Photograph of first-time voters in Jaipur from the ECI.gov.in website
We are in the middle of a frenetic, high voltage election campaign in India. Of particular interest to political parties and brands alike is the sentiment of first-time voters.
With only 18 million out of eligible 49 million first-time voters having registered to vote, the Election Commission has roped in brands to reach out to their fans and followers. In Bihar, which has the country’s largest number of young people, only 17% have registered to vote. In Delhi, the centre of political action, the figure is 21%, while in Uttar Pradesh, it is 23%.
So how are brands getting to be a part of the feverish campaigning?
Insurance brand Tata AIA launched a social media campaign titled #VoteKarneKoTaiyaar, encouraging young Indians, particularly first-time voters, to immediately register themselves to vote and then go ahead and vote on election day. The election campaign integrates the brand’s core idea of ‘taiyaari’ (readiness), with its tagline being ‘Har Waqt Ke Liye Taiyaar’.
Booking platform BookMyShow’s campaign underlines the importance of voting as a fundamental duty of every responsible citizen, especially the youth. With the tagline ‘Aaj Picture Nahi, Bigger Picture Dekho’, its campaign urges citizens to focus on the larger picture of nation-building by exercising their right to vote on their respective election days.
The film deploys a uniquely-weaved narrative and clever word play, keeping viewers that unaware of the purpose of the campaign until it is revealed in the end. The story aims to connect with viewers across the country, inspire civic engagement and demographic participation.
Can political participation be a desirable feature on your profile? Dating app Tinder seems to think so. It has added special stickers to its app that users can add to their profiles. These stickers are about voting, like voting partner needed, first-time voter, and I voted. Collaborated with Yuvaa, an Indian youth media organisation, and Mark Your Presence, an organisation that helps young people learn about voting, Tinder’s campaign started running from April 18 and will be on till May 15, 2024, with its users in India being able to see special cards in the app with information and tips about voting.
Bangur Cement’s election-themed campaign featured Bollywood actor and MP Sunny Deol.
The campaign, with the tagline Vote Solid, Desh Solid, carries the message about how important each person’s vote is for making the country stronger. There’s a brand connect as well: just like using strong cement helps build a sturdy home, voting solidly helps build a strong nation. With low voter turnout observed in the first two phases of the election, the campaign has pivoted to ask voters to take the pledge ‘Vote Ka Vachan’, saying ‘Chutti baad mein manao, pehle vote kar aao’.
Delivery service BlinkIt dropped the first two letters from its logo, as it encourages voters to go out and vote.
BluSmart, an Indian electric vehicle (EV) ride-hailing service and EV charging infrastructure network, launched a campaign called #SmartCitizen. Their effort, focused on their key markets in Delhi, Gurugram and Bengaluru, is to tell people how important it is to vote and how much of a difference one vote can make. BluSmart is giving a special badge to riders who vote to encourage everyone to get involved in voting.
Across different states, rideshare company Rapido has collaborated with the State Election Commissions to offer free bike-taxi rides to voters cities like Shillong, Nagpur, Asansol, Siliguri, Durgapur and Kolkata, running a campaign ‘Sawaari Zimmedari ki’.
Apart from these direct appeals to vote, brands are also having some fun at the expense of politicians.
Colgate Salt toothpaste‘s campaign ‘No Card, No Darr’ promotes oral hygiene alongside civic responsibility, with a dash of humour. The ad depicts a politician who is scared of sitting on the chair in front of him, much to his party workers’ surprise: it’s the one kursi which even politicians are scared of. That’s because he views it as a dentist chair because of he is suffering from toothache.
The rising temperature, both politically and weather-wise, has presented some brands the opportunity to showcase their cooling-down creds.
Innerwear brand Technosport tells us the secret of how a politician keeps his cool even while campaigning in the heat.
Electrical appliances brand Novamax also uses the platform of elections to depict the intense heat experienced during election season.
The brand’s tagline, ‘Ek Hei Naam Gunje Ga Jab Chalegi Hawa,’ aims to connect with consumers and emphasize the relief provided by Novamax Air Coolers in combating summer heat.
With about four weeks remaining in the general election season, how many more brands will get consumers to vote – for them, and for the nation?
Kunal Sinha is a senior strategy and foresights executive based in Jakarta, Indonesia. He is the author of several books including The Future of India’s Rural Markets and Raw – Pervasive Creativity in Asia. He writes for MxMIndia every other Monday. His views here are personal.