Caught between the best of times and worst of times, between the euphoria over the Mumbai terror strike and pressure from the Opposition, Congress has sought to send across its message to influence people through an ambitious advertising blitz.
In the middle of a thick Lok Sabha election battle, which is slated for April-May 2009, the Congress party seems to have been guided by the logic that if ads can determine one’s chocolate choice, they can swing votes as well.
Satisfied by the performance of Crayons Advertising and JWT India in the Assembly Elections held last year, Congress has appointed Crayons and JWT to handle the all-India advertising duties for the Lok Sabha polls. The total bill for the massive ad-assault is estimated by industry sources at upwards of Rs 200 crore.
Digvijay Singh, Congress leader, said, “The quality of their presentation and their understanding of political issues were the deciding factors for the selection. We are extremely happy by the performance of Crayons and JWT in the last year’s Assembly polls.”
Crayons and JWT will plan and conceptualise the party campaign for print, television, radio and outdoor media during the Lok Sabha polls. The campaigns will break in March and continue till May 2009, when the voting starts for the elections.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi are going to be the brand ambassadors of the party for the Lok Sabha polls.
The basic thrust of the campaign is likely to be growth with care for the man on the margins. On the internal security front, the party wants to recall the success of its governments in the past in solving the militancy and insurgency in several parts of the country.
The controversial Indo-US nuclear agreement and the flagship programmes of the UPA government in the social sector are likely to be the mainstay of the campaign, sources said.