MAM
Rural marketing agencies form RMAAI
MUMBAI: With the growing importance of rural markets in corporate marketing strategies, there is an increased recognition of rural specialties in helping companies plan and implement their rural marketing activities. This has resulted in a number of players, both big and small entering the field in the last couple of years.
As was reported by Indiantelevision.com earlier this month, a few leading players who have been providing tremendous value added rural marketing services all across the country have come together to form the Rural Marketing Agencies Association of India (RMAAI).
Anugrah Madison, Sampark Marketing and Advertising Solutions, MART, Rural Relations along with other players like O&M Outreach, Linterland, Impact Communications, Rural Eight, RC&M, India Agrilbusiness Systems and Kripa Outdoor have come together to form RMAAI.
Anugrah Madison chairman and managing director RV Rajan will be the president of the association, whereas MART’s Pradeep Kashyap will hold the position of vice president. The association’s secretary will be Impact Communications’ Sanjay Kaul and the treasurer will be Kripa Outdoors’ R Parthasarathy.
The committee members of RMAAI are Sampark’s R Patankar, Rural Relations’ Pradeep Lokhande, Ogilvy Activation’s J C Giri, Linterland’s Dinesh Malhotra, RC&M’s Priya Monga, Indian Agribusiness Systems’ Sunil Khairnar and Rural Eight’s Amla.
These agencies have come together on a common platform and will work towards recognition, credibility and meeting the needs of the rural marketing industry.
One of the important objectives of RMAAI would be to set industry benchmarks in areas of performance evaluation and financial practices. To improve the overall understanding of rural markets by the corporate world, RMAAI will conduct seminars, workshops and conferences, besides offering guidance to Management Institutes in running courses in rural marketing. It will also undertake syndicated research in rural marketing on select topics, which will help increase the knowledge base of rural marketers, which in turn could help marketers develop better and more effective rural marketing strategies.
Rajan said, “Marketers look at rural India as a mass market, which it is not. That is the reason why we’ve not got adequate success. A lot of corporates have been talking about going rural for the last two decades, but if all of them walked the talk, we wouldn’t be forming this association today.”
Kashyap, on the other hand, said, “We hope to expand the scope of the Rural Network by including other big players O&M, Linterland etc., so that the association is completely representative of the rural marketing agencies.”
The founding members have paid a nominal fees of Rs 6000 to be a part of the association.
RMAAI also has plans of starting an award function in the near future to recognise individuals and organisations who have actively contributed to the growth of the rural marketing industry. Also on 10 and 11 November, RMAAI will be hosting a two day seminar on rural marketing in an effort to bring together all the rural players in the field under one roof, share developments in the industry as well as the advantage of being a part of the association network. “This seminar will be an important launching pad for the association,” Rajan said.
MAM
Zee Business BSE bull run 2026 energises Mumbai
Fitness meets finance as thousands run towards health and wealth
MUMBAI: Mumbai woke up to more than just a Sunday sunrise on 22 February. At the MMRDA Ground in BKC, the sixth edition of the Zee Business BSE Bull Run turned the city’s financial district into a lively track where trainers, traders and first-time runners shared the same starting line.
Organised by Zee Business in association with BSE, the annual run has carved out a niche of its own by blending physical fitness with financial awareness. This year’s edition drew enthusiastic participation across categories, including 5 km and 10 km fun runs and a competitive 10 km elite race, reflecting a growing appetite for purpose-driven fitness events.
The morning buzzed with high energy well before the first whistle. Zumba sessions and guided warm-ups got the blood pumping, while a distinctive Bhajan Clubbing segment added a devotional twist to the festivities, proving that even market metaphors can move to a beat.
A host of distinguished guests turned up to cheer participants on, including G Ram Mohan Rao, executive director at SEBI; Nilesh Shah, MD of Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company; Navneet Munot, MD and CEO of HDFC Asset Management Company; Vipul Mathur, MD and CEO of Welspun Corp; poet and television personality Shailesh Lodha; and Manoj Kumar Sharma, inspector general of police, Maharashtra, widely recognised as the inspiration behind “12th Fail”. Their presence underscored the event’s broader message of discipline, resilience and balanced ambition.
BSE MD and CEO Sundararaman Ramamurthy, described the Bull Run as a national platform uniting citizens and market participants under a shared vision of prosperity and well-being. He noted that as India’s capital markets expand their reach into millions of households, the run symbolises the idea that genuine prosperity begins when health and wealth advance together.
Zee Media Corporation Limited CEO Raktim Das, called the comeback edition, held after a six-year gap, a celebration of consistency over shortcuts. Drawing parallels with long-term investing, he said the run reflected the fundamentals of the market: commitment, resilience and the steady compounding of effort over time.
Zee Business managing editor Anil Singhvi, echoed the sentiment, saying the Bull Run serves as a reminder that the qualities that build strong portfolios also build strong individuals. Discipline, patience and a long-term view, he said, are as vital on the track as they are on the trading floor.
Over the years, the Zee Business BSE Bull Run has grown into a distinctive platform that connects citizens, corporates, investors and fitness enthusiasts through a shared commitment to well-being. With BSE’s continued association lending institutional heft, the initiative stands as a lively testament to a simple idea: that a fitter nation can also be a financially wiser one.
