Kerala is commonly referred to as “God’s Own Country”, and is steeped in rich culture, high literacy rates, and exploding digital infrastructures. Kerala has been undergoing steady changes in business, specifically in terms of how it wants to operate and interact with consumers.  In marketing, the transition from traditional advertising methodologies to a more modern, widespread digital marketing approach has shockingly bridged the gap between consumers and organizations. The central question to ask is, which marketing mix is best for marketing in Kerala: digital marketing or traditional marketing. In order to answer the question, we need to explore and understand both methods, along with the implications and viewpoints they have from a Kerala socio-economic perspective.

Understanding Traditional Marketing

Traditional marketing encompasses all of the traditional methods of promotion: print marketing (newspapers, magazines), broadcast marketing (television, radio), outdoor marketing (billboards, hoardings), direct mail marketing, and personal contact marketing (events). For decades, traditional marketing has been the foundation of Kerala’s business communication avenues.

Tons of mature businesses in Kerala, such as textile shops, ayurvedic treatment centers, jewelry shops, and tourism companies have relied on local newspapers for advertising, often regional newspapers like Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhumi, along with radio jingles and banner advertising to reach customers.

The positives of traditional marketing in Kerala include:

Media penetration: Kerala boasts one of India’s largest readerships of newspapers. Even today print media boasts strength as a medium, especially amongst older generations and in rural areas.

Cultural relevance: Traditional marketing often has local festivals, customs, and languages, which connect with the population.

Trust and familiarity: Longstanding brands that employ traditional marketing are often considered more trustworthy by older consumers.

Wide reach: Commercial television and radio still have great reach in Kerala, especially amongst non-urban populations.

Traditional marketing also has its own shortcomings, especially in a fast-changing business environment.

Rise of Digital Marketing in Kerala

Digital marketing is selling products and/or services through digital means such as social media, search engines, websites, mobile applications, and email. Over the last 10 years, Kerala has accepted the challenges of the digital age. The state has over 80% internet penetration and an increasing percentage of smartphone-using citizens. Businesses have the opportunity to sincerely connect with customers as they have never experienced before.

Popular digital platforms in Kerala:

Facebook & Instagram (popular for fashion, food, and local services)

YouTube (tutorials, advertising, and brand storytelling)

Google My Business (effective for local search visibility)

WhatsApp Business (customer care and advertising)

Advantages of Digital Marketing in Kerala:

Lower-Cost: Digital marketing allows for cost-effective marketing solutions like social media, digital advertising or hybrid advertising partnerships. All great for small or medium businesses.

Targeted: Businesses are able to target customers by demographics, interests, behaviours and location, which is important in a culturally and linguistically diverse state like Kerala,

Measurable in real time: Businesses can measure campaign effectiveness in real-time so they can change tactics, unlike traditional media.

Interactive & Engaging: Digital platforms promote binary, two-way communication, as people appreciate being able to comment, DM, or poll sources to engage with brands, which promote customer loyalty.

Global with Local Focus: Businesses in Kerala can now promote their products to a global Malayali market (NRI market) using digital tools.

Traditional Marketing Challenges:

Costly for visual ads online (like TV, print)

Other than click-through, measuring ROI can be vaguely done

Less interaction with potential customers

Ineffective with younger, digital native consumers

Digital Marketing Challenges:

Needs digital literacy to build effective online content

Requires frequent updates and monitoring

Can hold less value to older consumers who prefer older channels

Over-saturation, can find it hard to stand out

The Future: Integrated Marketing

For businesses in Kerala, a combination of both is usually the best approach! This is called integrated marketing, which is implementing traditional strategies (for brand credibility and brand awareness) with digital strategies (for brand engagement, personalization of message, and data-based efficiency).

Example of an Integrated Strategy:

• Launch a product with a press release in Malayala Manorama
• Run parallel Instagram and Facebook campaigns to reach youth audience
• Use WhastApp Business to update and offer
• Collect responses and leads via Google forms or landing page

Conclusion