A

STUDY
ON
MARKETING STRATEGIES
USED IN
GENERAL ELECTIONS 2014

SUBMITTED TO- Dr.S.K.Singh

HOD (Humanities)
O.P. Jindal University
Raigarh (C.G.)

SUBMITTED BY- Priyanka Verma

MBA Batch (2016-18)
O.P. Jindal University
Raigarh (C.G.)
 Declaration

This is to declare that I have carried out this project work myself in part fulfillment of MBA
Program at School of Management, O.P.Jindal University. The work is original, has not been
copied from anywhere else and has not been submitted to any other University/Institution for an
award of any degree/diploma.

Date :

Signature:

Place: Raigarh

Name: Priyanka Verma

 Acknowledgement

I would like to sincerely acknowledge the contribution of all the purpose of directly or indirectly
been instrumental in help me to complete this project.

I wish to express my deep sense of gratitude and appreciation to Prof. S.K.Singh, School of
Management, O.P.Jindal University, who was our internal Project Guide for providing me the
golden opportunities of having his valuable suggestions, guidance and supervision for this
project report.
 Table of Content

i. Executive Summary................................................................1
ii. Introduction.............................................................................2
iii. Objective and scope.................................................................3
iv. Marketing strategies for modis victory....4
v. Reason for decline of congress party.9
vi. Comparison of campaigning manifesto..........................12
vii. Conclusion.............................................................................14
viii. References..15
 Executive Summary

Politics is derived from the Greek word polis which literally means city- state. Political
marketing is an area of a marketing which focus on political parties, candidates, votes ultimate
positions of power. Political marketing cover the concept of marketing it includes STP analysis,
Branding, Public relations, advertising and selling. In political Campaigns, Candidates dispatch
promises, favours, policy, preference and personalities to set voters in exchange their objectives.

The emphasis is given on the effectiveness of the political marketing in recent scenario in
politics in India. This study explores the effectiveness of marketing strategies used in general
election 2014 of India.

In this study, we focus on strategies which succeed & also the strategies which failed in election
2014. Further, how these strategies can be improved & can be implemented in next time.

The data use in this study will be secondary data.

The study reinforces the belief that in political marketing, appropriate adoption of strategies for
branding and marketing an individual or party does facilitate favorable opinion about the
candidate.
 Introduction
In May 2014, Gujarat chief Minister Mr. Narendra Modi lead the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to
a historic majority win in the 16th general electionthe first time in 30 years that a single party
has emerged with enough numbers in the Lok Sabha to form a government on its own. To lead a
nation, the man who led the phenomenal success of Gujarat needed to be more than an
authoritative leader. He needed to be someone who embodies the belief of the nation and can be
a representative of the new age India. In a bid to be the leader the nation looks up to, he became
a huge political human brand.

In contrast to classical marketing, research on political marketing has very recently given
importance to and considered the branding aspect. Branding is about getting your prospects to
see you as the only reasonable solution to the problem. In Branding, the level of success in what
you sell and how greatly depends on a strong brand positioning. This is surprising knowing that
political brands are of considerable significance for voting decisions. In essence, the importance
of brands in voting decisions derives from their branding functions of information and risk
reduction to inspire confidence.

Political branding helps the society and helps build a trusting relationship between political elites
and the common public. It helps the consumers understand what a party or candidate is about;
and distinguishes a candidate or party from the competition. Political parties also acquire and use
names and symbols, to reinforce their own positions, to gather their supporters, to garner further
support and, perhaps, to intimidate their opponents.

In recent times, political parties have turned to techniques of marketing to manage their affairs
and further their interests. We are looking at how political branding was developed and used to
generate political support and the effect of these strategies on the voting decisions.

The concept of branding is not new to political communication. As can be seen by the US
President Barrack Obamas re-election campaign or the more recent presidential elections in
India between Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal, over the last two decades
politicians and political parties have come to rely heavily on the insights of brand consultants to
improve their external presentation which translates into a deliberate strategy built to respond to
the political environment.
 Objective & Scope
Objective of the study
To study & analyze impact of marketing strategies used in general election 2014 of India which
includes:

Identifying Succeeded marketing strategies

Identifying reasons for failure of opponent
To which extent marketing helps.

Scope of the study

Scope of the study is limited to India. We have taken only general elections 2014 of India.

Research Methodology
The type of Research Method is adopted was descriptive research. Secondary data is collected
for the completion of this project.

Limitations of the study

The study is limited only to General elections of India 2014, which may fail to give a
broad view about political marketing.

The researcher faced some difficulty for the collection of facts.

 Marketing strategies behind Narendra Modis victory

Narendra Modis campaign team has used some very innovative and timely decisions that has
helped give high visibility and add potent muscle to the election campaign. Here are some of the
strategies that have worked.

1. Identify Pain points of customers

Identifying pain points of customers helps you understand what exactly your customers and
prospects truly want. Referring to these pain points in your marketing communication with
customers and prospects help, them better relate to your offerings. Narendra modi had identified
3 key pain points of voters viz. economic growth, price rise and corruption, made it agenda for
election and referred it in his all advertising, speeches, interview and one to one promotion. He
gave the people of India a hope, which eventually converted into votes. The country desperately
yearned for change and Modi adroitly positioned himself as the commander-in-chief of that
sentiment. It has almost built rapport among voters which lead to a higher trust factor on
Narendra Modi.

2. Implement Segmentation Strategy

Customers are not difficult, they are just different. If you understand this, you can win and
retain many customers This is what the crush of Segmentation strategy, Modi has successfully
implemented for election campaign. He segmented the voters of all classes in Young, Moms and
Dads, understood their pain points and targeted each segment with its own way of
communication. He targeted young population of India who were concerned with economic
growth and are the major users of social media by going digital, used various social media
platforms and posted selfies, which was never done by a Prime Ministerial candidate before. He
spoke in public to target Moms and Dads and position himself as problem solver more
specifically for price rise and corruption in India. Certainly he was able to touch the cord of the
common man.

3. Keep your competitors busy

If you can't beat competitor, make them such a busy that he cannot focus on you" This was the
one of the important aspects of Modis election strategy. He was attacking Congress through his
speeches and interviews by commenting on Growth, Corruption and Price rise issues. Rahul
Gandhi and entire UPA team then spent lot of time in defending such attacks of Modi rather than
making and communicating their clear agenda with voters. Narendra Modi on the other hand
riding on the Gujarat model of development, Inflation and Corruption was successful in
communicating his message to all segments of the society.
4. Reach the customers where your competitors cant reach
Reaching to all customer segments always remained a challenge for marketers and succeeding to
do so resulting in gaining highest market share. One of the main reasons of the gigantic victory
of Narendra Modi to be specific is the voters turnaround which was due to ground work done by
the workers of party along with Karsevaks of RSS. They were able to reach the remotest
villages where the Congress and other party were not able to reach effectively in person or
through media. The biggest example was seen in Varanasi where VHP workers along with BJP
and RSS went door to door appealing people to vote for Modi. This created an amazing
workforce which UPA and other regional parties had no answer.

5. Apply Right-Time Marketing approach

In marketing, well beginning is half done but beginning at right time is almost done Narendra
Modis election strategy is the best example of how Right Time Marketing approach works and
can result in achieving leadership position in market. Modi started with strengthening his
position in BJP for PM candidature right after becoming CM in December 2012. The campaign
of projecting Modi as the rightful Prime Ministerial candidate started long before Congress even
thought of starting for elections. Subsequently, he started election 2014 campaign from Revadi in
Sept 2013 and ended up at Baliya in April 2014 delivering his message to more than 25 crore
people across India. By the time UPA came up with a strategy for general elections, it was bit too
late for them because the ground was already set up for Modi. This eventually created The Modi
Wave which not only cleared Modis path in party but also made him victorious in general
elections of India.

Winners dont always have the best product, the big brand, or the most loyal customers. Many
times the winner does the best job in understanding and meaningfully addressing customers
expectations. That is what Narendra Modi did. Victory of Narendra modi is mainly due to
shifting voters to BJP from Congress as Congress failed to address such expectations of voters
which created anti-incumbency sentiment.

Apart from above, the most important marketing lessons can be learned from Narendra
Modis victory is Marketing works only if your product is worth for it. Narendra Modi
certainly showed the caliber as right candidate for being the Prime Minister of India and
the people of India entrusted him with votes.
 Reasons for the decline of congress party
It's not as if the party doesn't deserve it. Nor can it blame it on anything else except itself. Here
are the main reasons why the Congress is set for a long period of abstinence from power.

1. Corruption and scams

No surprises here. As soon as the Congress-led UPA 2 came into power, the scams kept rolling
out of its overstuffed closet one after another. From the 2G spectrum license to Coalgate to Rail
gate among others, scams costing the nation Crores of rupees have been exposed over the last
few years. No serious-minded individual can support public loot of this magnitude and bring the
Congress back to power to let the vicious cycle continue.

2. No leadership hierarchy

Sanjaya Baru's book The Accidental Prime Minister was the final nail in the coffin for India's
beleaguered Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The running of a nation by having important
matters cleared by Sonia Gandhi and letting Rahul Gandhi take credit for popular schemes is
only the tip of the iceberg. Even now, Rahul's rallies are nothing but material for humorists.

3. Weakening national institutions

The way national institutions like the CBI has been allegedly used and the RBI bullied in a bid to
make the central government and its policies look better has caused much public angst. Using
national institutions as your personal fiefdom smacks of arrogance and power grab, not qualities
you want to be associated with when you are fighting a crucial election.

4. Policy paralysis

With so many important events happening overseas, it is a shame that India does not have a
voice in global affairs. From the missed Arab Spring to the current state of Indian policy in
Afghanistan when US troops depart, nothing is clear about India's external policy. Internally,
with the government unable to tame price rise, a slowing economy and a sliding rupee, policy
paralysis from the government has cost its citizens more than just misery.

5. No redeeming factor

All of the above pointers could still be looked over during the election season if the Congress
had actually done something to fix its errors. Instead, the party appears to be in self-destruct
mode with Priyanka Vadra joining the bandwagon and Rahul Gandhi failing to provide a vision
for the country. Neither does the party's manifesto have anything exciting for the youth and
middle-class, a sizeable chunk of voters in Election 2014. It is difficult to fathom who
will support a party without ideas as well as vision.
 6. Lack of transparency within party
A number of Congress leaders came forward to stress on the fact that there needed to be more
accountability and transparency within the party. Congress' Mumbai South candidate Milind
Deora in a recent interview with the Indian Express, A lot of us felt our voices were never
heard. We felt our voices don't matter. This has to change. The MPs and ministers should not
feel we are being not heard.Former minister of Corporate Affairs Sachin Pilot also said that,
that our party needs a complete revamp of organizational structure. There should be election to
all party positions.

7. Failure to communicate with voters

As compared to the Bhartiya Janata Party's ginormous social media campaign with almost all
senior leaders of the BJP having Twitter accounts, the Congress' campaign seemed miniscule.
Even the Congress party's official website was not as accessible as that of the BJP. On reworking
the Congress' communication cell Milind Deora said, We did a lot of work. But we could not
take it to our voters. Look at how Modi has used communication tools."

8. Bad decisions

Ill-handling of the 2G and coal scams by the Congress is also seen as a major setback for the
party. Even though some leaders have blamed the ex prime minister for being incapable to check
the corruption in his cabinet, the party as a whole suffered due to this mishandling. Kamal Nath
also said that the bifurcation of Telangana was a disadvantage for the Congress.
 Agenda of the Parties in General Election 2014
Issue BJP Manifesto Congress Manifesto
6% of GDP will allocate for
Make RTE effective thoroughly,
Education education, Review of school
Work to reduce dropout rate
system
Boost labor intensive sectors,
Employment Make job exchanges career Create 10 crore jobs
centres
Health AIIMS like institute in every state Raise spend to 3% GDP
Growth No target 8% plus in 3 years
Urbanisation 100 new cities 100 new urban clusters
Technology enabled e-
Governance, Simplify laws to
Corruption Enact laws, guarantee services
combat
corruption
Appoint special envoy to bring
Black Money Bring back black money to India
black money
Special courts to stop hoarding,
Price Rise Price stabilisation fund, Steps to tame inflation
Un-bundle FCI operations
Get states to adopt GST,
Ensure DTC, GST bills enacted in
Simplify regime, Overhaul
Taxes 1 year, Avoid retroactive
dispute
taxes
resolution set-up
No to multi-brand retail, okay in Promote FDI specially in labor
FDI
all other sectors intensive sectors
Steps to rationalize interest
New law for financial sect0r,
Banking rates, Credit boost for
roadmap for bad loans planned
low-cost housing
Implement food security, Bring
law on rights of persons with
Start a fisheries ministry, Back
disabilities, Bring Womens
Social Sector WRB, Fast track courts for
reservation bill, Ensure rape
crimes against women
laws implemented,
Fund for acid attack victims
Link MNREGA to Agriculture,
Increase productivity and farm
Farm Sector Raise public investment, Ensure
incomes via higher investment
minimum 50% profit
Set up Veterans Commission,
Fulfilled demand for one rank one
Address shortage, Implement
Manpower pension, to set up
one
ex-service men commission
rank one pension
Start National Judicial
Enact appointments and
Commission, Modernize courts,
Judiciary Accountability bills, Deal with
Speed
backlog, Set up fast track courts
up appointments
Assist states on modernization,
Provide modern tech, weapons to
Police and Internal Security strengthen home-guards,
police, more manpower
civil defense
focus on defense equipment, Modernize, boost local
Defense Sector
support services, revamp manufacturing
Revise nuclear doctrine, Continue credible deterrence,
Nuclear
Maintain credible deterrence, Second strike capability

Industry and Infrastructure
Foreign Relations
Foreign Policy
Macros
Invest in thorium program
Single window approval at all
Time-bound green approvals,
levels, Time-bound green
Focus on SMEs, 10%
approvals, New industrial
manufacturing
regions, Back PPPs with more
growth, $1tn in infra projects,
autonomy to
better regulated PPPs
regulators
To engage with neighbors
without being led by big power Dialogue with Pak in line with
interests, Firmly deal with cross- 26/11 accountability, Help
border terrorism, Friendly ties combat global terrorism, Seek
but act permanent UNSC membership
strongly if required
Tap NRIs, PIOs; Reorient goals, Protect NRIs expatriate Indians,
content, processes, expand, To back Tamils demand in
empower diplomats Sri Lanka
Enforce fiscal discipline without
Fiscal deficit at 3% of GDP by
compromising on funds for
2016-17, amend FRBM law.
asset and development
 Conclusion
Appropriate adoption of strategies for branding and marketing an individual or party does
facilitate favorable opinion about the candidate; but it will not be a standalone factor contributing
towards the success of the party/candidate. Opinions and interpretations of the voters regarding
the adopted communication strategies coupled with various motivation factors and a unique
mindset of each voter have resulted in rationalizations that have contributed to the success of
BJP in the 2014 elections.

Strategies that are designed with keeping in mind people pain points are the
main reason for success.
Past experiences are also very important factor; past record of congress led it
to decline while past record of Narendra Modi made him a BRAND.
Strategies should be designed with keeping focus on peoples perception.
(How people will perceive the message by the party).
 References

www.google.com
www.scrib.com
www.ndtv.com
www.wikipedia.com
www.news18.com