How Smriti Irani won the political battle on social media

The BJP campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections centred around the ‘chowkidar’ campaign. It was one of the strongest campaigns for the party and was picked up by social media in a big way. “The Chowkidar campaign came against a big propaganda to malign the image of the ruling party and to counter it, the PMO took the allegation head-on and it boomeranged on the Opposition party,” says an industry source who worked closely with the production of BJP campaigns. The agencies executed and supported the campaign with relevant content. A film was made around the theme ‘Chowkidar’, which became a big hit. 

The teams working on the campaign decided to extend it and make it more real. So another 6-7 commercials were built around it, for example ‘What is real chowkidar?’ ‘Real chowkidar is real Modi’ and the philosophy of doing good for humanity and the country is also being a ‘chowkidar’. That philosophy was further translated into TV commercials. A lot of connect was built through that campaign. And it worked as a big advantage for the BJP. 

This was followed by a film putting together other issues that came up like the Balakot airstrike, terrorism and developmental issues like houses for poor and gas connections for all. This involved the party’s team along with agencies Ogilvy, Moving Pixels and McCann WorldGroup. The tagline ‘Phir ek baar Modi sarkar’ was created. The idea came from the PMO’s office and it was sharpened further. The format for Chowkidar campaign had already become a big hit. So the same format was continued with minor changes in this particular campaign. It gave the party the required recall and a fresh look. 

Campaign to go out and vote
The party was gradually getting feelers from the ground that people were favouring them, but they needed to give them a call to action. So another set of TVCs was created with the idea that if they praise a good work, they need to go and support that by voting for BJP. All the developmental work of the last five years was also stitched into these campaigns through Print ads. Campaigns with ideas like “Someone has brought electricity to your house, go and vote for them” with multiple versions for urban and rural were created. 

Manifesto five-seconders
The BJP’s poll manifesto was declared and it had a lot of points to talk about. It was the party’s idea to make small 5-seconders as reminders rather than making 20-30 second single ads. The idea was to increase frequency of 5-seconders to make it more effective. So 30 to 40 five-second commercials with one-liners were made, for example ‘Aatankvaad par kada prahar, phir ek baar modi Sarkar’. This turned out to be very effective for the party. 

Parallel social media campaigns
While mainline campaigns were going on, agencies created content around the theme ‘Aaega to Modi hi’ which became quite popular. A series of 10-12 10-seconders were made around the theme which went viral on social media with people creating their own versions, and it worked out in favour of the party. 

Alongside, songs like ‘Modiji ko chun rahein hai’, ‘kar chukka faisla desh’ were introduced and promoted. The theme of patriotism was picked up and commercials were made around that. Another song ‘Agar chowkidar na hota toh kya hota?’ was created and shared on social media. 

Bringing back the Chowkidar campaign
PM Modi had been talking about his work in his first tenure of five years. Also, there was already an undercurrent among people who had received benefit of houses and gas connections. So people were already aware about the schemes and developmental work of the government. Post that, other campaigns like ‘Phir ek baar Modi sarkar’ were kept soft on purpose because the ‘Chowkidar’ theme was so hyped up that to maintain it through seven phases of elections would not be sustainable. That is why other campaigns were tapered down and kept low key. In the end phase, with 90 seats left to go for vote, the Chowkidar campaign was brought back again as a reminder ‘Chowkidar ke chowkidar bano’ and ‘Chowkidar ki chinta hai, toh jaa ke vote karo’. 

Unique in terms of customisation, saved cost
The BJP’s campaign in the 2019 elections was unique in terms of customization of content as per geography and phase of elections. For example, the campaigns in Uttar Pradesh had more of Ganga into the visuals while those for Punjab and Haryana were quite hardcore in tone and campaigns for Delhi were a lot urban. This also helped the party save money on their ad spends as the campaigns were more regional rather than national. For example, the campaigns run in West Bengal were not exposed in the rest of the country. 

Another reason for less spends this time was that awareness of Brand Modi was already quite big and hence the party did not have to rebuild that. This also meant that the agencies did not have to overdo the concepts. They only had to give right meaning and direction, and remain positive on the party’s objectives and ideas, regardless of what the Opposition party said in its campaigns. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself kept building his brand through uniqueness in his speeches and interviews, which gave a lot of traction. 

Opposition failed despite volume 
According to an industry source, campaigns by the Congress Party and other Opposition parties were pretty strong in terms of volume this time around. “If the BJP had taken 50 spots on radio, Opposition parties had about 300-400 spots,” says an industry source. “However, Congress campaigns probably lacked the connect. The ‘Nyay’ campaign backfired for them as they did not have answers to the questions they were asking through it. They tried to change their way to emulate BJP campaigns - relating to the poor - but it was probably too late for them to build a connect and it looked fake and artificial,” he added. 

Teams Behind The BJP Campaign

Ogilvy, McCann WorldGroup, Creativeland Asia and Ahmedabad-based production house Moving Pixels were involved in creating content for communication for the BJP. Piyush Pandey of Ogilvy and Prasoon Joshi of McCann WorldGroup wrote a song each and gave ideas for content creation, while one song was created by 82.5 Communications. The production and creation of videos, commercials and other creatives for Print and OOH were made largely by Moving Pixels, along with other agencies. Animated commercials were done by Ogilvy. Creativeland Asia was involved creation of various digital assists and multiple campaigns. The teams were stationed in Delhi with production happening in multiple places like Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Creativeland Asia had been involved in shaping the Modi government and BJP campaign over the last six months, working closely with the think-tank on their key focus areas  and creating multi-media micro campaigns as well as creating targeted digital and social assets and campaigns.

Sai Estate Consultants Chembur Pvt. Ltd. (SECCPL) celebrated the Festival Of Democracy during the counting of votes for the 7th Lok Sabha elections on May 23. 

The occasion was marked with a live screening of the counting along with expert commentary, amid much fanfare, food, and merriment. The screening which was held at Club Emerald, Chembur, was attended by prominent faces of Mumbai’s political circles, as well as election aficionados.

As the counting began, the attendees, who make up a part of the world’s largest democracy, were gripped to the news, to see how the results would determine the destiny of this great nation. 

Speaking at the Festival Of Democracy, Amit Wadhwani, Founding Member, Sai Estate, said, “After 71 years of independence, India still continues to keep its values of empowering citizens intact. Every election is the time to cherish and celebrate that “WE” as people of INDIA come together and decide our future for the next 5 years. We at Sai Estate Consultants Chembur Pvt. Ltd. (SECCPL), believe that the results will be path-breaking for the nation, as we enter another decade of strong growth and development.”

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd’s #ActivIndia movement saw two-wheeler rallies in over 60 cities, including Chandigarh, Mandi, Hubli, Kochi, Kanpur, Pune and Guwahati, with the aim to spread awareness on voting before polling dates. 

Honda also promoted the message with its selfie booths in several localities and public places like parks and petrol pumps. 

From the start of this movement on April 3, #ActivIndia has urged every voter to strengthen the spirit of democracy by exercising their right to vote. Honda 2Wheelers India proposed #KoiSeatNaJayeKhali - a radical new thought asking people to take another voter on pillion with them to their polling booth. 

On the polling day in each of the 7 phases, Honda made voting memorable for first-time voters with a red carpet welcome and post-voting selfie stations. To beat the heat during long queues, facilities like drinking water were also provided at polling booths. Honda provided free pick-up and drop services in many cities to empower senior citizens and differently-abled voters to fulfil their right to vote.

In the 7 phases of polling across India, #ActivIndia stands out as a social activism movement driven by the overwhelming support of over 62 lakh Indians who took the pledge to vote with Honda. 

Sharing his thoughts, Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Senior Vice President, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Striving to create meaningful difference in society fuelled by citizen partnership, Honda launched its biggest social activism movement #ActivIndia. The support that over 62 lakh Indian voters showed to Honda’s movement has been nothing short of extraordinary.”

The community of #ActivIndians pledged their vote through multiple channels – be it the dedicated website www.hondaactivindia.com, toll free number 9870500111 and even missed call.

#ActivIndia gave a platform to Young India to get customised pledge frames for social media and SMS reminders for their polling dates.

Driven by citizen participation, the awareness impact was multiplied through sensitisation at 6,000 Honda network touchpoints. 

Twitter recorded 396 million tweets for #LokSabhaElections2019. Over the last several months, candidates and citizens have made Twitter the destination for breaking news and real-time public discussions about the elections. 

The election spanned six weeks and culminated in Counting Day when India determined its Prime Minister Narendra Modi (@NarendraModi), through the election of 534 Members of Parliament across 29 states 7 Union Territories. 

The news broke on Twitter through this historic Tweet that received hundreds of thousands of Replies, Retweets and Likes in the span of a few minutes, making it the most Retweeted Tweet of the election: 

LIVE: Congress President @RahulGandhi addresses media at Congress HQ. https://t.co/df5N3kMY5Y

— Congress (@INCIndia) 23 May 2019

सबका साथ + सबका विकास + सबका विश्वास = विजयी भारत

Together we grow.

Together we prosper.

Together we will build a strong and inclusive India.

India wins yet again! #VijayiBharat

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 23 May 2019

Emphasising the importance of engaging in public dialogue on the platform, Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) conceded the election through this livestream from @INCIndia: 

Congratulations to @BJP4India & @narendramodi on a decisive victory. The people of India have made their decision & we respect their mandate. We'd like to thank all our workers for their hard work. We wish the new govt the best & look forward to working towards India's future.

— Congress (@INCIndia) 23 May 2019

The volume of conversation around #LokSabhaElections2019, including Tweets from candidates, political parties, citizens and the news media ensured that from January 1, 2019, till May 23, 2019, Twitter saw more than 396 million Tweets on the platform, a 600% growth from 2014.

A total of 3.2 million Tweets were observed on Counting Day itself, with 1/3rd of the Tweets being recorded between 3 and 4pm, at the same hour that Prime Minister Modi tweeted. 

Despite being an election for the Indian Prime Minister, the impact of #LokSabhaElections2019 was felt across the world. Conversations unfolded across the globe, with world leaders, celebrities and Indian diaspora engaging in dialogue about the new government. 
 
Heat Map for Counting Day (GIF from Trendsmap):

https://www.trendsmap.com/v/hpTs 

Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI), Prime Minister of Pakistan: 
 

I congratulate Prime Minister Modi on the electoral victory of BJP and allies. Look forward to working with him for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) 23 May 2019

Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu), Prime Minister of Israel:
 

मेरे दोस्त @narendramodi आपके प्रभावशाली चुनावी जीत पर हार्दिक बधाई! ये चुनावी नतीजे एक बार फिर दुनिया के सबसे बड़े लोकतंत्र में आपके नेतृत्व को साबित करते हैं। हम साथ मिलकर भारत और इज़राइल के बीच घनिष्ट मित्रता को मजबूत करना जारी रखेंगे । बहुत बढ़िया, मेरे दोस्त ?????

— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) 23 May 2019

More tweets from global leaders can be viewed through this Twitter moment:

https://twitter.com/i/events/1131497628590518272 

Throughout the campaign period, politicians and political parties used Twitter to communicate with Indian citizens in the country and across the world, while citizens took to the platform to address their queries directly to contesting leaders. 
@NarendraModi emerged as the most mentioned figure during the entire course of #LokSabhaElections2019, and @BJP4India handle along with the handles of their National Democratic Alliance members took 53% of the mentions on Twitter. 

The @INCIndia handle along with handles of other members of the United Progressive Alliance received 37% of the mentions. 

Here are the leaders who were most mentioned on the platform during this election period: 

 
During the course of the six weeks of the election from April 11 till May 19, national security emerged as the most talked about election-related topic on Twitter, followed by religion, jobs and employment, agriculture, and finally demonetisation.

With the BJP and its lead campaigner Prime Minister Narendra Modi receiving a landslide victory in the #LokSabhaElections2019, celebrities and leaders took to the platform to share their congratulatory messages.

Would like to congratulate @AmitShah sir for #BJP4India victory today in the elections ✌?✌?... #phirSeModiSarkar

— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) 23 May 2019

लोक सभा चुनाव की प्रभावशाली जीत पर प्रधानमंत्री मोदीजी और पार्टी अध्यक्ष श्री अमित शाह को बहुत बहुत बधाई। एक नए भारत निर्माण के लिए अब आपके पास शक्तिशाली जनादेश है। हम सभी, बड़े उत्साह से असरदार शुरुआती १०० दिनों की उम्मीद करते है। हम सब की शुभकामनाएं आपके साथ हैं।

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) 23 May 2019

With 67% counted, my lead has crossed 42,000 & I am leading in six of the seven Assembly constituencies in my MP constituency. #TharoorForTvm But sad & disappointed about the national picture.

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) 23 May 2019

"We respect the mandate given by people. I, on behalf of AAP, congratulate BJP for their victory and also congratulate @narendramodi for becoming PM once again"- @Saurabh_MLAgk pic.twitter.com/Pm7PXLS1LJ

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) 23 May 2019

Respected dear @narendramodi ji
hearty congratulations ... You made it !!! God bless.

— Rajinikanth (@rajinikanth) 23 May 2019

How was 2019 different from 2014?

Along with a growth in the volume of conversation, 2019 saw a 600% growth over the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the #LokSabhaElections2019 emoji featured hashtags across Indian languages, not just English and Hindi. While English and Hindi remained the dominant languages of conversation, we saw a substantial number of Tweets in Tamil (#நாடாளுமன்றதேர்தல்) followed by Gujarati (#લોકસભાચૂંટણી), represented by the use of the Twitter Lok Sabha Elections emoji hashtags. 

Regional Diversification

Twitter’s focus was on ensuring parity of representation in conversation regardless of where the candidates were from, which is why particular focus for this Lok Sabha election was placed on onboarding regional and diverse voices that represent India. 

In the last year alone, 10 regional political parties (@SBSP4INDIA, @JmmJharkhand, @maiamofficial, @JanataDal_S, @RJDforIndia, @trspartyonline, @ShivSena, @YSRCParty, @NCPspeaks, @JaiTDP) joined Twitter in the months leading up to the elections. Post 2014, prominent politicians including @RahulGandhi and @Mayawati, among others, made their debuts on social media with Twitter. 
The platform also collaborated with civil society partners like @YlacIndia, @ReDiSocials, @ImpulseNGO, @SociallyBlog hosting election events across the country, focusing on the importance of the youth vote, the use of social media for elections and other agendas for 2019.

Twitter-First Programming

Twitter also built original programming with key partners in an effort to serve the public conversation, Twitter launched the #ChaupalOnTwitter series, which helped candidates engage with their constituents, receiving more than 1 million views across 19 sessions. Credible news partners showcasing all sides of the story, including veteran journalist Vikram Chandra (@vikramchandra) launching a Twitter-first show called #TwitterDialogues, which accrued more than 1.6 million video views, while a range of credible news partners live-streamed content on Twitter during Counting Day. 

#PowerOf18

Twitter India’s #PowerOf18 campaign also emphasised the importance of the youth vote by partnering with key influencers like Bollywood star Rajkummar Rao (@RajkummarRao), actor Rithvik Dhanjani (@rithvik_RD), singer and actor Jassie Gill (@JassieGill) and gold medal-winning boxing champ Nikhat Zareen (@nikhat_zareen ‏). These videos accrued more than 5 million views on Twitter. While heading to the polls is critical for any democracy, the campaign also showcased the importance of engaging in civic dialogue. Through a special research study commissioned, Twitter found that two in three Indian Twitter users believe that they are contributing to the public debate by Tweeting on Twitter.  
 

Buzzoka had predicted the 2019 election win for BJP and foresaw Main Bhi Chowkidaar Campaign as a key differentiator. 

The survey quizzed 163 digital media leaders through 3rd party media publishers from top brands, top agencies, and startups. Buzzoka managed to provide a more holistic understanding of the performance of the various digital initiatives and how the general elections will play on the issues of New Digital India.
 
Overall, the survey highlighted that the stakeholders of the Indian digital industry are happy with the current government’s efforts in the digital space. 

Considering the election campaigns by two leading parties, 54 per cent of respondents believed that BJP’s Main Bhi Chowkidar campaign was impactful, whereas 65 per cent respondents believed that Congress’ Chowkidar Chor Hai campaign was a miss.
 
The experts believed that the policies implemented by the government between 2014 to 2019 has given a boost to the digital ecosystem in India.
 
A whopping 91 per cent respondents believed that digital media has the influencing power to change the perception of voters in the 2019 elections which is good news for the government. The digital industry believed that the current government’s digital initiatives have helped them to reach the rural audience. 

It’s a massive positive step towards getting far more campaign eyeballs for brands targeting rural Indians. Also, it’s a big boost for the digital economy as brands have increased their spending on digital media. 

The report also suggested that the government has done a good job overall and the digital industry seemed to be quite satisfied with its initiatives to boost the digital media sector in India.
 
A majority of 69 per cent respondents were satisfied with the government policies implemented to boost the digital ecosystem of the country. Over 77 per cent agreed that they witnessed a rise in digital media budgets during 2014-2019 signaling a massive rise in Digital India infrastructure.
 
Speaking about the success of the survey, Ashutosh Harbola, Co-Founder, CEO, Buzzoka, said, “We are absolutely delighted to predict that Main Bhi Chowkidaar campaign started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a massive hit and it will play a key role in bringing the BJP back in power. We also highlighted how the digital industry sees the growth of digital India as a key achievement of the government. I would like to congratulate the Prime Minister for a thumping win and expect future digital growth be a priority agenda in his portfolio for India.”

News 24 channel and Today’s Chanakya have once again called the 2019 Lok Sabha election result correctly. 
Today's Chanakya's Post Poll Analysis done for News24 predicted 300 seats for BJP (+-14) and 350 seats for NDA (+-14). 

The actual results have thrown up exactly similarly numbers. 

In the post poll analysis on 19th May, Today's Chanakya's had predicted 55 seats (+-9) for Congress, 95 (+-9) for UPA and 97 seats (+-11) for others. The results have given exactly similar numbers.

Just like the 2014 Lok Sabha election, News 24 – Today’s Chanakya caught the pulse of the people of Delhi during 2015 assembly election and then predicted BJP's landslide victory in UP assembly to perfection.