IIM Indore organized the 6th edition of its annual Rural Marketing Fest “Utsaha 2014” on November 5 and 6, 2014 at Janapav Kutti on the occasion of Kartik Purnima. There were 150 students in the core team of Utsaha who made it a grand event. Students from IIM Indore conducted primary market research in the rural area around Janapav Kutti to capture rural consumer insights.
With footfalls of more than 60,000 people, almost 2500 responses were collected just in two days. The event was graced by the PGP, Chair of IIM Indore and other faculty members. According to the coordinator, Harsh “Utsaha is the best way to combine classroom learning with field work and create real social value.” For the students, the opportunity to learn by actual market experience was fully utilized and they came up with practical applications of “classroom theories”. Utsaha has provided a platform for students of IIM Indore to indulge in corporate engagement with the project partners and develop a long term relationship based on it.
IIM Indore students used innovative methods with “Disguised Marketing Research” to capture the behavior of the rural consumer. Utsaha 2014 had six project partners namely Pidilite, HUL, ITC, Mondelez, Vodafone and PepsiCo. A separate stall for each of the project partners was set up with distinct set of activities at a central location- each fulfilling the research needs of the respective project partners.
To attract the consumers, Utsaha 2014 team members came up with stalls designed with handmade posters bringing in a rural touch to the stalls. Based on the demographics, the research methods used involved a good mix of methods like unstructured interviews, surveys as well as Taste Tests. Fun filled events like turban tying competition, games and magic shows were used to attract crowds to the stalls.
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