Ad agencies in the race for political accounts  ( October '10,2003, BS)

The value? Nearly Rs 20 crore. The task? Near impossible.

Advertising agencies are pitting their impressive heads against each other to secure a Rs 20 crore contract for the advertising campaigns of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a few days after the Assembly polls were announced by the Election Commission. Their brief? To sell snow to sceptical, and cynical Ekimoes.

The BJP is working rapidly. It viewed seven presentations, shortlisted four and will award the Rs 10 crore ad campaign contract on Friday.

The winner will be required to convince the people of Delhi that the BJP is a better party to vote for because roads in Delhi are non-existent, there is power but it cannot be relied upon and the piped water can make you sick.

“Our thrust is from the beautiful city, it used to be, Delhi has become a huge stinking dirty mass. The basic advertising theme is: What development? For whom,” said a member of the BJP campaign committee.

Presentations were also made to Ahmad Patel, Congress leader in charge of Delhi, and the party will decide on awarding the contract in a few days.

“We have two separate heads. There is the ad campaign for the Delhi government, which has been thought up basically by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Then there is a separate budget for the party," said a Delhi government official, refusing to cite a figure but claiming that it was close to Rs 10 crore.

The activity will spread across all above-the-line (ATL) and below-the-line (BTL) media, especially television and radio in a substantial way.

Though BTL media are expected to be significant outside Delhi, both parties would give fair weightage to TV, FM channels, Internet, SMS, print and the outdoor mediums.

“Political parties have become media savvy, making these accounts similar to any other corporate brands. Not only is the process of pitching and the award of the work more organised, the media plans and the objectives are well defined. The electronic medium is expected to be used in a major way in these elections. The budgets are also substantial,” says Kunal Lalani, president of Guild.

The BJP has shortlisted four agencies—Crayons Advertising, Goldmine, Graphic Ads and Streetlight. Six agencies have made presentations to the Congress and two will be selected.