IPG Mediabrands To Manage INC's Media Planning & Buying

Recent reports suggest IPG Mediabrands India bagging the media planning and buying mandate for the Indian National Congress for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The account will be handled by BPN, a division of Initiative Media, which is part of IPG Mediabrands. Meanwhile, the ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party's media account has been managed by Sam Balsara-led Madison Media since 2014.

In addition to IPG Mediabrands, DDB Mudra is also managing Congress's election campaign responsibilities. However, specific details regarding whether this partnership pertains to creative, outdoor, or digital accounts remain unconfirmed at present.

The Congress party has previously used a variety of political marketing firms for their campaigns, just like the majority of other major parties. Among them are companies like DesignBoxed and Nixon Advertising. In addition, they still collaborate with numerous smaller and more specialised agencies. With the country gearing up for the crucial Lok Sabha elections in 2024, there's a lot of anticipation surrounding the projected advertising expenditures and their consequential impact on the advertising landscape.

According to media sources, almost Rs 40 billion was spent on advertising during the 2019 general elections, a notable increase of 20–25 per cent above the previous election season's spending. But this time, the growth is more pronounced.

Media planners are projecting that political advertising spending on mass media (newspapers, magazines, radio, television and the internet) will range from Rs 2000 crore to Rs 13,000 crore.

As per Meta Ad Library, Rahul Gandhi's page spent Rs 33 lakhs on 139 ads on Meta in the last 30 days. The Indian National Congress page spent Rs 5.09 lakh on 282 ads in the same period. The party’s Odisha page, Kerala page and affiliate pages like 'Congress Hai Na' have also been actively spending on the platform. The party has also spent close to Rs 25 lakh on Google ads in the last 30 days.