Outsourcing wasn't a term often associated with electoral politics.
But times have changed and political fronts, parties, and even individual candidates are now making a beeline for roping in professional agencies to run their campaigns. However, not all seem impressed.
“It is the necessary evil of the technology-driven modern world but lacks the human connection that is so critical to an election campaign. I have contested so many elections and never for once felt the need for any agency to support my campaign,” said K.V. Thomas, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee working president, who is also in charge of the media during this election.
However, there seem to be some obvious advantages in bringing aboard a professional agency going by the Left Democratic Front's (LDF) successful association with the agency Maitri Advertising Works during the last Assembly elections. The agency has now been retained for this election as well.
Branding
“Branding a political front involves as much planning and strategising as any other product. But politics being the domain of those associated with it there is a definite brief and supervision by the front around which the concept is developed and tweaked to fit their expectations while we bring in external perception. Once the concept is finalised, we are given absolute creative freedom with little interference. This time, the achievements of the LDF government remain the obvious focus,” said a senior official associated with the agency, which has come up with the campaign theme Urappanu LDF (LDF for sure).
A BJP spokesperson said that professional agencies offer the benefit of ready-made expertise like, for instance, the way they had helped the party set up campaign video vans across constituencies and organise cultural rallies this time.
A risk
The changed lifestyle and increased living expenditure have made a dent in the availability of a dedicated cadre for the nitty gritty of an election campaign. “But the involvement of outside agencies runs the risk of leakage of campaign strategies to rivals,” he said.
Senior journalist P. Rajan who has covered elections for many decades now said that professional agencies offer a mixed bag. “As in everything else, Injecting a dose of professionalism is welcome in running an election campaign which being witnessed in many other democracies, including the U.S. But there is always a risk of lack of commitment since it is a paid service unlike the work put in by loyal cadres,” he said.
