Spot Light | Congress & BJP campaigns
The Congress' ad looks different while the BJP's still comes across as the same thing that we keep seeing in every election year
Of youth and unity
Reviewer: Priti Nair
Priti Nair, director at the independent ad agency Curry-Nation, has more than 22 years of experience in advertising. She has previously worked on campaigns for Surf Excel and Clinic All Clear.
The campaigns
The latest ad for the Indian National Congress’ campaign in the run-up to the Lok Sabha election features a female Muslim Youth Congress activist driving home the point that the expectations, beliefs and mindset of youth are best understood by the Congress party. Tag line: Kattar soch nahi, yuva josh (youthful energy, not hardline views). The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) latest Statue of Unity campaign shows India’s unity in diversity. The ad shows a nationwide collection drive for an iron farm tool from each village that will be used to construct a statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Tag Line: Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat (roughly, united India, a supreme India). Mint couldn’t confirm which agencies have created these ads; the media coordinators of the two parties weren’t immediately available.
What are your first thoughts on both the ads?
The Congress one has the basic thought that a youthful nation needs a young government. There’s nothing new or unusual in the BJP ad.
What would you have done differently?
I find the content in the Congress ad a bit fluffy compared to the direction. It is not convincing enough. For the other, the nation is in an aggressive stage but is still confused with what is happening. I feel there has to be sharper communication.
How effective is the Congress ad from a voter perspective?
The advertising is refreshing, different-looking from what you usually see of election campaigns. It is not the usual pathos and sadness that you keep getting bombarded with. It could have been more powerful. All election ads in any language say the same thing. Of course the logic will be that on TV people will see only one ad of their region. I felt it was an opportunity lost, to get people to have different starting points to arrive at the same conclusion.
How do the two ads compare?
I think in terms of look, feel and general mood, the Congress campaign stands out, looking different. The BJP ad still comes across as the same thing that we keep seeing in every election year.
Your comment on the BJP ad’s tag line?
Again, what is new? As a party, what is it bringing to the table? I really don’t understand what happens later with the statue and photos of (prime ministerial candidate Narendra) Modi. It looks like a separate part, attached later like a tag-on.
As told to Vidhi Choudhary.
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