Extend reach with regional communication
English.
The supposed barometer for judging how ‘evolved’ a certain person is. Do you speak it well? Great. You can write better than most? Join the team.
That goes for film and TV characters, too. A polished English speaker is more likely to sweep a girl off her feet or land a better job than his ‘vernacular’ counterpart.
And brands? They aren’t too far away from the English-as-a-measure scenario. Well, at least till a few years ago, they were.
Not anymore.
Slowly but surely, regional languages are taking center stage. And why not! We are a country of dialects – more than 1600 of them at last count. With 22 officially recognized languages and only 8% of Indian reading English newspapers, the case for local languages only gets stronger.
English doesn’t sound so ‘English’ after all, does it?
What does this shift in the language paradigm mean for us agency folk or marketers? For starters, it means a clarion call to create content that resonates with the regional, vernacular heart of our country. When we begin to do that is when we really start speaking the language of our audience, connecting with them on a personal level.
The statistics, too, weigh in that favor.
- A recent Google-KPMG report pegged India’s local language users at 234 million, while their English-speaking counterparts stand at 175 million.
- 40% of consumers would not consider purchases unless the information is available in their local language
- 86% of Indian users use Google search in their regional languages
What does that mean for healthcare communication?
Rapid internet penetration, affordable mobile data connections, and improving digital literacy – all these factors mean only one thing – one needs to converse in Indian languages to understand the health issues and unmet needs of the populace.
A staggering 60% of Internet users claim that limited content in Indian languages acts as a major barrier in the adoption of online services, healthcare included. A signal for content creators right there, loud and clear.
What does the future look like?
A study shows that in the coming 5 years, 90% of Internet users will be speaking Indian languages. This inevitable shift in language consumption will push the healthcare industry to continually invest time and effort in creating content that covers the most consumed regional languages. Which will lead to higher inclusivity, especially among rural communities, and serve as a springboard for becoming a truly aware, truly healthy nation.
In conclusion, let us all view this as an opportunity to become ‘vocal for local’ and free the pursuit of knowledge from the shackles of language.