Jeeta and Jaggi to rescue the people of Punjab

Congress party's political campaign uses humour and satire to talk of current issues faced by people in Punjab.

Political campaigns are usually serious and their aim is to highlight the failures of the opposition party. But, here is one campaign, which is an unusual one and stands out from the rest. Crayons Advertising has used humour and satire for the first phase of the Congress party's political campaign in the state of Punjab. The agency has introduced two toon characters called Jeeta and Jaagi to do the talking.

Speaking about the idea, Ranjan Bargotra, president, Crayons Advertising, says, "At the research stage, we read news write-ups that appeared in various newspapers, websites, and everywhere else, in an effort to understand the current mindset of the residents of the state. We sent a team to talk to people, to understand their issues and problems, and get a feel of the local language. We discovered that people's spirits were not high, and that they often joked about corruption. This led us to create a style of communication that is for the people, by the people, and of the people."

To build a hype around the two characters, the agency initially launched a three-day teaser campaign that comprised of print, outdoor and radio. The creatives of the campaign introduced the two characters. On the fourth day, both characters were revealed to the people of Punjab. As part of the concept, one character asks a question related to current issues, while the other provides the answer, while highlighting the failures of the present SAD-BJP government.

To promote the characters, the agency launched an out of home campaign across various cities in the state such as Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Amritsar, and a few more. For outdoor, Crayons has utilised various formats of media.

The agency has also used local newspapers, along with English and Hindi national dailies. Interestingly, the agency has used radio extensively for the campaign. A Facebook page, too, has been created by the name of 'Jeeta aur Jaggi'.

"So far, the page has 16,000 followers who comment on the posts and videos that are put on the page. The page gathered a large fan following from the very first day," adds Bargotra.

With the aim to capture the attention of people living in rural areas, and to take the campaign forward, the agency has installed larger-than-life sized cut-outs on mobile vans. The vans ply between the villages and play various audio spots which feature Jeeta and Jaggi, and hand out masks of both characters with messages written at the back.

Large cut-outs have been placed at various market places. While no certain timeline has been allocated to when the first phase of the campaign will end, it is believed the second phase will begin in about three weeks, during the assembly polls.

In the second phase, Jeeta and Jaggi will make way for a positive campaign, which will talk about changes that the Congress party will bring about, in sectors such as education, industry, and employment.