Polls 2019: Political ad spends expected to be double this time; digital to get big share

BJP, Congress, AIADMK, TDP, Akali Dal, TDS and other regional parties likely to be the big spenders

e4m by Ruhail Amin
Published: Feb 13, 2019 9:39 AM  | 4 min read
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As the date for the 2019 general elections inches closer, campaigning by political parties has started to gain momentum.

The elections this year look bigger than any festive season when it comes to ad spends. In 2019, political ad spending is expected to be more than double the amount of money pumped by political parties into campaigning five years ago, according to industry insiders.

The big spenders are expected to be BJP, Congress, AIADMK, TDP, Akali Dal, Telangana Rashtra Samith (TDS) and other regional parties.

According to sources in the advertising sector, the average ad spend of the government every year till 2014 was about Rs 600 crore, but this has now crossed Rs 1,000 crore mark annually. “This year, the total government ad spend on publicity is to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore which is going to increase further keeping the general elections in mind,” said a source.

The noticeable part of these ad spends, according to experts, is that a considerable portion of it is going to online platforms.

Speaking about the upcoming elections and how political advertising will shape up, Pankaj Pachauri, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of GoNews and former Communications Advisor to the PMO, said, “This election is going to be more expensive than any American election ever seen in the world. This is because the Indian media has grown phenomenally in the last five years. And mainly, this money will go into regional languages and not in Hindi and English.”

He also stated that a major portion of this spend was going to online platforms.

Explaining this big shift to digital spends and the factors that will drive the overall political ad spend in 2019, Vivek Bhargava, CEO, DAN Performance Group, said, “Thanks to the low data costs and mobile penetration, we will see large number of content (humour, satire, serious etc) being shared through videos this election season. Thanks to Google, now we have WiFi at railway stations. Video consumption has multiplied over the past couple of years. With almost half of Indian population using mobile internet, political parties are bound to spend on digital. If one spent X amount in 2014, I won’t be surprised to see if 10X is spent in 2019.”

“Last general elections saw 3D holographic projection being used by Narendra Modi while he campaigned for the PM post. 2019 will see more use of Augmented Reality as technology has only grown since then. Today, one does not have to constrained himself to just 100 rallies but can do 1000s of them because of technological advancement,” he added.

Shafiulla Sahib, Senior Vice President, Janta Dal (Secular) JDS Karnataka, too believes that political ad spends will increase this year as there are more number of media channels today and prices have skyrocketed.

Explaining how regional political parties are getting aggressive about campaign, he said, “JDS being a regional party and at the helm in Karnataka, we want visibility for every one of our candidates. In many parts of Karnataka, outdoor media like hoardings etc are banned. Hence we are heavily dependent on television. We also rely on print media and in today's digital age, we have also started to consider advertising on several social media platforms.”

Talking about the need to spend on advertising, senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar said, “Publicity is the oxygen of politics. Political advertising is part of the process.”

According to I Venkat, Director, Eenadu Group, the ad spends will go up significantly compared to 2014 as political parties have entered the campaign mode and are trying to reach out to voters before the elections. “The expenditure overall, whether it is TV or print or online, will certainly go up and we will see the heightened activity in spends now.” He also stated that a lot of this growth will be driven by regional parties.

For Mohan Joshi, General Secretary of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), political ad spends have witnessed a tangible shift since 2014 and that trend is likely to define the campaign landscape in 2019 too.

“Prior to 2014, the ad spends by political parties were driven by Outdoor, Print and TV, but in 2014 we saw digital and social media playing a big role. Now the whole ad spending formula has changed for political parties; it is skewed towards digital and 2019 will be no different. The rise is spends is because the ad rates have changed in the last five years and that explains the big rise in spends."

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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

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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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'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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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 by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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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

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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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

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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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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