AAP chooses Nukkad Natak for OOH

AAP's attempt aimed to connect with people in Mumbai. The activation was executed by Brand Connect.

This election saw a wide array of innovative media being adopted by various political parties to promote their causes amongst the electorate. In Mumbai, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) launched a 21-day OOH campaign in April, to create maximum impact just before the polls. The campaign was executed by Brand Connect and used Nukkad Natak (street plays) to convey the message.

The campaign was conducted in the six AAP constituencies of Mumbai, with two troupes performing 10 shows altogether, each day. The troupes were arranged by the activation agency, and dressed as AAP members to perform the plays on the streets.

The rehearsals were held at Prithvi Theatre and the actors were trained by acclaimed actor and AAP supporter Archana Puran Singh.

The campaign was executed under strict Election Commission mandates, which entailed approval of script from the EC, and permissions from Bombay Municipal Council and Traffic Control. EC's mandate also required the presence of a team of constables and EC videographers at every place the troupe performed.

A total of more than 200 shows were performed that depicted the various malpractices being followed in the nation, all of which hit the common man hardest of all. The idea of the activation was to draw attention to the problems faced by the common man today and urge the voters to vote intelligently.

Mayank Gandhi, senior leader, AAP, says, "It's good to have people who support the right and come out on streets in support of the right. Nukkad Natak is indeed a unique way of reaching out to the masses and communicating with them directly, sending a message to the people to support the right by choosing the right candidate in order to end corruption and misery of the common man, which indeed is the motto of AAP."

Vijay Cavale, director, Brand Connect Media, says, "This particular activation was a passion play and straight from the heart as concerned citizens of India. It was also probably the most challenging one that BCM has executed till date. This would perhaps be the first time that an OOH agency has been this deeply involved in a political campaign. Brand Connect merged seamlessly with AAP. Since these were hard hitting scripts, each troupe as per the Election Commission mandate was accompanied by a videographer appointed by the EC and a police team on motorbikes and in vans supported by the police control room."

The culmination of the campaign was marked by a party press conference in Juhu, which saw the presence of many acclaimed film/TV/theatre artistes who lent voice and support to the party.