Rallis India, a Tata Group company, has been awarded the silver prize in the category of integrated rural marketing campaigns by the Rural Marketing Agencies Association of India (RMAAI) at a ceremony held at Hotel Leela, Mumbai, on November 29, 2006. Srinivasan K Swamy, CMD of R K Swamy BBDO and president, Advertising Agencies Association of India, was the chief guest for the awards ceremony.

RMAAI has instituted the awards, the first of their kind, this year to recognise the good work being carried out in the field of rural marketing. The association received 50 entries for seven categories, out of which 11 entries were finally selected for the awards.

Rallis is a leading agrochemical company in India and has been working in rural markets for several decades. Over the years, it has carried out many innovative rural marketing campaigns that are reflected in its strong market presence throughout India across different geographies. Among its unique initiatives is the '4S' rural marketing campaign targeting crops like cotton. The campaign was implemented with the launch of Tata MIDA WS - an on-farm seed treatment insecticide.

The '4S' is a structured and unique four-phase rural marketing campaign, the name standing for the four marketing stages of sampark (communication), sambandh (relationship), samruddhi (prosperity) and santushti (satisfaction) carried out while marketing the products to customers.

Sampark is a mass contact programme that involves participation of cross-functional teams from company divisions like manufacturing, R&D, logistics, finance, marketing and sales teams. Its aim is to create large-scale awareness before the actual usage of products. This involvement of people from various company divisions creates credibility for the entire approach and reveals the customer orientation of the company.

Sambandh activities begin at the time of usage of products with the aim of strengthening relationships forged earlier with the customers who were approached during the Sampark phase. It involves converting positive dispositions of customers into purchase decisions. Activities like exhibition stalls at market places, camps, farmer and retailer meetings are some of the key methods used during this stage.

Samruddhi involves being with the farmers throughout the crop season and helps them in achieving prosperity. Regular field visits are organised for guiding farmers on different aspects of crop management. Conducted as a key activity, it reinforces the commitment of the company towards producing better returns for the customers.

Santushti is carried out at a time when crops reach maturity or at the harvest time and aims at measuring the effectiveness of the campaign and taking feedback from the customers. It also helps in understanding the processes that worked well and those that need improvement.

The '4S' campaign, on the one hand, helps in creating newer sets of customers, and on the other, reinforces relationships with existing customers and strengthens the bond between them and the company. All the four phases of the campaign receive monitoring on a daily basis with measurements carried out for their effectiveness at critical points.