Which is why, come October 1999, the agency is all set to introduce a fleet of delivery vans for direct marketing in the northern states of the country. ``We will also get into merchandising and sampling by October '99. On an experimental basis, we will launch these vans first. After seeing the response to this rural project, we will go ahead with our plans for direct marketing,'' says Kapur.

The agency also plans to introduce `Rural Bazaars' in many villages in the near future. ``At these bazaars, we will promote our clients' brands with POS materials and hoardings. Our objective is to leap into the new century with rural India,'' explains Kapur.

According to a recent ORG-MARGsurvey, the rural market is estimated to be growing at five times the rate of the urban market. Moreover, the rural market accounts for about 70 per cent of the market for radios, bicycles, watches, cigarettes, cooking oils and personal products. ``So we have to capitalise on the biggest opportunities now,'' explains Kapur.

O&M launched Ogilvy Rural in 1994. After gauging the success of the new initiative, the agency spread its wings to 14 states by launching `Ogilvy Rural Communication Network' in July 1998. Currently, the network handles the advertising accounts of 25 clients. The list includes Unilever brands, Castrol, and Godfrey Philips. Last year, the agency became the AOR for all Unilever brands across the country. ``At O&M, we give a lot of emphasis on rural communications as rural India accounts for 75 per cent of the country,'' says Kapur.

Since traditional media reach extends to less than half the rural population, it is the non-traditional vehicles such as wall paintings, bus panels, cinemaand audio visual vans, haats and melas that dominate rural advertising. Currently, the Ogilvy Rural Network includes a team of 35 individuals in four offices, networked with another 10,000 at the state, district and village levels.

Says Dalveer Singh, managing consultant, Ogilvy Rural: ``As we are targeting the static audience, we have to focus on their culture and language. As mass media advertising is ineffective, we have to resort to interactive media advertising.''

In an effort to target rural customers, the agency displays the product and its brand messages through wall paintings, shop paintings and tin plate paintings. ``At haats, we host cultural activities where we interweave the brand message in folklore and plays,'' says Singh.

For the implementation of communications, O&M has developed vital contacts that include a network of folk performers, weekly haat managers, mela performers, wall painters, folk singers and script writers, bus terminus managers, andbicycle display managers.