Guest Column: Social media & politics - The new age political revolution
Leading from Facebook updates to Tweets to YouTube videos and appeals, social media has become a yet another significant tool for political campaigns and also for supporters

Social media is changing the way communications happen and has undoubtedly become a major aspect of political campaigns too. It may be recalled that in the 2008 Presidential elections, US President Barack Obama was the first candidate to use it effectively. Since then, the use of this extremely useful platform has grown with the increasing number of people using it to publicise their political views. Leading from Facebook updates to Tweets to YouTube videos and appeals, social media has become a yet another significant tool for political campaigns and also for supporters.
Millions of people, especially youth, are actively present on social platforms. Thus, social media opens the doors of opportunity to reach out to and stay connected with voters persistently at a very low cost. This is the reason political campaigns include social media in their marketing strategy.
Politicians, as part of their social media strategy, create posts to engage followers just like brands do. The main idea is to create content that people share, help in fundraising purposes, create awareness of what is happening during elections etc., and determine where do the candidates stand.
These days Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party founder Arvind Kejriwal, who is followed by more than 1.1 million people on Twitter, deals with it and finds time to tweet and retweet to those with whom he shares his views of a corruption-free society.
Followed by Kejriwal, there’s Narendra Modi, Gujarat Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Prime Ministerial candidate with 3.1 million followers on Twitter. For Modi to shape opinion, this has become an effective tool.
On January 14, 2014, Modi tweeted his picture with actor Salman Khan. The two had met in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and flew kites on the occasion of Uttarayan. The same day Modi also wasted no time in greeting all on the occasion of Id-e-Milad. He also wished those celebrating Pongal, Bhogali Bihu and Lohri, all harvest festivals in different states.
With the emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party, the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and many other political developments taking place, political parties and politicians are ready to watch out for these trends and go to a place where people looking for a change would assemble, and that is Social Media.
The current scenario
Political campaigns help build a connection with voters: Mostly, whatever happens on social media related to political campaigns are not interactions or back-and- forth dialogues with voters, but a hope that these posts or messages will get voters to vote in some way. Though candidates may or may not be directly replying or communicating on these social media platforms, but they could very well view the responses or opinions on the subjects or issues they post.
Social media strategy for the political campaign: When one sits back and analyses, one will find that a person’s vote also gets affected a lot depending on the views shared by that person’s friends, family, groups, etc., basically that’s the way social media works here.
Today, the time has arrived when people with interests in politics and political campaigns and related stuff are actively subscribing to candidates on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and those who aren’t just get to see the posts ‘liked’ by their friends who are politically active. Politically savvy people are a source of information for those without much interest.
A candidate might have millions of subscribers or followers, but because of the viral effect due to social media presence, it may reach to 100 million. Therefore, the use of social media in the political campaigns is not only important but very much critical too.
What Next?
One needs to be on social media, but one cannot be just on it as it’s not just a means to reach out to the desired target group, but it should be a part of the major campaign strategy.
The use of social media in the political sphere attracts quick feedback, interaction or policy ideas. It gives an instant read on how something would shape up.
If used to make a good conversation, Twitter is a fantastic medium.
Lastly, if a candidate is on social media, one will have to maintain a certain level of decency and decorum on the same. It’s a great medium and the political parties should use it to clearly put across their propagandas or agendas in order to inform the people or voters about what the party is doing.
Social Media is a very powerful medium and, therefore, political parties should use it to promote their party and their work. That’s because, with huge number of people and the rising speed of communication, the impact of these campaigns is also high.
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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