Wednesday, 27 September 2017

The Siren of the Parties : The Way Political Campaign Have Evolved

“If you want to win their trust, you need their attention.
If you want to get their attention, you need to be on their radar.”
The realization of the importance of youth in the election has led to a revolutionary change in the communication strategy of political parties. 65% of the population in India is aged below 35, making them a gold mine. The majority of voters now are young adults who are not familiar with olden ways and no longer can hearts be won by shaking hands. With the change in attitudes has come a necessity for modernism.
From newspaper ads to mobile applications
Earlier a front page coverage was absolute but now, it doesn’t make the cut. Similarly, the essence of campaigns have altered, so have the objectives of running them. As the number of first time voters’ increase in the election, the struggle to keep loyalties alive is faced by every party- big and small alike. Since, digitalisation has this generation’s interest; it makes sense to use it to get on their radar.
Therefore, parties nowadays are expanding their horizon and venturing into newer spaces for communicating including launching mobile applications to keep up with its young potential voters.
From campaign managers to digital marketing managers
If the medium of communication has changes, it is only obvious that people handling the communication would change too. A fact that has been proven through the recruitment of brand activation agency to handle political clients. Nothing is left to chance when the battle for the chair is on; so agencies are hired to take charge of the campaign on electronic media. Live updates on Facebook, video testimonials on Youtube, an interactive website and active Twitter account are just few examples of the many responsibilities these agencies have to handle.
Why leading branding agencies?
People have moved ahead of voting for a party, they are now searching for a leader. The image of the party has suddenly become subordinate to that of the individual. This requires hard core branding of the person as a leader, innovator and someone who is capable of selfless service to the nation. The idea is very similar to branding of a product in the market and therefore specialist are raked in. Best brand communication companies in India are looked upon to set the trend in motion.
  • Campaign management companies and brand communication agencies in India have a good understanding of the target audience and also, have access to the means of undertaking extensive market research to know more.
  • They provide brand activation services and so are aware of the best way to communicate with individuals in order to make them believe that they need something, in this case, a leader.
  • Their expertise in digital marketing, rural marketing and brand building makes up for their lack in politics.
The curious case of “Acche Din” in “Swaraj Land”
A lot has been said about out Prime Minister’s win and the role that social media played in the same. It is safe to say that most young adults knew about him and his chosen strategies, not through newspaper but his Twitter and Facebook handles.
If more recent examples are to be quoted, SushmaSwaraj ruling Twitter might be it, how she has won hearts by simple 1 line tweets deserves to be noted. At the same time, how Kejriwal has garnered outrage is surprising too.
It is safe to conclude that a single Twitter handle has the power to make or destroy a politician today. People want their leaders to be interactive, they want to be assured that complains are being heard and what better way of doing that then directly replying to them.
There are several examples to quote that showcase the power of having a social standing and the role of digital media in creating it. Thus, roping in brand consulting companies and digital marketing agencies is significant to the success of a political party.

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