Milestone Brandcom launches new wing, Milestone Outland

The new entity will address low income & rural consumers. Ajay Sundaram has moved from Leo Burnett to head this division 

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | May 2, 2013

Milestone Brandcom has expanded its footprint with the launch of a new wing, Milestone Outland, a communication division to address low income and rural consumers. It has roped in Ajay Sundaram as Country Head & Vice-President for Milestone Outland.

Marketers' focus is shifting towards low income consumers in tier 2 tier and 3 towns as the next level of growth is expected from the smaller towns. 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 mindsets, cultures and lifestyles. More than 70 per cent of India's population lives in villages.

Rural markets offer a huge opportunity for the media & advertising industry, especially because of the increasing disposal income and awareness levels. Studies have shown that rural consumers across all income segments exhibit marked propensity to spend on premium products which are backed by strong brand values, where these correspond to their own aspirations and quality needs. These consumers are the future for brands' survival and sustenance in Indian markets.

Nabendu Bhattacharyya, Founder & MD, Milestone Brandcom, said, “At Milestone, we believe in investing in talent, knowledge and 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 and new clients. Therefore, we have appointed 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. 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 the next one month, a pan-India operation is planned with a distinguished 50-member team to penetrate through the Indian rural landscape and set new benchmarks for clients' brands.”

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

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, Mahindra Finance, HUL, Shell Foundation, Colgate, Western Union, ITC, ACC, Nerolac, Godrej, Samsung, to name a few.

Sundaram said about his new role, “I am fascinated with Milestone's growth story. What interests me is their long-term vision in the business and commitment to fresh investments which makes them stand apart from other agencies. With Milestone Outland, I 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. We plan to reach out to the low income rural consumers and give them an opportunity to understand the various choices in terms of brands and products via continuous penetration through different modes of OOH advertising.”

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