Door-to-door selling in India (right here in River City!)
Friday, July 17, 2009 at 12:03AM FRONT PAGE: "The Infomercial Comes to Life In India's Remotest Villages: Traveling Salesman Mr. Sharma Sings, Jokes To Spread Gospel of Global Consumerism," by Eric Bellman, Wall Street Journal, 10 June 2009.
Cool description:
Advertisers in India can't rely on TV, radio or even newspapers to reach the country's 700 million rural consumers. So they use Sandeep Sharma.
On dirt roads across the subcontinent, the former wedding singer cracks jokes, gives demonstrations and stages game shows to spread global consumerism, one village at a time.
He is one of thousands of traveling performers who bring the world's biggest brands to audiences of a handful in the remotest reaches of the nation. He offers free Castrol oil changes for tractors. He dishes out bowls of Nestle noodles in village schools. He pushes Unilever soaps and creams. He promotes tooth powder and condoms.
"Stick to the countryside if you want to be successful," the 34-year-old says, beaming after a recent performance before a small crowd of villagers in stifling heat. "When we arrive, the whole village comes out."
Pick the time period in American history when this was the norm. Remember the scenes in the Westerns when the traveling salesman showed up and the crowd gathered?
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