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BJP is the most advertised brand on Indian television, thanks to election fever

BJP seems to be hitting the television screens hard in time for key electoral battles in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

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BJP workers holding the party flag and placards at an election rally. (File picture)
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The BJP has emerged as the most advertised brand on Indian television in the week between November 10 and 16. The rise of the party's television advertising comes against the backdrop of heated political campaigns in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Data released on Friday by the Broadcast Audience Research Council India (BARC India) showed the BJP head and shoulders above other brands when it came to the total number of advertising spots aired across television channels of all segments and languages, referred to as insertions.

BJP was advertised in 22,099 insertions, way more than the 12,951 of second-placed Netflix and 12,795 of third-placed Trivago. Other major brands that BJP dominated on television screens included advertising heavyweights like Dettol, Santoor Sandal and Turmeric, and Colgate.

The week in which the BJP topped the ranking was one that began on November 10, just two days before Chhattisgarh voted in the first phase of its Assembly elections, and ended on November 16, four days before the second phase. The period also marks frenetic escalation of campaigning in Madhya Pradesh, which goes to the polls on November 28, and Rajasthan, which votes on December 7. The BJP is also keen on expanding its footprint in the elections in Telangana and Mizoram.

The Congress did not figure on the list of top 10 brands released by BARC India on Friday.

"The BJP is a party that functions like a corporate organisation. It has a strategy, a distribution network and it believes in branding, particularly Brand Modi. The Congress on the other hand is more like a family-run company in that it is more personality driven," says political commentator and columnist Madhavan Narayanan.

He says the BJP could be betting on winning the battle by perception rather than persuasion. "This is a peculiar thing about elections in India. There is a trend where if a party is perceived to be winning it is more likely to get the fence-sitting votes. No one wants to waste their vote," says Madhavan.

He also says the increased focus on reaching voters through their televisions could have strong roots in the kind of organisation that the BJP is, as well as its predicament. "The BJP is defending its turf in these three states. So, it will necessarily have to talk about the achievements of its governments. That is better done through the media than through rhetoric or speeches. Also, as a right wing party, the BJP is more likely to rely on imagery than on the manifesto," Madhavan adds.

 With key battles on the horizon in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, it is anyone's guess if the BJP will keep up its high-intensity bombardment of India's television screens.

 

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