Flip side: Image and imagination

Rahul Gandhi: His makeover strategy is to reinforce the perception that his leadership credentials are a no-brainer. Not literally, of course, but the idea is to take him out of his ivory tower and expose him in increasing doses to the public and media, and show that behind those cute dimples and occasional diversions into beehives and Jupiter velocity, there is a statesman waiting to be unveiled. The agency has come up with the image of a Superhero, surrounded by shiny, happy people, and armed with Nine Weapons for tackling corruption. While Arvind Kejriwal can sue for patent infringement, the unavoidable projection that Rahul will be a better prime minister than the present incumbent is also something of a no-brainer. Aimed mainly at the youth market, the advertising slogan will be: ‘Yehi hai right choice, baby’.
Arvind Kejriwal: The Association of Advertising Professionals (AAP) has offered its services for free. Their list of suggestions is fairly long, starting with the advice that he ditch his blue WagonR in favour of a white Duster, in keeping with the broom symbol. Also that he stop wearing sneakers to official functions, change his cough medicine, and abandon his muffler,which hides half his face and negates the open, transparent image that AAP stands for, since he is the face of the party. Additional advice is to not water down his promises and tweak the age-old slogan, ‘Power to the People’, to ‘Free Power to the People… Maybe’.  The final suggestion, which he has reportedly rejected, is to take out a political insurance policy.
Narendra Modi: Part of the new advertising strategy was unveiled recently, showing him kite-flying with Salman Khan. The choice of the star with the biggest biceps in Bollywood was deliberate, as was the subliminal suggestion that in Modi’s world, anything can fly and the sky is the limit. The advertising campaign, titled ‘The Lion of Dalal Street’, will show him against the backdrop of a rising Sensex, while martial music plays in the background. Another option is to show him as Iron Man, juxtaposed with with a map of south Asia and the accompanying slogan: ‘Neighbours’ envy, our Pride’. A variation being considered, with music rising to a crescendo, has the slogan, ‘Thumbs Up: Taste the Thunder’.
Manmohan Singh: He has hired well-known advertising agency Sachi & Sachi to tell the truth about his achievements. The main 10-second campaign lists all the achievements under his watch, followed by a long period of silence.
Akhilesh Yadav: The contract has been given to Mujra Communications, which have been ordered to go location hunting in European capitals to show that the chief minister has a global vision. One suggestion is to photograph him distributing blankets and food to refugees in South Sudan to highlight his humanitarian instincts.

There’s a series of ad campaigns, one shows him watching Bollywood stars perform at a Saifai event set to the tune of Hasee toh Phasse. Another campaign shows him arm in arm with his father Mulayam, and the catchline, ‘Two for the price of one vote’. It has an optional catchline: ‘Bingo: No confusion, great combination’.

Dilip Bobb

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