advancement of women and the equality of women and men. In particular, it states that
“television especially has the greatest impact on young people and, as such, has the ability to shape values, attitudes, and
perceptions of women in both positive and negative ways.” Indeed, television is a prestigious, powerful, and empowering
tool that can raise awareness, generate discussion and increase knowledge. It is an important channel for advocacy, for
drawing policy-makers attention to the potential of rural women, and for promoting the inclusion of appropriate strategies on
development agendas. Although television is not generally available to communities in very isolated rural areas, increasingly
in many developing countries it is becoming a reality in the countryside. With increasing urbanization, television can be an
important means to reach women audiences who have come to the city from rural areas. A striking
 A striking example of the use of television for social change was the Soul City drama series in South Africa.
 television programs were aimed at young women in lower-income groups and dealt with priority maternal and child health topics in addition to the
empowerment of women and communities, social issues, and HIV/AIDS awareness. The drama captures people's imagination like no other television
format, and the half-hour episodes used the power of drama to impart health education messages. This technique, known as "edutainment", conveys
educational messages through an entertainment program. Broadcast on primetime on the most popular channel in South Africa, the Soul City series
attracted a large and loyal audience.

 Audiovisual media
 Low-cost audio and visual media, such as video, slide sets, filmstrips, audiocassettes and flipcharts, are valuable tools to motivate and assist in training
groups. These technologies have been improving and developing over the years, and equipment is now cheaper, lighter, battery-operated and portable,
thus making it suitable for use with women in rural areas. Audiovisual media can be used with women effectively at convenient times and places:
women farmers do not have the time or money to travel to training centres and, for cultural reasons, often cannot attend training sessions with men.
 Audiovisual training materials can be brought to women in their villages and shown to them in the hours in which they are free from their tasks of
caring for the home, producing food or earning income. When this is not possible, special arrangements can be made to enable women to attend training
sessions For example, in the Central African Republic, slide sets on the identification and treatment of cattle diseases were shown in the villages of
Islamic Peuhl cattleowners. Women and men watched the programmes together by placing a transparent screen in the middle of the village square,
allowing the men to view the programme on one side, with the women seated and watching on the other side. In this manner, cultural traditions were
observed, but women were given access to the training programmes.
 Video, too, is being extensively and increasingly used to improve rural extension and training. With FAO assistance, a video-based farmer training
methodology has been developed to reproduce farmers' knowledge at the same time as integrating it with modern scientific knowledge. Although video
is the primary training tool for facilitating understanding, it is backed up with simple printed guidelines for both the trainers and the farmers.
 These guidelines (with several drawings and a limited amount of text) also serve as "memory" for the trainees. This audiovisual training methodology
was first developed by an FAO project in Peru and has since been applied in other countries in the region, including Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay,
Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Caribbean countries. It has also been used in China, the Republic of Korea and Mali.
 Rural Advertising
 Introduction:
 The emergence of rural markets as highly untapped potential emphasizes the need to explore
them. Marketers over the past few decades, with innovative approaches, have attempted to
understand and tap rural markets. Some of their efforts paid off and many markets still an
enigma. Rural marketing is an evolving concept, and as a part of any economy, has untapped
potential; marketers have realized the opportunity recently. Improvement in infrastructure and
reach, promise a bright future for those intending to go rural. Rural consumers are keen on
branded goods nowadays, so the market size for products and services seems to have burgeoned.
 The rural population has shown a trend of moving to a state of gradual urbanization in terms of
exposure, habits, lifestyles, and lastly, consumption patterns of goods and services. So, there are
dangers on concentrating more on the rural customers. Reducing the product features in order to
lower prices is a dangerous game to play. Rural buyers like to follow the urban pattern of living.
Astonishingly, as per the census report 2003-04, there are total 638365 villages in India in which
nearly 70% of total population resides; out of them 35 % villages have more than 1000
population.
 Rural per capita consumption expenditure grew by 11.5 per cent while the urban expenditure
grew by 9.6 per cent. There is a tremendous potential for consumer durables like two-wheelers,
small cars, television sets, refrigerators, air-conditioners and household appliances in rural India.
 Characteristics and objectives of
advertising
 The world has become a global market. Modern market is more dynamic, competitive, and consumer-oriented.
Entire marketing process is aimed at satisfying consumers more effectively than competitors. Consumer
satisfaction can be achieved by receiving information from market and sending information to the market.
 In order to inform, attract, and convince the valued customers, a marketer undertakes a number of promotional
means. Advertising is one of the powerful means to inform about company’s total offers. Advertising is a dominant
element of market promotion. Many times, the entire promotional efforts are replaced by advertising alone.
 Major portion of promotion budget is consumed by advertising alone. Advertising is so powerful and popular that it
is taken as equal to marketing!! Mass media are used intensively to advertise various products. Marketing without
advertising seems to be impossible. Advertising works like a magic stick to actualize marketing goals!
 Definitions of Advertising:
 1. We can define term ‘advertising’ as:
 Advertising is a paid form of mass communication that consists of the special message sent by the specific person
(advertiser or company), for the specific group of people (listeners, readers, or viewers), for the specific period of
time, in the specific manner to achieve the specific goals.
 2. More clearly, advertising can be defined as:Advertising includes oral, written, or audiovisual message
addressed to the people for the purpose of informing and influencing them to buy the products or to act favorably
toward idea or institution.
 3. Philip Kotler:
 “Advertising is any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of goods, services, or ideas by an
identified sponsor.”
 Characteristics of Advertising:
 Above stated definitions reveal following features:
 1. Tool for Market Promotion:
 There are various tools used for market communication, such as advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, and publicity. Advertising is a powerful, expensive, and popular
element of promotion mix.
 2. Non-personal:Advertising is a type of non-personal or mass communication with the target audience. A large number of people are addressed at time. It is called as non-
personal salesmanship.
 3. Paid Form:
 Advertising is not free of costs. Advertiser, called as sponsor, has to spend money for preparing message, buying media, and monitoring advertising efforts. It is the costliest
option of market promotion. Company has to prepare its advertising budget to appropriate advertising costs.
 4. Wide Applicability:
 Advertising is a popular and widely used means for communicating with the target market. It is not used only for business and profession, but is widely used by museums,
charitable trusts, government agencies, educational institutions, and others to inform and attract various target publics.
 5. Varied Objectives:Advertising is a type of non-personal or mass communication with the target audience. A large number of people are addressed at time. It is called as non-
personal salesmanship.
 3. Paid Form:
 Advertising is not free of costs. Advertiser, called as sponsor, has to spend money for preparing message, buying media, and monitoring advertising efforts. It is the costliest
option of market promotion. Company has to prepare its advertising budget to appropriate advertising costs.
 4. Wide Applicability:
 Advertising is a popular and widely used means for communicating with the target market. It is not used only for business and profession, but is widely used by museums,
charitable trusts, government agencies, educational institutions, and others to inform and attract various target publics.
 5. Varied Objectives:
 6. Forms of Advertising:
 Advertising message can be expressed in written, oral, audible, or visual forms. Mostly, message is expressed
in a joint form, such as oral-visual, audio-visual, etc.
 7. Use of Media:
 Advertiser can use any of the several advertising media to convey the message. Widely used media are print
media (newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, booklets, letters, etc.), outdoor media (hoardings, sign boards,
wall-printing, vehicle, banners, etc.), audio-visual media (radio, television, film, Internet, etc.), or any other
to address the target audience.
 8. Advertising as an Art:
 Today’s advertising task is much complicated. Message creation and presentation require a good deal of
knowledge, creativity, skills, and experience. So, advertising can be said as an art. It is an artful activity.
 9. Element of Truth:
 It is difficult to say that advertising message always reveals the truth. In many cases, exaggerated facts are
advertised. However, due to certain legal provisions, the element of truth can be fairly assured. But, there is no
guarantee that the claim made in advertisement is completely true. Most advertisements are erotic, materialistic,
misleading, and producer-centered.
 10. One-way Communication:
 Advertising involves the one-way communication. Message moves from company to customers, from sponsor to
audience. Message from consumers to marketer is not possible. Marketer cannot know how far the advertisement
has influenced the audience.
 Key Decisions in Advertising:
 Advertising is one of – but popular and powerful – tools of market promotion. It involves a several decisions.
 Some experts explain advertising decisions and activities in form of six ‘M’s as under:1. The first ‘M’
stands for Mission – Advertising Objectives.
 2. The second ‘M stands for Money – Advertising Budget.
 3. The third ‘M’ stands for Message – Creating Advertising Message and Copy.
 4. The forth ‘M’ stand for Monitoring – Managing (organising) of Advertising Efforts.
 5. The fifth ‘M’ stands for Media – Advertising Media Selection and Media Scheduling.
 6. The sixth ‘M’ stands for Measurement – Measuring and Evaluating Advertising Effectiveness (MEAE).
 Advertising Objectives:
 Introduction:
 Advertising is aimed at achieving various objectives. Objectives may be commercial or social in nature.
Prof. Kelly gave the concept of DAG MAR – Defining Advertising Goals for Measuring Advertising Results
– in relation to advertising objectives. Broadly, advertising objectives can be categorized into three classes,
such as informative objectives, persuasive objectives, and reminder objectives.
 Prof. Sew and Prof. Smith have classified objectives as:
 i. Sales objectives
 ii. Aiding salesforce
 iii. Competition-related objectives
 Effects of advertising on society

 POSITIVE IMPACT
 1. Growth in business - The impact of the advertising company on the society at large has been enormous.
Unprecedented sales have been made the world over by listing products and services on TV. The Indian
society belongs to the Television age that loves to just sit and watch all sorts of things on
television. Research has shown that immense profit has been recorded by most companies who have
invested hugely in advertising.


 2. Public Service Ads. - Public service advertisements are often the first things considered
when people discuss the positives of advertisements. These advertisements market a social
concept of importance to the general public. Many public service announcements run
messages about health, safety, national security, etc. For example, Amitabh bachan
requesting and informing people about polio drops or a common man scared to go to a
doctor because of shyness regarding the disease or problem he has.


 3. Public being informed - Needs of public increases with passage of time. They need more
and more products and each time a new one. At the same time many new products come
into the market. Ads. are the mode of communication which keep public informed about the
new things.
 NEGATIVE IMPACT
 1. Extravagance - Ads shows the selling price of the commodities. Here we would see that people are
tempted by these Ads to buy the goods thay cannot afford. Here viewers become extravagant and do not
hesitate to use corrupt means to earn more to increase their purchasing power.


 2. Controlling consumer decision - Consumers have never taken a step back to examine the effects of
advertising on their spending habits. Sometimes an advertisement is so good that the average consumer
will go out and buy that product only to find out later that what they saw in the advertisement is very
different in reality. Today’s advertisements use tactics that are invasive and controlling.


 3. Vulgarity - Ads potrait vulgarity also. They exploit emotions and sentiments of people. They may prove
to be offensive to public decencyand insulting women. Even it may take children to different path,
effecting them negatively.


 4. High Preices and Creation of Monopoly - Advertising increases the prices of products to consumers
because the expense incurred in it is passed on to the consumers. moreover the higher spending power of
the larger firms as compared to smaller firms may lead to creation of monopoly which may be
consequently used to exploit customers.
 TRADITIONAL MEDIA

 For generations, rural populations living in isolated villages without access to modern means of communication have
relied on the spoken word and traditional forms of communication as a means of sharing knowledge and information
and providing entertainment.
 For illiterate rural women in particular, occasions for information exchange have consisted solely in local festivities,
family gatherings, traditional and religious associations, interaction with itinerant merchants and encounters at
marketplaces or water wells. However, women have made use of the oral tradition to ensure their own as well as their
families' survival and, as a result, have developed a rich communication environment. They have lived creative lives,
transmitting culture, knowledge, customs and history through traditional forms of communication such as poetry,
proverbs, songs, stories, dances and plays. Within their communities, women are active participants in social
communication networks. They use indigenous communication methods for information exchange, knowledge
sharing and the dissemination of strategies for mutual assistance and survival.
 Communication is a product of culture, and culture determines the code, structure, meaning and context of the
communication that takes place. The participation of local folk artists, storytellers and performers in the production
and use of traditional media ensures respect for traditional values, symbols and realities and, at the same time,
ensures that such media productions appeal to rural audiences. By tapping the community's creative pool of
traditional culture, expressions and formats, women can maintain their cultural identity while gaining social self-
reliance. Women's use of local media and communication channels also increases the credibility of media
programmes and thus their effectiveness and impact on the knowledge, attitudes and behavior of other women.
 DRAMA:
 Most of you may have heard of the term ‘drama’. Have you ever seen a drama being performed in your neighbourhood or
in a theatre ? Drama is one of the most popular forms of traditional media. Let us understand this form by using an
example from the rural areas. After completing the work in the fields, you very often find that farmers celebrate their joy of
leisure. They use different types of art forms for this. They use natural colours for makeup. Performance themes are from
their own sufferings,daily work, future dreams and mythology. Here the viewers can also participate as and when they feel
like. Let us study about some of these forms of drama performed in different states. Tamasha: If you happen to watch a
tamasha performance in Maharashtra, you will come to know more about their ancient rulers, Maratha heroism, their
rugged landscape, their music etc. The philosophical and aesthetic scheme of tamasha incorporates three basic elements:
the entertainment tradition, the more serious propagandist tradition & the devotional tradition. Have you ever watched a
Tamasha performance? Nautanki: The Nautanki form found in northern India entertain their audiences with often vulgar
and disrespectful stories. Rooted in the peasant society of premodern India, this theatre vibrates with lively dancing
,pulsating drumbeats & full throated singing .Unlike other styles of Indian theatre, the nautanki does not depend on Indian
religious epics such as Ramayana or Mahabharata for its subject. Khayal: Khayal is mainly performed in Rajasthan. It is a
combination of song, dance and drama. Music is an important aspect in this form of folk theatre. It is performed not only
for entertainment purpose but it is used mainly as an essential means of communication between actors. There is an
immense variety in the use of singing—sometimes by the characters individually or in the chorus. Instrumental music is
also used in the beginning of the performance to create a favourable atmosphere for the play.
 Puppetry:
 Have you seen puppets or even wondered what they are ? The word puppet comes from the French
‘Poupee’ or the Latin ‘Pupa’, both meaning `dolls’. In Sanskrit, puppets are termed `Putraka’, `Putrika’ or
`Puttalika’, all of which are derived from the root Putta equivalent to Putra (son). It is derived from ancient
Indian thoughts that puppets have life. Puppet theatre is a form of entertainment found practically in all
parts of the world. In puppet theatre, various forms known as puppets, are used to illustrate the narratives.
Let us find out more about them. There are four basic kinds of puppets : • glove puppets • string puppets •
rod puppets
 PAINTINGS :
 Primitive man was unaware of words,but he was able to draw a picture of an animal with a tail,a head and
four legs or a human figure with a pin head and four lines for hands and feet. Throughout different periods
of history, we find a definite established tradition of painting on various objects, particularly on intimate
objects of everyday use, floors and walls; and in almost every instance, the depiction being associated with
some ritual. Traditonal paintings of Madhya Pradesh, specially the wall paintings of Bundelkhand,
Chhattisgarh, Gondwana, Nimar and Malwa are living expressions of people, closely linked with the socio-
cultural environment of the area. They are not mere decorations but also expressions of religious devotion.
Let us try and understand some of the examples. • In Bundelkhand, painting is usually done by a caste of
professional painters called Chiteras. • In the paintings of Chhattisgarh, mud plaster base is used, over
which linear patterns are etched with fingers: the process is called ‘Lipai’. The women of the Rajwar
community are specialists in ‘Lipai’, whereas Pando and Satnami communities make linear designs similar
to a woven fabric. Wall Paintings: Wall paintings are an effective way to communicate to rural consumers.
 Wall paintings present an cost effective options but are limited to creating only a visual impact as literacy is
low
 Folk Theatre:
 These are mainly short and rhythmic in form. The simple times help in
 informing and educating the people in an informal and interesting manner. It has been
 used as an effective medium for social protests against injustice, exploitation and oppres-
 sion. Burrakatha, Veethi Natakah of Andhra, Bharai of Gujarat, Tamasha, Soudha,
 Dashavatar of Maharashtra are different types of folk theatre prevalent in India. Brook
 Bond Lipton India Ltd. (BBLIL) used magicians quite effectively for launch of ‘Kadak’
 Chhap Tea in Etawah district of U.P. Government of India uses folk theatre to sell a wide
 variety of seeds and fertilizers (Ramkishen, Y., 2002, p. 113-114), as also for its Family
 Welfare Campaigns, and for anti-AIDS campaigns.
 Harikatha

 Harikatha, also known as Harikatha Kaalakshepam in Telugu and Tamil, is a form of

Hindu traditional discourse in which the storyteller explores a traditional theme, usually
the life of a saint or a story from an Indian epic. The person telling the story through
songs, music and narration is called a Haridasa.
 literally " Story of Lord", also known as Harikatha Kaalakshepam in Telugu and Tamil
(Spending time to listen to Hari's story (Katha)), is a form of Hindu traditional discourse in
which the storyteller explores a traditional theme, usually the life of a saint or a story from an
Indian epic. The person telling the story through songs, music and narration is called a Haridasa.
Harikatha is a composite art form composed of storytelling, poetry, music, drama, dance, and
philosophy most prevalent in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. Any
Hindu religious theme may be the subject for the Harikatha. At its peak Harikatha was a popular
medium of entertainment, which helped transmit cultural, educational and religious values to the
masses. The main aim of Hari Katha is to imbue truth and righteousness in the minds of people
and sow the seeds of devotion in them. Another of the aims is to educate them about knowledge
of self (atman) through stories and show them the path of liberation.
 HAATS

 Haats are periodic markets and an important part of the rural way of life. Haats are rural
bazaars that come up every week across rural India. They are the epicenter for the
rural marketing system in India, and a readymade distribution network embedded in the
rural fabric.
 Haat bazaars are conducted on a regular basis, like once, twice, or three times a week
and in some cases every two weeks. Haats are mostly unregulated markets and are
also known as Angadi, Hatwari, and Shandies. Exact figures on Haats are difficult to
obtain. As per the study conducted by Rural Marketing Association of India (RMAI) in
2010, there are believed to be around 43,000 permanent haats, mostly concentrated in
Bihar (including Jharkhand), Kerala, Madhya Pradesh (including Chhattisgarh),
Maharashtra, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh (including Uttaranchal) and West Bengal, all
relatively backward parts of the country. As per the RMAI study, every week on an
average 545 stalls appear in a large haat (located in a 10,000+ population place), while
around 327 stalls are set up in as mall haat (located in 5,000-10,000 population
villages). Out of the total footfalls, around two-fifth belongs to female visitors.
Haats provide tremendous opportunity for consumer goods companies to promote and
sell their products to the rural populace. Haats are generally located in places that are
 Melas

 India has currently 47,000 haats held throughout the country held mostly on a
weekly basis. Mandis: There are about 7600 mandis in India which provide a
medium to interact with farmers. Melas: For example, Fair and lovely
popularised in Allahabad Kumba Mela. About 25,000 melas are organized
annually.
 Posters

 A poster is a temporary promotion of an idea, product, or event put up in a public

space for mass consumption. Typically, posters include
both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly
graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and
informative. Posters may be used for many purposes. They are a frequent tool of
advertisers (particularly of events, musicians, and films), propagandists, protestors,
and other groups trying to communicate a message. Posters are also used for
reproductions of artwork, particularly famous works, and are generally low-cost
compared to the original artwork. The modern poster, as we know it, however,
dates back to the 1840s and 1850s when the printing industry perfected
colour lithography and made mass production possible
 Agricultural Games

 We can start our discussion of media by defining and describing different kinds of media that children are using
today. Modern media comes in many different formats, including print media (books, magazines, newspapers),
television, movies, video games, music, cell phones, various kinds of software, and the Internet. Each type of media
involves both content, and also a device or object through which that content is delivered.
 Print Media
The term 'print media' is used to describe the traditional or "old-fashioned" print-based media that today's
parents grew up with, including newspapers, magazines, books, and comics or graphic novels. Historically, only
wealthy publishers had access to sophisticated type-setting technologies necessary to create printed material, but
this has changed in recent years with the widespread accessibility of desktop publishing software and print-on-
demand publication services such as Lulu.com (LINK). More recently, electronic book readers such as the Amazon
Kindle which store hundreds of books on a single device and which allow readers to directly download books and
newspapers have become popular.
 Television
Television has been entertaining American families for over fifty years. In the beginning, there were few programs
to to pick from, but today, there are literally hundreds of general and specialty channels to choose from and
thousands upon thousands of programs. Where it was once the case that programs had to be watched at the time
they were broadcast on a television, this is no longer the case. Today, viewers can summon a movie or television
episode whenever they want, through many cable or satellite services' pay-per-view or free on-demand services.
They may also download or stream episodes from the Internet and watch them on their computers. Viewers may
use DVR (digital video recorder) devices, such as a Tivo to record programs at one time and watch them at
another time. Viewers with certain cell phones may even watch programs through their cell phones.
 Modern Media
 Print Media
The term 'print media' is used to describe the traditional or "old-fashioned" print-based media that today's parents
grew up with, including newspapers, magazines, books, and comics or graphic novels. Historically, only wealthy
publishers had access to sophisticated type-setting technologies necessary to create printed material, but this has
changed in recent years with the widespread accessibility of desktop publishing software and print-on-demand
publication services such as Lulu.com (LINK). More recently, electronic book readers such as the Amazon
Kindle which store hundreds of books on a single device and which allow readers to directly download books and
newspapers have become popular.
 Television
Television has been entertaining American families for over fifty years. In the beginning, there were few programs
to pick from, but today, there are literally hundreds of general and specialty channels to choose from and thousands
upon thousands of programs. Where it was once the case that programs had to be watched at the time they were
broadcast on a television, this is no longer the case. Today, viewers can summon a movie or television episode
whenever they want, through many cable or satellite services' pay-per-view or free on-demand services. They may
also download or stream episodes from the Internet and watch them on their computers. Viewers may use DVR
(digital video recorder) devices, such as a Tivo to record programs at one time and watch them at another time.
Viewers with certain cell phones may even watch programs through their cell phones.
 Movies
 Movies (films) are the oldest form of motion picture technology capable of capturing lifelike video-style images.
Originally, movies could only be consumed at a neighborhood movie theater, but these days movies are widely
available for people to consume in their homes, on their computers, and even in through their telephones.
Commercial movies are broadcast on television, and via cable and satellite services which may feature High
Definition (HD) video resolution and sound, essentially allowing the movie theater experience to be replicated in a
home theater environment. Commercial movies are also distributed on DVD and Blu-Ray disks, which can be rented
from stores and through-the-mail services such as Netflix, and through downloadable computer files, which can be
legally downloaded from movie rental services
 such as Amazon and iTunes or streamed through Netflix or on-demand cable services. Home movies produced
by amateurs with inexpensive video cameras are now also widely available through video sharing websites such
as YouTube.com and Vimeo.com.
 Video Games
Available since the early 1980s, video games have only grown in popularity among youth. Today's games make
use of advanced graphics and processors to enable three dimensional game play featuring highly realistic
landscapes and physics simulations, and the ability to compete against other players through a network
connection. Modern video games are immersive, exciting and increasingly interactive. Players feel like they really
are in the situation because of the life-like graphics and sounds. Through video games, youth can extend their
pretend play, as they become soldiers, aliens, race car drivers, street fighters, and football players.
 A point of purchase (POP) is a term used by marketers and retailers when planning the placement of
consumer products, such as product displays strategically placed in a grocery store aisle or advertised in
a weekly flyer. Similar to this term is the point of sale (POS), which is the point at which a customer
purchases and pays for products, such as on a website or at a store checkout. The POP is the area that
surrounds the POS, where customers often encounter promotional activities or other products.
 music recording, physical record of a musical performance that can then be played back, or
reproduced.
 Because music evaporates as soon as it is produced, humans, seeking permanence in life’s ephemera,
have long sought ways to record and reproduce it. The efforts to capture the fleeting sounds of music
have followed two basic methods: that of symbols and that of signals. The former—musical notation—
matured earlier, and in one form or another it virtually monopolized the recording of music for
centuries; the latter had to await the emergence of technology for its development. In notation, symbols
are written down as a message to a trained performing musician who understands them and reinterprets
them into sound. Signals, on the other hand—being direct physical impressions of, and potential stimuli
to, sounds—bypass the performer in their reproduction and, in some electronic compositions, even in
their recording. This article concerns itself solely with the latter, nonsymbolic, method. For information
on the former method see notation.