If Tanu weds Manu.. Shouldn’t Marketers Court Bharat!

As Tanu mocks Manu above, chiding him for his choice of “substandard” Jhajjar girl Datto- over herself. One wonders how Bollywood's Movie Camps viewed such Desi movies just a few years ago. The Formula driven, mega budget star casting Bollywood camps would have called this as “Reebokey” or Dublicate. Until the block buster like "Dabangg" broke the mold- Thus movies with connect with small town North India (Bharat) perhaps have become the new formula!

Advertising and marketing Mirror the Society, unfortunately the Metropolitan context of most our adv’s makes me wonder.The Marketers of India, sadly still view the “Bharat part” of India as peripheral but not “Main target” of their Brand value & imagery. The question is: is it Time to target Bharat as “mainstream” for Brand’s core values? Marketers will argue is there even a need to connect to Bharat? Isn’t that something akin to what Bollywood was doing? Let’s evaluate.

Metro Vs Urban Populations

Numbers with the right lens show us the opportunity. 31.2% of Indian population is Urban (not metropolitan) 68.8 is rural, Top 6 metro cities have 6% population, top 10 only 7.7%. Top 20 only 9.73%. In conclusion 25% of Indian cities are non Metros. So the metropolitan values & Imagery connects with only 6%. The remaining part for a diverse nation like India would have  similar Psychographics, aspiration and brand preference is the premises – one wants to challenge.

 Chart shows urbanization trend in 16 key Indian states.  8 states are below the average level of urbanization,  4 among these 8 figure in the top 10 GDP contributing states of India. Potential? Further if bank deposit signify buying power the fact that 36% of all bank deposits are from Non Metro Urban India  Indicates of a viable opportunity .

 One element, which needs to be underlined is that metropolitan India has high percentage of immigrants from small towns. Instead of  stereotype of Metropolitan SEC A- the Emigrant software engineer from Raipur, young sons of a PSU worker from UP, the government employees all migrated from small towns connect more with their towns than Metros.

Psycographic

The Marketers argument that aspirations are same across India, need to decipher seemingly simple yet defiant Datto in the movie “Tanu... In her rebuttal to “Naivete” ridicule by Tanu. Datto says she may not know to dress up, but knows how to manage relationships, she is a state level athlete due to her own efforts, battled her circumstances, against all odds-on her own terms. She is confident go getter, no complexes for her not knowing English (Evoked clapping in suburban Mumbai)

 Does this resonates with the world of privileged English speaking 16 year old of Metros? In my wide travel the well-off youth of small towns always looked Cock sure -where they want to go & unapologetic of their limitation. They are indifferent to the “perception generated by their in-difference“. Why so? Because several of their conviction are labelled  too forward in their home town and considered regressive or backward in cities. Their rebellious indifferent attitude, can be summed up simply as “we are like that only & we are very good”

The Movie though not seminal work, connects across India. Realistic characters right out of small town north India. Rich textures of relationship’s absent in an “emigrant’s make do city life. The languages & Jargons of small town. Perhaps the emigrant Software Engineer in Bangalore isn’t ashamed of his roots? Perhaps we cannot force feed “aspirations”. You can look down upon Bharat, but they won’t look up to you.  

Competitiveness.

Many would argue making a mainstream brand targeted only at Small town India- would sacrifice the Metropolitan urban market completely. Agreed, but all brands imagery and context target Metros’s would not you be alone targeting connecting to Bharat’s ?-Thus a Brand inside a lesser competitive space can have more success.

Another argument that the Brand will lose the “aspirational hallo” for Metros. Certain categories can be brought to life by “connect” to the audiences- Bollywood movies are just one of them. There is an element of pride in Bharat- it needs more manifestation in our Brands.

Competitive sports are the most notable signal of the rise of small towns, meritocracy which may not require an education ecosystem. Lads into lime light of cricket (Shami, Rahane, Hardik Pandya,even Dhoni & Raina) Kids cracking  IIT JEE  prove this again- the next big wave of aspiration lies in Bharat, an aspiration which is definitely different than pure hedonic consumption driven Metros portrayed by advertising.

Courting Bharat

Beyond making a sales network for catering to Bharat. It’s time to court it with  brands, which resonated and connects with them ( Quite a few have already begun)- City emigrants will value it too. In cities outside metros, Bharat is not aping the West. It will not follow the US markets- it will create its own solutions. Its protagonist & its local role models don’t share mindset of urban westernizing India- a conservative BJP in power, does signal it. Youth entrepreneurs are making their own mark in small towns guided by values with a different moral compass. Let’s create a brand which encapsulates their unique views. Let’s court Tanu, Manu, Pappi and the real Bhartiya Middle Class.

Why Mumbai has the worst Infrastructure!!

Having grow up in Mumbai city in late 80-90’s one remembers Mumbai to have fantastic transport system and civic amenities. We would enjoy traveling in local trains, BEST buses and that’s what middle class in Mumbai did. In late 90’s the BJP Shiv Sena govt began constructing some 30+ flyovers in anticipation of traffic congestion. Cut to 2014, Now no self-respecting person would like to travel in a local train in peak hours for the sheer indignity of being packed up like food grains.10 minutes on roads in Mumbai and you know, we are not even close to Delhi standards of road- long shot shanghai. The daily traffic congestions due & badly filled potholes, cause long bottlenecks. You could once enjoy your swim at the Gorai beach, no more the sewage system now pukes out untreated shit( literally) into the sea coast of Mumbai. No wonder Mumbai perhaps offers its citizen the worst quality of life.

Why so badly managed amenities for Mumbai, we really see a lot of people wonder…. Here I analyze some not so obvious hypothesis for it.

 Mumbai is always cheered for its resilience to bounce back after a calamity, its citizens helping each other to get over the calamity, the strong work ethic & community spirit, coming out together, more stronger than fear to personal safety. 26/11 strike on CST and Taj, targeted the elite of Mumbai-here was the financial capital of India under direct siege. With Taj still under siege, on 27th Nov a Parsi business man not far from where Kasab was arrested previous night, located at pedder road, opened his small shop, so did a catholic mechanic in Ville Parle, not to earn some money, but to ensure that the terrorist fail in their purpose to create terror. When the train bombs blew innocent commuters, the juggiwala nr the tracks took taxi's to ferry the injured to hospitals before the police could arrive.I haven’t heard of ordinary citizens doing such things with no organization around them.

In this AAP led zeitgeist in urban India, Chetan Bhagat in his article "Manage the nation, but don't try to play king " says correctly that Urban Indian’s are aware, smart & Privileged to have better education & exposure, he believes, as do many, that they are entitled for better governance. He extrapolates further that this behavior of the Middle class is despised by the congress & the voters will banish them to opposition for this folly. Nothing could be further from truth.

Read on, before sticking your neck out.

26/11 attack shook Mumbai, so I foolishly ( in hind sight) believed as Chetan does now in his article, that the middle class will defeat the incumbent government, with election just 5 months forward. The old home minister was reinstated and the central government never took any responsibility of containing the strike. Mumbai did not receive any justice. And the Congress swept back to parliament across Mumbai Again!!!

How?

What drives Mumbai folks to vacation- A long weekend? The Lok sabha voting was scheduled on Thursday 30th April 2009, Friday 1st May is holiday for Maharashtra day a weekend of 4 days ( I predict this will happen again in 2014) most people chose to head outside for a mini vacation with schools and colleges off in summer time.( plz suggest any other theory for low turn out) South Mumbai reported 40% voting.

 Resilient Mumbai some say? We agree that It also had to do some extent on the MNS splitting with Shiv sena. Across Mumbai the voting percentage was abysmally low.The very people who stood by the massacre chose not to vote or cared more for their holiday. Considering the fact that around 50% of Mumbai are urban poor (Who vote religiously) Who was the culprit? – Of course the middle class residents of Mumbai who just took the bait. If one sees the actual margin of victory as a percentage of total electorate you see it ranged from 0.2% (2833 votes) to 10% with highest margin of victory for areas with lowest polling percentage. Attached is the table.

So this demonstrates how much at least the Mumbai Middle class took to voting to vent out their anger. The ruling government easily manipulated a terror struck and supposedly angry Mumbai. Now if you are such a lethargic lot of voters, who don’t come out to vote- what’s the incentive for a political system to develop better roads and amenities for you? If  as a politician, you fail in your duties ( which was mature handling of attacks, clear leadership) still no one is penalized, who do you think will rise against politicians, who continue their benign neglect of Mumbai?

One can think the youths will change that- May be, but there are caveats, lets theorize further.

 At office, I lunch almost daily with 8 youths working in their first job, My conversation centers around governance, politics and the general direction of the nation. All, Crib about Mumbai & its pathetic infrastructure; It is not livable, the government here does not care is a common foregone conclusion and all tend to agree. All 8 of them are not from Mumbai, 6 are north Indians, 1 Gujarati and another is a local Maharashtrain. For most North Indian immigrant in city- in north India- Corruption is a accepted norm of social behavior, it is the same in Mumbai, for Gujarati- Modi remains to be the benchmark- Mumbai has no leaders. The local Maharashtra says the immigrant have stretched the city resources too far.

 One fine after noon when the canteen lunch was still hot and no one was cursing Mumbai , I asked the a simple question- Have you ever voted- the prompt answer yes, but no not here in Mumbai, my name is not on the voting list here, Ditto with the all 8 immigrants to the city. I was the lone registered voter of Mumbai on the table of 8, most of them were staying in the city for last 4-6 years. My MBA class mates in Gurgaon, went back home to vote for the elections, they are not in Delhi’s voting list - ditto to so many of other people in my social circle, Even the immigrant taxi wala at Mumbai airport voted back home in Jaunpur. Do a survey. Check this out yourself.

 As per a report in economic times the cities of India have 30- 35% immigrants. if we add 10% to the total electorate population(Which than adds up near to census population of Mumbai), We have a voting percentage of 30% for Mumbai- A city which was attacked repeatedly responds with 30% voting, apathetic; they are towards their own city right? Any other plausible explanations? How do you think they will respond to benign influence of corruption? Even if we argue to say that voting percentage does not reflect the interest of its citizen towards it cities, how can we ever argue that the immigrants need not contribute towards the democratic decision making ? after all aren’t all major cities made of immigrants?

Min 10% of Mumbai is not registered to Vote yet eligible, 50% of Mumbai is urban poor (the office peon, the sales man in mall, your driver, cab wala, your maid & the slum dwellers seeking a SRA) and the remaining 40 % are Middle class. BUT Effectively only 36% vote. Mind you, the votingdiscipline in Urban poor household is adhered to. So who did not vote? Middle class of course !! If you are the politician - Who do you have to win over, to win the election? What margin of victory you require? (refer table) Any guesses what would a smart politician do? Invoke the local man as many Immigrants don’t vote? and the crorepati flat owner will prefer a vacation to a vote? Why bother to target him? Why improve roads, cater to the working class or the largest tax payers, when it does not bring in the votes for congress.

 Why will the BMC bother, if very few middle class men go out to vote for BMC elections?.Now look at the MNS strategy of evoking the local Man? Or the congress actions of favoring the builders and Slum dwellers, creating a urban planning Disaster. Why give civic infrastructure? who cares? Does it make sense on the urban infrastructure? You can punch holes in these theories, but no matter what, middle class India was not the vote back the politician needs to cater for. Chetan dig deeper.

 If Middle class in Mumbai is too buzy in it’s life, to look deeper, to take effort to be on voting list, to have atleast an opinion about your communities future. Extrapolating that Urban India will punish Congress is way off the mark. Also all the Journalists.. should stop cribbing about Mumbai Civic infrastructure. Mumbai deserve this apathy and the “AAP” electing Delhi junta deserves better.