Deadpan posters, hilarious spoofs

War of Slogans

Be it in the Metro, on the street or at home while watching TV, every Delhiite is being bombarded by the slogans that political parties have spun for the coming elections. 

 

Days away from the voting day in the Capital, more than 250 ads have been submitted to the Election Commission by various political parties which has made it difficult for a Delhiite to escape a digital advertisement, a WhatsApp message or a pre-recorded call from members of  ‘a political’ party who are leaving no public/social space untouched.

 

However, amidst this campaigning drama, it seems little thought has been spared for the slogans that these parties have concocted for they don’t seem to touch the chord, like it used to in earlier times. 

 

“They are following the retail strategy of advertising which says the ‘Louder you are, the more you push your message across’,” says Abhinav Sood, a communication head in a private firm.

 

His concern as a voter is valid for “the advertisements don’t lack in numbers but in innovation,” he adds after feeling harassed by the frivolous WhatsApp message of a much-relieved Manmohan Singh saying ‘Abki Baar Modi Sarkar’!

The phrase is overused to the extent that one can spot its distorted versions on Facebook such as the one reading: ‘Har Gadhe Ki Yehi Pukar, Abki Baar Modi Sarkar’. 

So much so that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has waged a poster war by releasing a poster with a picture of a bull with the caption ‘Abki Baar Modi Sarkar? 

Yaani Aa Bail Mujhe Maar’!

These, including others such as ‘Hum Modiji Ko Lane Wale Hain, Achche Din Aane Wale Hain’, seems juvenile to a voter of today who knows the significance of ads in the contemporary context. 

“Instead, the slogans should be more direct to the voters such as ‘Gareebi Hatao’, the one that was given by Indira Gandhi,” suggests adman Bharat Dabholkar who is the man behind the classic ‘Amul’ ads. 

 

“Something like  ‘India Shining’ campaign was far better since it promises the voters a better future. But when Congress today says ‘Har Haath Shakti, Har Haath Tarakki’ (empowerment and progress for all) what does it mean by that? 

If they wanted to empower people then they could have done it in the last decade when it was in power. 

Thus the talk of empowerment now is comical to the ear,” says Bharat adding, “The best slogan that I came across five years back was ‘Ateet Ki Neev, Bhavishya Ka Nirman’ which talks about both the past and the present.”

 

Since it is a battle between the two giants --- Congress vs BJP --- at the Centre, for the Centre, one hardly pays heed to the posters of other political parties having a presence in the NCR. 

 

A look at a not-so-new poster of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and one is sure to end up smiling. It reads: ‘When Elephant Walks, No One Talks’.

 

Thus the trend is not new but the concern is that if the parties are spending crores of rupees on advertising, then the final product should be worth something.