Ms. Jayashree Mohanka, Senior General Manager – Marketing for Eveready Industries Ltd. visited Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad (MICA) on Wednesday and delivered a lecture on “Rural Marketing in India.”

Ms. Mohanka talked about how rural India was still a very important market for companies and how its dynamics are changing constantly. She tackled issues such as rural India’s lack of awareness of brands, the role of price, the challenges of counterfeit products and brand loyalty. Throwing light on consumer behaviour in rural markets, she pointed out cyclical cash flows and distribution as key factors in a successful marketing thrust in rural India. The role of the retailer also came in for scrutiny as Ms. Mohanka and MICAns jointly went in for a brainstorming session.

The discussion also succeeded in shedding light on the absorption of villages into outskirts of towns and the consequent changes in consumption habits. While discussing about the communication challenges in rural markets, Ms. Mohanka emphasized the need to avoid subtlety in the message. The lecture was well-received by the MICA community.

Ms. Mohanka is a 1983 alumna of IIM Calcutta and was associated with Titan Industries and Jenson & Nicholson before her current stint at Eveready.