Marketing experts explain how micro-targeting in political advertising goes beyond demographics. This involves using everything people consume online to find ways to connect with them and influence their voting behavior
Now there are not even 10 days left Gujarat Going into the elections, political preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are in full swing. Political communication has evolved from door-to-door voter conferences, TV commercials and radio jingles. Chances are your social media feeds are filled with political messages. However, these messages are not just random bombardments. If your social media profile identifies you as a youth, if you have recently been looking for a job, or if you are in the process of choosing coaching classes for further studies (based on your browsing history), So you may find yourself receiving targeted messages about education and employment!
As artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics are spreading across various fields, politics is no exception. In her latest work, Professor Varsha Jain, AGK Chair of Marketing at MICA, explores how political parties around the world are increasingly integrating new technologies into their election campaigns.
“Recent examples of the use of AI in campaigns include the last US election, where both Democrats and Republicans employed it to micro-target voters, achieving significant success. While demographic factors such as age, gender and location remain important, political analysis is increasingly moving towards political behavioral targeting (PBT). This is akin to major brands tracking Internet history to tailor their advertisements for similar products,” Professor Jain said.
In short, your keypad clicks impact your precious EVM clicks. Your likes, comments and everything else you consume online is used to create your personality profile, which helps a political campaign strategist determine the best possible way to connect with you.
While digital war rooms operate within the party headquarters, their local units also employ experts. BJP Gujarat chief spokesperson Yamal Vyas says they have a dedicated team of workers skilled in AI and analytics to design and execute social media campaigns. “Our members are also adept at leveraging various technology platforms,” he adds.
Gujarat Congress spokesperson Hiren Banker says, “Bharat Jodo Yatra was a game changer in how we connected with the public and the youth. Personal interactions and digital interactions gave us insight into what a common person wants. With the help of the analysis, key points were extracted – many of which have been integrated into the current Congress manifesto. “One of the key changes for us was to recognize the popularity of micro-video and drive user engagement,” he says.
Professor Jain points to the use of AI tools for real-time translation of speeches given by prominent political leaders in some countries, allowing widespread access on platforms like WhatsApp just minutes after the rally ends. “In a multilingual country like India, this can work wonders to reach a larger audience. AI avatar speeches are also very effective as they develop real-time discourses and narratives while connecting with the diverse cultures and subcultures of the voters, which is important for a country like India,” she adds.
However, she says an expert should moderate AI-generated content to prevent misinformation and fake news. This election also saw many AI generated images from supporters of almost all parties.
Engage, Educate, Entertain
Experts point out that the use of cookies on the Internet enables any data mining organization to create a user profile, including information about what a person sees online, their preferences, frequently visited sites, shopping habits, as well as their online activities. Time and duration are involved. These data points are leveraged by potential advertisers – or, in this context, political parties – to send customized messages to potential voters. Therefore, there is a systematic approach to political attack, ranging from understanding what is trending to improving online engagement.
A marketing faculty member from Ahmedabad, speaking anonymously to TOI, revealed that the BJP was among the parties across the world that took inspiration from the highly effective and carefully analyzed Obama campaign of 2008. “This included the creation of a comprehensive user database, which contained the status of then CM Narendra Modi. As the face of the Prime Ministerial post, that was unprecedented, and focused on hyper-local issues during his stormy rallies,” the faculty member explains. “We also saw successful initiatives ranging from Modi masks and ‘chai pe charcha’ to 3D rallies and social media town halls.”
Congress has presented its ‘Nyaya Patra’ for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections against BJP’s ‘Modi Guarantee’. Key findings from the study of various campaigns reveal trends such as a shift towards voter-centric approaches and the delivery of personalized messages, says Professor Jain, adding, “The primary question parties need to address is: For the voter. what does it have? Additionally, users want infotainment; Therefore, while conveying the message it should be entertaining and attractive. “To achieve this, parties use catchy tunes, animation or take advantage of viral trends.”
He said purposeful branding is also a buzzword and politics is no exception. Parties today should be seen moving beyond politics to connect with the youth and voters. Another factor is to think proactively and immediately come up with social media posts on trending topics, be it Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest or Sam Pitroda’s inheritance tax comment.
Ultimately, consistency across all platforms, from banners to billboards and from TV debates to social media posts, is important. “Messages should be consistent with the personality of a political leader or the identity of a political party,” she says.
Origin of modern election campaigns
promotion in india
Congress dominated the first few elections in India. At that time, the charisma of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was enough to take the party forward. An old photograph shows a candidate, Nooruddin Ahmed, campaigning on a truck with a picture of Pandit Nehru with the slogan: “Vote for Congress for a stable, secular and progressive nation”. The party’s symbol then was a calf and a cow. With the advent of radio and television, media began to be used to send political messages and bullock cart campaigns gradually became obsolete.
American influence
In the early days of American politics, caricatures and newspaper reports were tools for sending political messages. One of Abraham Lincoln’s campaign memorabilia is an 1860 song, “Honest Old Abe”, written by Dee Wentworth and composed by A Wide Awake. By the 20th century, poster wars between Democrats and Republicans became a highlight of political campaigning. In 1910, FD Roosevelt started the practice of street campaigning. To this day, album pins, banners and collectibles remain part of campaign strategies around the world.
symbols matter
Election Commission of India records show a man searching for his candidate’s symbol as each candidate had a separate ballot paper in the 1951 election.
obama inspires
Barack Obama’s carefully planned political campaign – it used “Hope” posters and the upbeat slogan “Yes We Can” – sent him to the White House in 2008. It was the first major campaign to harness the power of social media and analytics to capture supporters’ location and email details. Online meetings, personalized messages and discussions based on local issues gave Obama the lead. The campaign was widely analyzed and copied in parts by politicians around the world.
Launching Internet Campaigns
According to reports, in 2023, advertisers spent $5.3 billion on political and issue ads on Meta, $1.3 billion on Google, $51 million on Snapchat, and $5 million on Twitter. Today, almost a quarter of advertising spending goes to online campaigns. The medium also allows for innovative ways to reach audiences. For example, in 2019, the UK Labor Party released an online tax calculator to predict how much income would increase if they were elected. In recent years, micro-formats, interactive games and even personalized messages have been used by parties around the world to woo voters.
timeless slogans
Who can forget Congress’ ‘Garibi Hatao’ war cry of 1971? For decades, Indian politics has seen many slogans summarizing political ideologies in a few words. Sometimes the same slogans were distorted to launch a counter attack. Before the 2004 elections, the ‘India Shining’ campaign was widely publicized by the BJP to instill voter confidence in India’s growth story. But BJP lost the election. A decade later, the party gave the slogan ‘Ab ki baar, Modi Sarkar’ which catapulted Gujarat CM Narendra Modi onto the national scene as the country’s PM.
-With inputs from Kapil Dave
Now there are not even 10 days left Gujarat Going into the elections, political preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are in full swing. Political communication has evolved from door-to-door voter conferences, TV commercials and radio jingles. Chances are your social media feeds are filled with political messages. However, these messages are not just random bombardments. If your social media profile identifies you as a youth, if you have recently been looking for a job, or if you are in the process of choosing coaching classes for further studies (based on your browsing history), So you may find yourself receiving targeted messages about education and employment!
As artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics are spreading across various fields, politics is no exception. In her latest work, Professor Varsha Jain, AGK Chair of Marketing at MICA, explores how political parties around the world are increasingly integrating new technologies into their election campaigns.
“Recent examples of the use of AI in campaigns include the last US election, where both Democrats and Republicans employed it to micro-target voters, achieving significant success. While demographic factors such as age, gender and location remain important, political analysis is increasingly moving towards political behavioral targeting (PBT). This is akin to major brands tracking Internet history to tailor their advertisements for similar products,” Professor Jain said.
In short, your keypad clicks impact your precious EVM clicks. Your likes, comments and everything else you consume online is used to create your personality profile, which helps a political campaign strategist determine the best possible way to connect with you.
While digital war rooms operate within the party headquarters, their local units also employ experts. BJP Gujarat chief spokesperson Yamal Vyas says they have a dedicated team of workers skilled in AI and analytics to design and execute social media campaigns. “Our members are also adept at leveraging various technology platforms,” he adds.
Gujarat Congress spokesperson Hiren Banker says, “Bharat Jodo Yatra was a game changer in how we connected with the public and the youth. Personal interactions and digital interactions gave us insight into what a common person wants. With the help of the analysis, key points were extracted – many of which have been integrated into the current Congress manifesto. “One of the key changes for us was to recognize the popularity of micro-video and drive user engagement,” he says.
Professor Jain points to the use of AI tools for real-time translation of speeches given by prominent political leaders in some countries, allowing widespread access on platforms like WhatsApp just minutes after the rally ends. “In a multilingual country like India, this can work wonders to reach a larger audience. AI avatar speeches are also very effective as they develop real-time discourses and narratives while connecting with the diverse cultures and subcultures of the voters, which is important for a country like India,” she adds.
However, she says an expert should moderate AI-generated content to prevent misinformation and fake news. This election also saw many AI generated images from supporters of almost all parties.
Engage, Educate, Entertain
Experts point out that the use of cookies on the Internet enables any data mining organization to create a user profile, including information about what a person sees online, their preferences, frequently visited sites, shopping habits, as well as their online activities. Time and duration are involved. These data points are leveraged by potential advertisers – or, in this context, political parties – to send customized messages to potential voters. Therefore, there is a systematic approach to political attack, ranging from understanding what is trending to improving online engagement.
A marketing faculty member from Ahmedabad, speaking anonymously to TOI, revealed that the BJP was among the parties across the world that took inspiration from the highly effective and carefully analyzed Obama campaign of 2008. “This included the creation of a comprehensive user database, which contained the status of then CM Narendra Modi. As the face of the Prime Ministerial post, that was unprecedented, and focused on hyper-local issues during his stormy rallies,” the faculty member explains. “We also saw successful initiatives ranging from Modi masks and ‘chai pe charcha’ to 3D rallies and social media town halls.”
Congress has presented its ‘Nyaya Patra’ for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections against BJP’s ‘Modi Guarantee’. Key findings from the study of various campaigns reveal trends such as a shift towards voter-centric approaches and the delivery of personalized messages, says Professor Jain, adding, “The primary question parties need to address is: For the voter. what does it have? Additionally, users want infotainment; Therefore, while conveying the message it should be entertaining and attractive. “To achieve this, parties use catchy tunes, animation or take advantage of viral trends.”
He said purposeful branding is also a buzzword and politics is no exception. Parties today should be seen moving beyond politics to connect with the youth and voters. Another factor is to think proactively and immediately come up with social media posts on trending topics, be it Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest or Sam Pitroda’s inheritance tax comment.
Ultimately, consistency across all platforms, from banners to billboards and from TV debates to social media posts, is important. “Messages should be consistent with the personality of a political leader or the identity of a political party,” she says.
Origin of modern election campaigns
promotion in india
Congress dominated the first few elections in India. At that time, the charisma of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was enough to take the party forward. An old photograph shows a candidate, Nooruddin Ahmed, campaigning on a truck with a picture of Pandit Nehru with the slogan: “Vote for Congress for a stable, secular and progressive nation”. The party’s symbol then was a calf and a cow. With the advent of radio and television, media began to be used to send political messages and bullock cart campaigns gradually became obsolete.
American influence
In the early days of American politics, caricatures and newspaper reports were tools for sending political messages. One of Abraham Lincoln’s campaign memorabilia is an 1860 song, “Honest Old Abe”, written by Dee Wentworth and composed by A Wide Awake. By the 20th century, poster wars between Democrats and Republicans became a highlight of political campaigning. In 1910, FD Roosevelt started the practice of street campaigning. To this day, album pins, banners and collectibles remain part of campaign strategies around the world.
symbols matter
Election Commission of India records show a man searching for his candidate’s symbol as each candidate had a separate ballot paper in the 1951 election.
obama inspires
Barack Obama’s carefully planned political campaign – it used “Hope” posters and the upbeat slogan “Yes We Can” – sent him to the White House in 2008. It was the first major campaign to harness the power of social media and analytics to capture supporters’ location and email details. Online meetings, personalized messages and discussions based on local issues gave Obama the lead. The campaign was widely analyzed and copied in parts by politicians around the world.
Launching Internet Campaigns
According to reports, in 2023, advertisers spent $5.3 billion on political and issue ads on Meta, $1.3 billion on Google, $51 million on Snapchat, and $5 million on Twitter. Today, almost a quarter of advertising spending goes to online campaigns. The medium also allows for innovative ways to reach audiences. For example, in 2019, the UK Labor Party released an online tax calculator to predict how much income would increase if they were elected. In recent years, micro-formats, interactive games and even personalized messages have been used by parties around the world to woo voters.
timeless slogans
Who can forget Congress’ ‘Garibi Hatao’ war cry of 1971? For decades, Indian politics has seen many slogans summarizing political ideologies in a few words. Sometimes the same slogans were distorted to launch a counter attack. Before the 2004 elections, the ‘India Shining’ campaign was widely publicized by the BJP to instill voter confidence in India’s growth story. But BJP lost the election. A decade later, the party gave the slogan ‘Ab ki baar, Modi Sarkar’ which catapulted Gujarat CM Narendra Modi onto the national scene as the country’s PM.
-With inputs from Kapil Dave
