India Against Corruption …and Collusion!

The IAC campaign has broken in earnest. It is a war unlike any other and promises to be fought to the bitter end. I wish them victory, though it will be a long and hard fight. It’s going to be no easy task – to root out corruption from this country and to overthrow an entrenched political system fossilized over 65 years.

For starters, some basic marketing tenets in action! In order to position itself distinctly, IAC has chosen to re-position the competition. In one fell swoop, it tars both the Congress and the BJP, and indeed all the other political parties, with the same brush; that of corruption and collusion. In doing so, it positions itself as the party that will cleanse the system of these all-pervading evils. Right there, it’s great marketing in the simplicity of the message. Loud and clear, easy to understand, easy to repeat, resonates with the public, appeals to the masses, etc, etc. Everyone gets it because everyone has experienced it.

There is much hue and cry about the so-called ‘hit & run’ approach. Again, from a market entry strategy, it makes perfect sense. You need to displace established brands like the Congress and BJP, and others, from the public mind space. This is easier said than done. These brands have been part of the public’s consciousness for a long, long time. So rather than try and introduce yourself politely and ask to share the stage, you throw a stone at the shiny glass house. It shatters dramatically, everyone is shocked, they sit up and take notice – and you have their attention. Talk about making a splash 🙂 Of course it helps that we have over 60 news channels that now reach almost 80% of the populace, so there exists a ready made national loudspeaker!

The sensational expose strategy has another useful facet. By taking on the establishment, and by taking on the holiest of holy cows of the establishment, the clear message is that corruption and collusion exists at the highest levels and that the IAC is unafraid of the “consequences” of their actions and of the wrath of the royals. This is fantastic positioning. Straight out of a movie scene, where the hero strides into the villain’s den, unarmed (or armed only with the truth!) and alone, mouthing epic dialogues and challenging the bad guys to fight them in the open, in full public view, if they dare!

To continue with that strategy, why get stuck with just one sensational expose? Wouldn’t a series of them make a much greater impact? Just like the German Blitzkreig? So one stone follows another in rapid fire, as the IAC shatters the glass palaces of the corrupt royalty, cutting across party lines and political affiliations!

When the competition cries foul claiming an unwritten code of conduct, it only exposes itself further. To even suggest that each other’s kith & kin are above motivated attacks of this kind, irrespective of the crime, is to betray collusion that is all pervasive, revealing a system that is now rotten to the core.

Another issue that has been raised against the IAC is that of a single point agenda; that the IAC only talks about corruption; what about all the other issues that face this great nation of ours? Actually, action against corruption is all it takes. Everyone knows that public spending in this country is corrupt to the extent that almost 90% is lost in leakage and that only 10% reaches the people or cause or project it is supposed to reach. So if Mr. Kejriwal & Co stems that leak, in effect, they would effectively tackle every single issue that plagues us – poverty, health, education, women emancipation, infrastructure, food, power, employment, industry, crime, etc. Why do you need multiple agendas when just one all encompassing one is available for the taking?

I think the IAC is off to as great start. Distinct positioning, clear message, demonstrable results! The response from the competition has been undignified so far. Fumbling, bumbling and stumbling, with lots of anger, indignation and threats, but no clear answers yet. Not that they’re all bad guys, but it’s obvious that the good guys are outnumbered.

Round 1 to IAC 🙂 The challenge for them is to convert this mass and media melodramatic hysteria into an actionable program that can fight and win elections. That is victory.