'Elections are won by karya kartas, not ad campaigns': Piyush Pandey

Multiple factors contributed to the landslide victory of the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, one of which was the advertising campaign conceptualised by Soho Square, led by the theme 'Ab ki baar Modi sarkar'. Media duties were handled by Madison.

Piyush Pandey, chairman of the Ogilvy & Mather India group agency Soho Square, and mastermind behind the campaign, credited the BJP for buying into Soho Square, and a campaign that spoke the language of the common man. He also credited the team at Soho Square for pulling off over 200 films and numerous other creatives over three and a half months.

Speaking with Campaign India, he said, "There was a content meeting everyday, with a minimum of two senior party leaders attending. It was a very interactive process and it also involved multiple people."

On the role of advertising in winning elections, Pandey added, "Alway remember, elections are won on the ground - by the karya kartas (party workers). Ads are like an air cover; ads are goodwill creators, mood makers. Any agency that takes itself too seriously, and credits itself for winning elections, is only kidding itself."

View the other creatves here. Story continues below:

 

 

(Read the full interview with Piyush Pandey in the issue of Campaign India dated 30 May 2014.)

Credits:

- Piyush Pandey, Satish Dsa, Anurag Khandelwal, Nilesh Jain and Team Soho Square

- Raj Kumar Jha (Ogilvy Rural)

- Shoojit Sarcar (Rising Sun Films)

(To be updated)