Are Political Ad Campaigns Stooping To A New Low?

As the world's largest democracy is looking forward to its 18^th Lok Sabha elections in 2024, political advertising in India has undergone a metamorphosis, transcending from print ads to comprehensive 360 degree campaigns, orchestrated by creative agencies. However, a new trend has emerged - a willingness to stoop to personal attacks, mockery, and ridicule in an attempt to demolish opponents.

From lampooning memes to below-the-belt insults, the pitches are becoming increasingly unrestrained. What was once an arena for substantive policy debates and vision-casting now more resembles a verbal slugfest on the playground. 

While mockery in political campaigns is nothing new, the current cycle has seen the gloves come off to an alarming degree in the race to grab eyeballs and go viral.

“I think that issue has become truly quite serious now,” says Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist and Independent Director. “It largely happens because of social media. It's very easy for social media handles of political parties to take potshots at each other, to almost mock an opponent.”

On the other hand, Harish Bijoor, Brand Guru & Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc. states, “Political campaigns are very competitive in their stances. The reality of the political party and its real agenda tends to get lost, so promises seem to lead advertising today.”

Race for Attention 

Digital platforms have turbocharged the spread of mockery by allowing unfiltered attacks to be amplified far and wide to millions with a single click. 

Karthi Marshan, Communicator, Marketer, Learner stresses, “We live in the entertainment era. News also has to masquerade as entertainment to get our attention. We also live in times of diminished attention spans, so anything that appeals to our base instincts is likely to cut through. And seeing others in a bad light tops the list.”

He argues that mockery and lampooning of opponents is an easy tactic. “When someone so much as slips on a banana peel, our first instinct is to laugh, and only after that are we likely to express concern.’ From that lens, "jibes at opponents, lampooning them et al, surely get quick attention and that other very desirable metric - virality.”

Pragmatic Calculation

The new trend in political campaigning is posing a myriad of dangers, fuelling a cycle of retaliatory messaging, prompting campaigns to stoop lower with each electoral cycle. The normalisation of outrageous smears risks desensitising voters, leading them to dismiss substantive issues. Furthermore, relentless exposure to vitriolic rhetoric exacerbates social divisions along partisan, religious, caste and regional lines, undermining a sense of national unity.

BJP’s recent campaign is a prime example of objectionable campaign material. Their widely-derided ‘dulha’ ad controversially equated the prime ministerial ambitions of opposition leaders to rivalries between prospective grooms, reducing a complex political dynamic to a crass marriageable analogy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CqYtg6D4yE&t=15s

Talking about the campaign, Mathias observes, "I think it's an interesting route the party chose to make a point about the cross-fighting happening in the opposition. A lot of people found it very funny and an interesting way to make a sharp point about disunity, albeit some may find it offensive." However, while taking practical steps to promote campaigns in the digital world, he notes, “In today's digital world, where memes and short format videos prevail, I think it's a fairly acceptable technique.”

The Meme Game

The opposition is hardly innocent either. There were social media memes depicting BJP leaders as corrupt, power-hungry autocrats hellbent on subverting democratic institutions. While memes have become par for the course in today's digitally-charged campaigning, some of the more vicious attacks took the ‘Fakir’ meme mocking Modi's oft-cited humble roots to absurd, overdone levels.

On the contentious issue of mocking opponents in modern political advertising, Marshan adopts a critical stance, questioning its strategic merit. “Personally, I am not a fan of humiliating opponents in the public eye, and this is not a virtue signalling position. I believe it’s strategically wrong to do so, because a discerning audience is unlikely to think very highly of the mocker either. Having said that, everyone in play hides behind the old saw of all being fair in love and war, so who am I going to persuade otherwise?”, he remarks. 

Marshan emphasises the importance of elevating political discourse above petty squabbles, urging for a return to principled engagement.

Bijoor, however, is unequivocal in his condemnation of such mudslinging. He strongly believes, “Mocking opponents has absolutely no place in modern political advertising.” On the trend of memes in the political advertising landscape, he notes, “Memes tend to be very common with the emergence of digital media and right in your face you have campaigns which are contentious. Most of these campaigns move away from policy issues.”

Evolution of Political Advertising 

Political campaigning has always involved persuasion through various mediums - from stump speeches and pamphlets to radio and TV ads. But the digital age has ushered a profound impact. Social media allows politicians to speak directly to voters with less filtering, fact-checking or editorial restraint.

Mathias, reflects on this evolution, highlighting, "Political advertising has matured significantly, with parties now collaborating closely with creative agencies to craft compelling narratives across various media channels." He credits the BJP for leading the way in streamlining political communication, setting a precedent for other parties to follow suit.

For the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has chosen McCann Worldgroup and Scarecrow M&C Saatchi for creative advertising, with Madison Media overseeing media planning and buying. Meanwhile, the Congress party has enlisted Niksun, Silver Push, and Design Boxed for media, outdoor, and social media campaigns, recently adding Percept to their team.

Marshan underscores the need for campaigns to remain focused on policy issues rather than resorting to personal attacks or mockery. He transports back in time about two centuries, with an instance occurred during an Illinois debate, when Lincoln and Cartwright, despite political differences, found common ground. He underscored a perceived decline in political maturity, with today's discourse often being overshadowed by superficialities rather than substantive debate. 

Moreover, he laments the dwindling political integrity, reminiscing about a bygone era where principles trumped partisanship. He asserts, "Political parties are either converging on their manifestos, or they are making generic promises.”

As Bijoor observes, “There will come a time when people as voters will stand up and say, 'I do not believe the credibility of a political party that mocks leaders of another.' And in the bargain, down goes their vote.”

Reema Bhaduri

BW Reporters The author is the Editorial Lead at BW Businessworld. Majorly writes on marketing, advertising, experiential marketing and retail. She closely looks upon the vertical of BW Marketing World and BW Retail World.