An election campaign on a vinyl billboard: Innovative strategies to woo urban voters. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Promoting a political party or a product, pushing consumer goods or candidates? The line between selling soaps and seeking votes has never been more blurred, with political parties graduating from wall graffiti to sophisticated ideation and colour-coordination.

Selecting an outdoor campaign colour, using ‘the common man’ to deliver the punch line, focusing on the rival’s flaws, using digital printing in outdoor campaign material and packing the streets with neon glosigns — sales-boosting strategies from India Inc have invaded the city’s streetpolitik.

From the young face of a party in power for 27 years, to the quintessential organisation man to the city’s mayor to a multi-faceted veteran, everyone is working hard to create brands and devise a smart campaign communication package to woo voters.

State IT minister Manab Mukherjee, assigned the role of chief election agent for Calcutta North East CPM candidate Md Salim, feels campaign 2004 needs to be geared to the expectation and exposure of the urban electorate. “We worked on an innovative strategy to project Salim as a new-generation political candidate,” explains Mukherjee. So, over and above the traditional code red, out came the colours “blue and rainbow” to give a distinctive shade to ‘sell’ Salim.

Adding hi-tech value to the technical education minister’s campaign trail are a call centre, smooth-as-silk banners with voices of the middle-class man on the street, a blue book and even a short film with celebrity messages — elements that the CPM has never ever used in its poll talk.

“There is very little difference between selecting a candidate in an election and the brand choice of soaps. Both manufacturers and political parties are trying to emit communication to influence choice,” says city-based marketer Shiloo Chattopadhyay.

According to him, the reach of the media has changed the “electoral marketing game” and today, parties have started using advertisement as it should be used.

If neon glosigns put up by CPM’s challenger from Dum Dum Amitava Nandy, on VIP Road, jostles with cell operators and cola giants, Ajit Panja’s enlightened messages (lighting, Chandernagore puja style) near Sealdah station and a collage of Indo-Pak bonhomie are a first.

Trinamul leader and civic body chief Subrata Mukherjee, contesting from Calcutta North West, is clear that candidates should be at the centre of campaign communication strategy and an attractive twist to the communication tale is a must.

The mayor admits spending both “time and resources” to work out a high-pitched campaign package.

“I am in favour of candidate-to-candidate comparisons and that’s why creating a brand for a political personality is important,” says Mukherjee, whose king-size cut-outs are all over north Calcutta.

But Chattopadhyay is quick to roll out a reality check for candidates — parties are more enduring as brands than individuals, he warns, and prescribes “optimum exposure” of the contestants.

“But striking the right balance requires expertise. Rajiv Gandhi introduced this concept but the efforts were limited to Delhi. No local marketing was done. Election is micro marketing and though slowly, the trend suggests we are moving towards that,” signs off Chattopadhyay.