Abstract

There was a time when India was described as a land of snake-charmers, elephant riders, agriculturists and villagers who were totally unaware of any commercial products, not even toothpaste. These villages and small towns, which were once inconsequential dots on maps, are now getting the attention of global marketing giants and media planners. Thanks to globalization, economic liberalization, IT revolution, Indian diaspora, female power, and improving infrastructure, middle class rural India today has more disposable income than urban India. The paper attempts to analyse the effects of this change in rural India particularly the change in the value Systems through advertisements. Rural India represents the heart of India. Rural consumer environment must be understood before the creation of advertisement. For effective promotion customer involvement is required which is both a return to an earlier era when ‘community value’ was the focus for those that lived in the same street, village or town, and a new and innovative approach to promotion so that the rural mindset is directed in a positive way towards the culture and community at large.