Opinion... Indian election advertising has its own set of rules

The role played by advertising by new forms of media has been well-documented and is an obvious reference point for efforts by parties here.

The opposition BJP has been active online and in the mobile space and the incumbent Congress bought the rights to the song Jai Ho from the film Slumdog Millionaire for its TV campaign. But what kind of role can advertising play in the complex Indian scenario? Are comparisons with US elections valid?

The Indian election is, perhaps, a spectacle unlike any other in the democratic world. Every five years, the election apparatus cranks itself up to blurt out a fresh set of leaders in what is the most complex act of democracy in the world. Given the fact that India has adopted the parliamentary form of democracy, in most cases people are voting for parties rather than individuals. This makes for considerable complexity given the diverse nature of ethnic groups and political formations. Over the years, this complexity has grown as the polity has fragmented into a succession of regional parties, an inherently unstable network of alliances and a slew of dissident ‘independents’ who contest elections defying the will of the party they originally came from. The election has become more decentralised and unpredictable. Poll predictions are wrong so often that they have become like the weekly horoscope.

Of course, the key national parties, along with their allies, do play a vital role, albeit with the cantankerous and unpredictable support from their regional allies of the moment, and run national campaigns with increasing help from their advertising agency partners. It is now part of popular wisdom that the incumbent Congress won the last election largely because of a failed communication strategy by BJP. But the role played by advertising in Indian elections is miniscule with most campaigns being unable to reach a large part of the electorate. What matters most is the political strategy of each political formation, particularly by way of the alliances each manages to sew up. Also, a single national message has limited relevance in a scenario where local issues which vary widely from region to region, dominate. Most political parties see advertising as the last stone. Assertions about the importance of ad strategy thus tend to ring hollow.

Of course, while advertising may not reach enough people to make a difference, it does help crystallise the party’s message and direct all efforts towards a unified end. This can be good and bad. Crystallising a message too sharply into a single point allows the opposition a clear target to shoot at. It can galvanise the opposition and increase the effectiveness of its attacks.

Structurally, it is the lot of the incumbent to remind people about the various good things it has done while it is the lot of the opposition to find the single greatest point of vulnerability that it can target. Thus, in stark contradiction to most conventional advertising wisdom, it may actually benefit the incumbent not to reduce their message to a bite-sized morsel that allows the other side to focus its efforts on a single front, thereby increasing the effectiveness.

Looked at from that the lens, the incumbent is doing reasonably well. Barring the use the Slumdog song that has little popular resonance, it has done nothing particularly memorable and has given the opposition little to shoot at. The opposition BJP is still searching for a theme it can own and time is running out. There is a lot of heat and dust, which will settle and a weary winner will emerge, needing a long hot shower.



Santosh Desai, CEO, Future Brands
[email protected]