1. Rural Marketing (Overview) There is no single definitions of the term ‘rural’ that suits all the stakeholders operating in the rural market. Rural areas constitute a distinct market; they are not just a poor extension of the urban areas.

9. Case Study Akashganga

10. This case study is about a product and service named Akashganga sold by a small, entrepreneurial business named Shree Kamadhenu Electronics Private Ltd. (SKEPL). Akashganga is for dairy farmers and it is intended to enable to them to increase their efficiency and productivity. The Indian diary industry is plagued by several problems, the major ones being low productivity of Indian cows, the delays in processing milk, low quality caused by manual handling, corruption and mismanagement, and, of course, endemic dilution of milk with water.

13. SKEPL got around this problem by offering free trials and delayed payment schemes stretching up to several months. The company also provided responsive and efficient after-sales service. It established a service network covering the rural areas, and typically would attend to a compliant within a few hours of receiving it. It's important to note that the company's local presence whether for marketing, sales or service helped tremendously, since the villagers would not be disposed to make a journey to a town or city to learn about their products. The company also used a name Akashganga that Indian villagers can relate to. This helped earn the trust of the villagers.

14. Also, Shree Kamadhenu Electronics used local people for marketing, sales, service, etc. This was a very important factor that helped the farmers relate to and trust the company. Of course, the company had a solution that was superior in terms of time, transparency, fairness, etc, and that played a big role in their success. As a result of these factors, SKEPL gained a threshold in this large market and earned respect among farmers.