Abstract

The case “Tata Motors’ Project Neev: Rural Influencer Marketing,” describes India’s biggest automobile manufacturing company, Tata Motors Ltd. (Tata)’s rural marketing initiative – Project Neev. As part of the initiative, Tata hired prominent rural people to serve as Tata Gram Mitras and do word-of-mouth marketing for its vehicle range in far-flung villages with a population of less than 50,000. Furthermore, Tata distributed its vehicles in those markets through third-party outlets called Tata Kisan Mitra, apart from leveraging the rural outreach programs of other enterprises through strategic partnerships. Project Neev was a success – enhancing Tata’s competitive strength and accounting for a large proportion of the company’s vehicle sales. Within a decade, Tata expanded the scope of Project Neev to cover almost all Indian states. So, will Project Neev continue to reap dividends for Tata in the future?

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the needs and wants of rural buyers
• Examine the challenges involved in reaching out to rural customers
• Explore the potential in using influential rural people for marketing
• Analyze innovative rural distribution channels
• Examine the possibility of using existing rural retail businesses as a distribution channel

Keywords

Rural Marketing; Consumer Behavior; Mobile Apps; Word-of-mouth Marketing; Influencer Marketing; Rural Distribution; Rural Outreach Programs; Piggybacking; Competitive Strength; Rural Channel Management; Strategic Marketing Management; Rural Buyer; Third Party Distribution; Marketing Mix; Brand Ambassador