Ajay Sundaram to lead Milestone Outland as Country Head & VP

Marketers focus is shifting towards low income consumers in tier 2 tier and 3 towns as the next level of growth is  expected from smaller towns. India's rural population comprises of 12% of the world's population presenting a huge, untapped market. Taking into consideration the population density in Rural India, it offers huge opportunities that brands cannot afford to ignore.

The Indian rural market is a complex mosaic of mind-sets, cultures, and lifestyles. More than 70% of India's population lives in villages. The size of the market increases many fold with the coupling of the LIC (Low Income Consumers) market. It offers a huge opportunity for the Media & Advertising industry. There lies an immense untapped potential among these consumers because of the increasing disposal income and awareness levels. Studies have shown that the rural consumers across all income segments exhibit marked propensity to spend on premium products which are backed by strong brand values, where they correspond to their own aspirations and quality needs. These consumers are the future for brand’s survival & sustenance in Indian markets.

According to the McKinzey Report, India will be the 5th largest consumer market by 2025 & income levels will almost triple. Rural consumer communications is therefore a growth strategy for Milestone Brandcom. Milestone Brandcom has over 100 active brands in its roster; it is a natural extension of the company’s offerings from OOH, Events-Promotion, Retail Solutions and Rural Consumer Communications.

To be successful in the rural markets, one not only requires an understanding about the factors and characteristics of this market but also the intelligent use of effective marketing strategy.

“At Milestone, we believe in investing in talent, knowledge & insights.  We want to help the brand  reach its customers wherever they may be. Therefore we felt the need to go rural. Milestone believes it is essential to gain an understanding about the impact of these elements to succeed in the Indian rural markets. Our future growth strategy involves offering this service to our existing & new client’s. Therefore we have appointed established experts in the field of Rural Marketing who are equipped with the skills of surviving in these markets. Our vision for Milestone Outland is to challenge the current status quo in Rural Consumer Communications. I am personally fond of this business and believe it has huge potential in terms of scale and volume to build communications for the 70% of population residing in Rural India. It forms an integral part of the business; every marketer will sooner or later seek one on one communications to reach to these media dark areas. In next one month, a Pan-India operation is planned with a distinguished 50 member team to penetrate through the Indian Rural landscape & set new benchmarks for client’s brand. The diverse network will help us to be in control of every promotion and visibility. I believe we shall learn through our journey as we are committed to be the BEST, in next 12 to 18 months” says Nabendu Bhattacharyya – Founder & Managing Director Milestone Brandcom

“Our journey has begun with Mr Ajay Sundaram who joins us as Country Head & Vice President, Milestone Outland.

Ajay Sundaram has over 14 years of experience in the industry and moves to Milestone Brandcom from Leo Burnett. He has also worked as country head - Terra the rural division of Mudramax and Ogilvy Outreach. He has worked on various brands like P&G, Water Health, GPI and Mahindra Finance, HUL, Shell Foundation, Colgate, Western Union, ITC, ACC, Nerolac, Godrej, Samsung to name a few” added Bhattacharyya.

“I am fascinated with milestones growth story! What interests me is their long term vision in the business and commitment to fresh investments which makes them stand apart amongst other agencies. We at Milestone Outland, would like to bring in a new approach to understand the rural consumer; who is very different from his urban counterpart. Increasing brand consciousness and disposable incomes has made the rural consumer more demanding and selective in his purchase behaviour. Rural markets demand a sustained effort by brands to expose the consumers to the products via activities related to brand building and product acceptance. We plan to reach out to the low income rural consumers & give them an opportunity to understand the various choices in terms of brands & products via continuous penetration through different modes of OOH advertising. To effectively succeed in these markets, campaigns have to be tailored to appeal to the consumers keeping in mind the nuances of their language, dialect and customs prevalent in their region. Thus, we need to develop the right strategies to connect with the consumers, to build their trust & educate them of the brand values & propositions” said Ajay Sundaram, Vice President, Milestone Outland.