Mitron!

And you know exactly who I’m talking about. That’s the power of branding. Content marketing in India has seeped into politics big time, and who best to lead the way than our very own Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

But first, a disclaimer. This post is not political – neither does it appreciate nor criticize the present-day government (although that does seem to be the in thing to do, these days). Instead, this post focuses on the presentation of ideas by Team NaMo from a marketing lens and gives you, the reader, actionable insights from them. Hopefully, you can use some or all of them in your next campaign.

Every campaign needs a name

Sure, we all need to keep our country clean. But call it “Swachh Bharat” and you get your point across better. NaMo makes sure that every campaign and every programme that he initiates has a name that resonates with the audience. Make in India. Jan Dhan Yojana. Ujjwala. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao. “Wait,” you say. Didn’t the previous government do this too? Well, yes and no. While campaigns had names before, too, there is a difference between MNREGA and Digital India. The first is some sort of tongue twister while the latter is catchy. So not only do you need a name, but you need one that will position itself in the minds of your audience.

Analyse your audience

You already know this, but since we have just touched upon audience positioning, we can’t help but stress upon the importance of analysing your audience first. While campaigning for the post of PM, Indians were frustrated with the Congress’s several scams. The public wanted to see a more progressive government. Narendra Modi hit all the right nerves with the development agenda. At the same time, with a large Hindu supporter base, NaMo and his team are continually focused on resonating with this audience. The lesson – analyse your audience to earn loyalty.

Alliterations are amazing

Let’s get back to catchy phrases. If you’re targeting a mass audience, catchy phrases ensure a permanent place in their minds. Some of the awesome alliterations (see what I did there?) used by NaMo include:

• Sab ka Saath, Sabka Vikaas
• Toilets before Temples
• Start Up India, Stand Up India
• Minimum Government, Maximum Governance
• Chai pe Charcha

Communication is everything!

Simply doing work is not enough. Communication is equally, if not more, important. NaMo has ensured he has many ways of communicating with his audience. The Narendra Modi website and app, social media, Mann ki Baat, etc. are some of the ways he does this. But there’s much, much more. Take the Indian electrification program dashboard – Garv – that gives you the status of the electrification project with a brilliant user interface. This is the kind of transparent communication that can be used as a great marketing tool to gain your audience’s trust.

Communication with good UI = Marketing gold!

Don’t forget to go digital

Use social media! This is a no-brainer these days. I mean, I don’t even need to tell you this. Use every single channel that your audience is using to spread the word and connect with them.

Create a brand identity

NaMo is the first PM in our history to have his own website and app. This is classic marketing. Narendra Modi is a brand; and every brand must be complete with its own set of:

• Core messaging
• Website
• Social media pages
• Events calendar

Create mini-brands

One amazing thing I see is that Team NaMo has created sub-brands. So, the brand identity set we defined above exists for each individual campaign that NaMo has initiated too. Therefore, Swacch Bharat has its own set; ditto for Make in India. You get the drift.

Build a feedback loop

How do you know if your campaign is going well? One way is to take feedback, especially if you’re midway through the campaign. The Narendra Modi app tackles this problem by allowing people to participate in polls. Did I hear you say aaasummm??!!

Feedback polls on the NaMo app

Did I miss out on any content marketing tactics that NaMo uses? Comment and let me know!