Rural digital marketing and education strategies for families in poverty-affected localities in Ecuador
Keywords:
Digital divide; digital inclusion; digital marketing; family education; poverty; rural communication.Abstract
Connectivity, skills, and technology-appropriation gaps condition the reach of educational initiatives aimed at rural families living in poverty. This study analyzed the relationship between rural digital marketing and receptiveness to family education strategies in Ecuadorian localities and formulated a contextualized proposal. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational, and proposal-oriented study was developed. For a finite population of 200 people, with 95% confidence, 5% error, and maximum variability, the calculated sample was 132. A 24-item Likert questionnaire grouped into eight dimensions was used. WhatsApp was the most frequent channel (85.6%), while access and connectivity had the lowest mean (M = 2.72, SD = 0.98). The overall relationship was positive and strong according to Spearman (ρ = .653, 95% CI [.547, .735], p < .001) and consistent with Kendall (τb = .472, p < .001). Based on the results, a low-data strategy centered on WhatsApp, territorial adaptation, community mediation, and indicator-based monitoring is proposed. Integrating accessibility, relevance, and trust may foster the reception of educational initiatives, although the cross-sectional design does not establish causality.
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