Brands raise the social pitch as elections near

The ensuing Lok Sabha elections have a given a lease of life to social advertising with the success of Tata Tea’s ‘Jaago Re’ campaign spurring other brands to jump on to the bandwagon.

While Idea Cellular has tweaked its social pitch to suit the current election mood, Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting will kick off a new poll-oriented campaign soon.

Wipro will fashion a new commercial for soap brand Santoor, in which the Santoor woman is looking at exercising her voting rights.

“The new film is yet another expression of the brand promise set in the context of the changing roles of the Indian women,” Indira Das, creative director of Draft FCB Ulka, said. 

Pitching politics as the social theme and reflecting the spirit of united public activism, brands are using the theme of empowerment to spread awareness of their own products and services.

Idea Cellular, for instance, is running its advertising campaign which shows a politician asking for public opinion before finalising a development project.

Pradeep Shrivastava, chief marketing officer of Idea Cellular, said, “We believe an idea can be celebrated and cut across all sections of people and society. We are celebrating the idea with the use of telephone to make a change in the society.”

The campaign, which is popularly called MyIdea, uses internet, TV and radio to engage people, demonstrate the power of collective decision-making and the usability of mobile phones in that process. 

A website, myidea.co.in, has been created, which allows users to raise or submit questions related to issues in their cities or districts, politics, society, economy, entertainment and sports in 150 words.

With public interest around the upcoming elections hotting up, such campaigns are expected to gain momentum with more brands coming out with similar messages. 
Harish Bijoor, a brand specialist and CEO of Harish Bijoor Consults, said, “Ads based on social issues make brands more politically acceptable. Social ads have specific appeal and helps in brand association with consumers.”

Tata Tea with Jannagraha, Bangalore-based NGO, initiated the movement called ‘Jaago Re’ to enable citizens, especially the youth, to register for voting. Bangalore has 64,089 total registered members, of which 23,519 people are through 50 corporates.
Call it a corporate credo or ad strategy, companies have taken it upon themselves to create the buzz on social issues in a crowded marketplace.

“This does not help brands to increase sales volume, but it will make them consumer-centric. Jaago Re has created a brand image for Tata Tea that will last for 500 years,” Bijoor said.

Sushant Dash, Tata Tea’s marketing head, said, “The campaign was aimed to create a mega brand under Tata Tea - Premium, Agni, Gold and Life. We not only wanted to awaken people, but also facilitate the election process through our portal.”

However, it was Hindustan Unilever’s popular detergent brand Surf Excel which exploited the water-saving formula using its quick wash product to set the tone for selling the social message. The 2-bucket advantage struck a chord with the audience.
A recent study by media research agency TAM AdEx said the government-led social ads have topped the charts for television advertising, followed by marketers of grocery, cell phone service providers and colas.

With a heady mix of commercial and social interests, brands are clearly sporting social messages to drive eyeballs and translate the poll tempo into significant mind share for their products in the long run.
k_sobia@dnaindia.net