April has brought with it a fervor of excitement. Be it the enthusiasm with which people wake up at 6.30am to catch the newest episode of Game of Thrones or the buzz around Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame. If you aren’t into either of these, there’s always the good old IPL fever, waiting to engulf you. With events of such large scale, all taking place in a single month, it’s needless to say that marketers have been busy and advertising agencies have been over-flooded with work.
But while we enjoy the Game of Thrones puns and the celebrity filled endorsements during IPL, there’s something else that the country should be caring about this month i.e. the Lok Sabha elections. With the 2014 elections seeing the highest ever voter-turnout in India (66.4%), this time’s elections are expected to see greater voter turnout. As per a report by Hindustan Times, the total number of voters in 2019 has gone up by 84.3 million since the 2014 polls. But does that really mean that most people are going to vote?
Although it’s wonderful to see the uptick in the number of registered voters, the disappointing reality is that a lot of people will still not vote. With a variety of excuses, ranging from “I’m not really into politics” to “I don’t know much about the parties” to “It’s not going to matter, anyway”, numerous people have refrained from casting their vote even now. With this scenario in the country, it’s refreshing to see various brands take up the responsibility to change the attitudes of the people and to create campaigns to urge them to vote.
While each brand has taken a different approach to the problem, the basic underlying message remains the same i.e. to go out and vote for a better future. MTV created a series of heartwarming ads depicting refugees from Syria, Somalia, Iraq etc. in refugee camps around the world. As they spoke of their hardships, their struggle for equality and their lack of basic resources, a simple message pops up: “they don’t have a choice, but you do. Vote. #VoteBecauseYouCan”. In a span of time as short as 40 seconds, the ad successfully portrays its message; not everybody has the privilege to live in a democracy and to vote to see a change. Voting, therefore, is not only a right we have, but is also a duty for us as citizens of the country.
United Colors of Benetton also came up with a powerful video showcasing the power of our votes. It brings a chill down your spine as you hear the words “I will build a masjid”, “I will build a temple”, “I will divide you into sections” and so on. At a time when politicians think that they have all the power: the power to make you think and act the way they want you to and the power to do whatever they want to by giving you false promises in the beginning; this ad brings to light the fact that we can voice our opinion and silence the wrong. With its hashtags, #ShowThemPower & #UnitedByVote, UCB makes a brave attempt to awaken the citizens and create a sense of responsibility within them.
Several other brands have tried to create this same sense of responsibility within the people through their banners and ads. Santoor used their general communication of looking young and added a new element to it. With the tagline, “young dikho, young socho”; the brand is imploring the youth to vote today lest they regret it for the next 5 years. BookMyShow also urged people to #choosewisely by releasing a poster with the statement “There’s No Real-life ‘best Villain’ Award”.
Meanwhile, brands such as Parryware and Subway have decided to take the rewards route. Parryware asked people to share their ‘votefie’ (a selfie featuring their inked finger) in order to win a chance to get some exciting gift vouchers, while Subway is offering an 18% discount to all voters for 3 consecutive days depending on the polling dates of their respective zones.
Speaking of food giants, KFC and McDonalds are not far behind. KFC launched its digital campaign with the words “finger inkin good” as play of words on their famous tagline. McDonalds, on the other hand, had an activation in Hyderabad during the polling dates wherein the customers who had not voted were not given the food they had ordered. The employees either refused to take the customer’s order and asked them to order something else or gave them the wrong food instead. When the customers got angry and fought back, the employees simply told them that since they had not voted, they had lost their right to choose. They then urged the customers to out there and cast their vote, since they still had time to make a difference.
While most of these ads have tried to tackle the problem in a serious manner, keeping the brands and their products along with their positioning and ideals in mind; Comedy Central approaches the problem in a different manner altogether. Keeping in mind its positioning, the channel came up with a funny take on this issue, with the caption, “It’s not funny anymore. #ChooserNotLoser”. The hilarious ad depicts a hospital scene wherein the patient’s right knee needs to be operated upon, but the doctors and nurses decide to operate the left knee instead. It ends with the important message “It ain’t funny when someone else chooses for you. This election, VOTE”.
There have been numerous other brands that have either used the elections and its uproar to create more profits for themselves or have actually tried to influence the people, especially the youth, to understand the value of each vote and to imbibe a sense of responsibility within them. It is said that the first-time voters could play a major role in deciding the fate of these elections, which is why most ads have been targeting the youth to get its message across. Approximately 2/3rd of India’s population is below the age of 35, with half of the population being below the age of 25. This makes the whole generation of first-time voters a large chunk of the country’s overall population, thereby playing a critical role in the final outcome of this election.
Open up YouTube and you’ll be able to find numerous videos of students and other young professionals being asked about their opinions on the election. While some seem to know exactly what they want from the party in power and what they are looking for in a candidate, the others seem to be completely disinterested. When the youth fails to show any interest in such matters, even after being the major influencer of its future outcomes, there is no way the country can progress. It is with this idea in mind that numerous companies have taken it upon themselves to spread the message. However, only time will tell whether the constant marketing and incessant requesting from all kinds of celebrities and influencers has borne any fruit, this election season, and I sure hope it has!
You can find the ads discussed by clicking on the links below:
1. The MTV Ad Campaign
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_mAnAM3Gnw&list=PL0TdAxSg6OewilD0j3yqE2dHAJzdB-8c6
2. The United Colours of Benetton Ad
https://www.facebook.com/BenettonIndia/videos/390486875141169/
3. The Santoor Ad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcAynPBbQXA
4. The McDonald’s Activation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgOSppEUjbg#action=share
5. The Comedy Central Ad
https://www.facebook.com/comedycentralindia/videos/2428875784001249/
-Zoe Vandrewala || PGP MR
zoe.vandrewala@northpointindia.com