BJP accounts for 53% of overall political ad blitz

N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with 6%, Tamil Nadu-based Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) featured among the top five with a 3% share each.

The data is based on ad insertions across the three media platforms between 1 January and 16 March.

Radio remained the go-to choice of parties, with consolidated ad insertions growing by 14% compared to the same period in the previous election year. However, political advertising on television and print fell 83% and 9%, respectively, during the period under review, compared to the same period before the 2014 election.

In 2014, BJP mounted massive campaigns 'Ab Ki Baar, Modi Sarkar' and 'Janta Maaf Nahi Karegi’ with popular taglines like 'Ab Ki Baar, Modi Sarkar', and a musical titled 'Ache Din Aane Wale Hai, Hum Modi Ji Ko Laane Wale Hai'.

Currently, it is running multiple election campaigns such as ‘Youth with Modi’ and ‘Abhki Baar Phir Modi Sarkar’.

While radio was one of the least preferred medium for the first six weeks, there was a sudden rush from 10 February, for the following three weeks, according to the findings. For the print media, ad insertions were highest in the first four weeks of the year.

“Radio and local cable are the most preferred mediums when you want to reach out to local areas. It offers huge scope of localisation. The most important factor is the cost where radio is cheaper than print and television. We need to understand that this is just the start of election campaigns. As we get closer to election dates, there will be a definite spike across mediums," according to a senior media buyer.

There was a distinct difference between government ads and political ads, he added. “There are ads being released for the current government, which do not get accounted under any political party."