Today marks the first day of the largest democratic elections in human history, with over 900 million people going to the polls over a period of roughly 7 weeks. This unprecedented electoral process has been preceded by weeks, nay, months of campaigning, whatabout-isms, and ads. Lots of ads.  

As reported by exchange4media, Google, the arbiter of much of our digital living, raked in Rs 135 crore from January this year, on the weight of political advertising alone. And while the majority of these spends can be attributed to the incumbent BJP, what’s interesting to note is the displacement of opposition party INC as the second biggest spender, as regional parties spend monies to earn votes and reach out to the populace in the language in which they’re most comfortable.

Santosh R, Co-founder and CMO of Elever, points out that unlike regular advertising, political advertising almost singularly works better in non-English, be it Hindi or other vernacular. “The reason for this is simple - the stakes are much higher than buying soap or tea, and it's a lot more personal. Precisely why the language that will likely connect with people is not the one they may officially communicate in but one in which they experience life.”

Abhishek Upadhya - VP, Digital Innovation & Strategy, Hiveminds, notes that advertising election/political communication in regional languages is not a recent phenomenon. “From the times of TV and print of past elections to a rapidly increasing digital political landscape in the past decade, political communication has primarily followed what the voter speaks and understands and placed the ad where the voter is consuming content. It is inherently in a regional language on a platform with regional content. About 10% of Indians speak English regularly (TOI Report, ASER Report), and about 43% of Kids aged 14-18 in Rural India can read and understand English.”

This is the future electorate. A lot of political communication is aimed at the people aged 17-30 since they are likely to be first-time voters and are part of the aspirational India demographic. Hence, regional language usage becomes essential to show grassroots connection, understanding of local and regional issues, and creating a personal bond with the voter.

Prashant Puri, Co-Founder & CEO, AdLift, a global digital marketing agency, says in the past few years, internet browsers, mobile manufacturers, payment gateways etc. have understood the urgency of introducing vernacular to increase their user base across regions. “Today, companies allocate approx. 40-50 percent of their overall marketing spends towards regional marketing and content. This is to cater to the language preference people want specific to their region and help them in building confidence and interest towards a particular campaign,” he says.

 “All the regions in our country have one or another feature that stands them apart from others. I feel political campaigns should be customized based on the demand and gap of that area. This will give them an immediate connection with the local population and a sense of belongingness,” adds Puri.

 “Also, from a campaign effectiveness point of view, irrespective of an individual's view, BJP is likely the only party that commands the mind space of most of the country. However, many regional parties have stronger hold in their region compared to the national level, and spends reflects just that,” says Santosh.

About 74% of digital news consumers prefer to consume news in video format. It is an excellent medium to showcase political video ads since video is proven to be the best medium for grabbing attention, creating brand awareness, and recalling.

“Usage of Rich media, Interactive Polls in Ads, and Audio ads have stood out in terms of novelty. Regional language influencer/Content pages on Social networks and YouTube have also been used to create Surround and Amplification of narratives,” notes Upadhya.

Advertising, be it political or otherwise, needs to fulfil two criteria to become memorable and effective – “It needs to reflect some truth or ground reality that everyone genuinely feels, and it needs to be expressed well. Sadly, most political advertising I recall seems to centre around bashing another party, which may be effective if you already lean a certain way but certainly doesn't win you any new converts,” notes Santosh.