Delhi Polls: BJP, AAP turn up to radio and outdoor for campaigning

NEW DELHI | KOLKATA: Radio and outdoor have emerged as the preferred media for campaigning in the national capital, unlike in the recent Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections where TV and print played the pivotal role.

While the advertising campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party has been designed and planned by Soho Square and Madison Media, the Aam Aadmi Party’s campaign is led by its volunteers. Apart from extensive usage of radio and outdoor media, there is a special thrust on social media. Sources say the AAP has spent close to Rs 100 crore for the assembly election as it launched the campaign last year, and the BJP between Rs 40 crore and Rs 50 crore.

Congress’ advertising efforts seem inconsequential even as it looked like the party has given up hopes for even the runners-up spot.

“While BJP’s campaign is led by print and radio, AAP’s campaign is led by radio and outdoor. The BJP also planned a television commercial but there is hardly any time to launch it,” said a senior media planner who didn’t want to be named.

The AAP has its bets high on social media like the last Delhi assembly elections in December 2013. This time, Ankit Lal, the social media head for the party, is working with a team of 16 full-timers and around 200 volunteers. “Last time we had a team of six working full time and around 200 working on voluntary basis.

Apart from this, we also have numerous supporters across the world,” Lal said.

In the last lap of the campaign, the party has started what it calls a “velfie” campaign, which means a video selfie. “We have started a campaign as an innovation for the last lap where people can take their video telling why they would vote for (AAP’s chief ministerial candidate Arvind) Kejriwal and upload it,” Lal said. The campaign is being carried across all popular social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

But it is the radio which is witnessing maximum road block by both parties, which are launching new spots every two to three days. Both are using the vox-pop approach, which makes it seem like real people are being interviewed. And, responses to allegations and gibes are often quick. For instance, a BJP ad had an old woman complaining about a political leader taking her for a ride by resigning after she voted him to power.

The ad didn’t name the leader but the obvious reference was to Kejriwal, who stepped down after being in power for 49 days. The AAP soon released a spot with Kejriwal saying: “…Mataji main kahin bhaag ke nahi gaya hoon, kuch hi dino me poorna bahumat ke saath aapki sewa me aoonga… ( …I have not run away, I will come back to your service soon with a full majority…)” Hari Krishnan, managing director, ZenithOptimedia, said: “AAP is using radio very cleverly so that people do not miss the messaging at all.”

Outdoor is also seeing a lot of action from both parties. All the prime media assets in rural or semi urban areas of Delhi are also in huge demand. “The occupancy level has gone up and the major spend is coming from the BJP and AAP,” said Atul Shrivastava, chief operating officer at Laqshya Media.

The Congress is heavily relying on door-to-door campaigns. Its expenditure on radio and outdoor media is hardly of any significance, say media agencies. “Our strategy is to connect with the people directly. We go to local areas and jhuggis and try to establish direct contact,” said a leader of the Delhi Congress Committee.