By Gokul Krishnamoorthy

Students of marketing are taught about converting customers into advocates of the brand and the steps a custodian must take to enable that journey. In that context of consumer brands, advocates are precious and mostly associated with positive outcomes. There are times when the brand experience is so upsetting that the advocates themselves create negative word-of-mouth. But that is the rare exception. In the case of political brands, advocates are a different breed altogether. One commonality exists though: you can’t control most things they say. And what they say can hurt badly, especially in times of crises.

In the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi – the political brand, advocates are many. Millions of them are in homes, shops, businesses and offices. Several of them happen to be on social media. Some of them even belong to the mainstream media. With such committed advocates, surely, brand Modi should be right on top on all the parameters that matter. Arguably, that hasn’t been the case in recent months. The COVID-19 pandemic that is upon us now is an unprecedented crisis. It is also therefore an opportunity for a nation’s leader to stand tall.

Aside from whether the government under him got a lot of things right or wrong in the handling of the pandemic thus far, brand Modi hasn’t been able to capitalise and grow in stature while leading the fight. That is despite united shows of sound and light. Why?

Influencer Fail

On what attributes, one might ask, should a brand like Modi be evaluated. Parameters like recall and recognition are beyond question. I would argue that ‘Trust’ might be considered. But that is incredibly difficult to evaluate. The worst place to gauge the results would be from social media, especially Whatsapp ‘University’. But we can look at what the factors that might adversely affect this trust are.

News channel WION ran a story that became fodder for a lot of Whatsapp users. A line on screen indicated what the story was about: ‘India Emerges As A Global Leader’ The context? The nation led by the Prime Minister was lauded by other countries, for having organised ‘a video conference between 8 nations within 48 hours’. The Prime Minister had become ‘the first global leader to call for a joint action plan between countries to contain the fast-spreading outbreak’. Not just SAARC and South Asian nations, the story informed, but the UK and Australia too were impressed.

It was just another hyperbole by a media outlet impressed by the Indian Prime Minister; one that made sure the channel stood ahead of others also keen to impress the leader. (This is another risk for political brands – when media outlets fight over each other to show who is more loyal to the brand.)

What it ended up becoming on Whatsapp, aided and guided by BJP office bearers on social media, was: ‘18 Nations including US and UK want @NarendraModi as leader of Task Force for Corona. Fact checking website AltNews.in clarified later, but will its clarification have reached everyone who read the Whatsapp message? And more relevant to this piece, is such false news really damaging for brand Modi?

When people are locked down and keen to get answers to critical questions, is this a story they really want to see? It’s also pertinent that the repeated false claims by different segments – left, right and centre – have dented the believability of Whatsapp forwards. The original source of the news has some bearing on it, too. Even if it were to be believed for a moment, this is not the time for a leader brand to be seen as blowing its own trumpet. The unfortunate part is that the leader may have had very little to do with any of it.

Patriotism (Almost) Always Works

Another over-eager leader claimed that the Prince of Wales had been cured by ayurvedic treatment from India. This was called out quickly, thanks to a newspaper verifying the false claim with the royal palace. Now this too has nothing to do with the Prime Minister, just like the cow urine parties (in New Delhi and Kolkata, mid-March). But in public perception, the brand’s distancing by silence isn’t working anymore, coming as it does in the backdrop of far serious allegations against the extreme right. The angst and ridicule that is piling up against zealots with time, is having a negative rub-off on the brand that gives them their power – Prime Minister Modi.

In the backdrop of COVID-19, several state-level leaders, including Chief Ministers, Health Secretaries and even Health Ministers are finding themselves in the thick of things. Many of them are making an impact on screen. Even the most uncharismatic of leaders are coming across as role models for their ilk. This is possibly because they are visiting the affected, making statements of relevance, besides answering queries with fact and a lot of humility. Brand Modi has been built on a certain aura and distancing is key to it. That doesn’t seem to work in the period of social distancing.

A wall seems to have been built between the people who know what is happening on testing kits that have been ordered, protective equipment for healthcare workers, camps for migrant workers and the like, and the rest of the people who actually need or even want to know what’s happening on those fronts. The Prime Minister can bridge this divide to the benefit of his own brand and the nation. His can be the reassuring voice that calms the nation, but those handling his brand don’t seem to think so. What starts with ‘Mitron’ can also be a message that soothes.

Symbolism Talks

When people have more questions than answers, solutions can’t be seen to start and end with motivational exercises. First it was the clapping of hands and clanging of utensils to express solidarity with healthcare workers. Then came the lighting of diyas in a show of unity. There’s nothing wrong with either initiative, except again overzealous followers dancing on the streets in the first case, and screaming on the streets amid fireworks in the latter. Such community-building exercises are seen as key by some to ensure compliance and hence effective handling of the crisis in the days to come. By all means. But why has the role of the Prime Minister been reduced to being the mascot for such exercises?

While on the subject of such appeals, why did the lamp-lighting plea face such flak after it was announced? One option is to bludgeon the voices that speak against something your brand says by out shouting them, or out-spending them. It may also make sense to ponder if there is the common man’s voice somewhere, trying to be heard. But it is highly unlikely that the person proposing the strategy will cede that there is any merit in any form of criticism. That’s what history tells us in the case of political counsel. If only they ponder, they might detect that it is not the appeal per se, but all that has preceded the appeal that shapes perception and response. Those factors may have nothing to do with the person making the appeal.

Far from uniting people of all political leanings (and other differences), each passing day is driving a wedge between them on Whatsapp groups. The shows of solidarity that are promoted by the Prime Minister are themselves becoming reasons for people to distance themselves from even neighbours and classmates. The calls-to-actions by themselves are not as provocative as their inventive endorsements by those who – in their quest to be the most visible brand advocates – might be damaging the brand they seek to speak for.

What could explain a former President of the Indian Medical Association and Padma Awardee’s ‘scientific’ ‘explanation to justify the diya lighting call? He contended that the collective consciousness of the people would ward off the dreaded virus. The video was published by MyGov.in (and subsequently deleted).

The proven way out in many cases of initial criticism is to go all out to ensure success of an initiative and pretend that nothing was wrong with it, ever. After all, if a brand is selling, it’s advertising and communication are obviously working, right? It never occurs then that the product might be selling despite the advertising.

Brand Modi has thrived despite the environment that feeds on it, shunting out counterviews that could actually strengthen the brand. The Covid-19 crisis has been no different. But it is far from over.

(The author is an independent content consultant and Founding Editor of Stimulus Unplugged. Views are personal.)

Read Also: Coronavirus Impact: How broadcasters are dealing with content shortfall

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