Brand awareness of consumer durables in rural India with special reference to eastern Rajasthan

Rural marketing has now arrived in the world of business and is one of the largest segments of activity. By 2017, rural India is expected to become a one trillion USD economy, equivalent to the current potential of South Korean or Canadian economies Cracking the bottom of the pyramid market in India is every company's dream and firms are making inroads into rural India with trenchant marketing strategies.

The increase in number of marketers in rural India has raised the expectation level of customers compelling firms to devise strategies to gain competitive edge. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to study brand awareness for consumer durables in rural markets of eastern Rajasthan. The study aims to gain insight into awareness of brands among rural consumers and their willingness to try new brands specifically for the categories selected for study. The study used a sample of 384 respondents in 61 villages of eastern Rajasthan. A structured questionnaire in Hindi was designed to collect relevant information. By identifying the factors that affect brand awareness and influence customer decision making the present research study will contribute to the understanding of the expectations of customers in rural India. It would also enable marketing managers interested in tapping rural markets to identify impact of brand dimensions and to concentrate firm's major efforts on those factors which enhance customer satisfaction. It is an exploratory research paper.