Table of Contents
Overview
As a digital network coordinator at I-PAC during the Tamil Nadu 2021 election campaign, my efforts focused on digital activities and volunteer community building, creating a significant impact across Chennai. This page highlights some of the key activities I was involved in, showcasing my experience in growth marketing and creative strategy as a social media expert.
Makkalin Kural (People’s Voice)
In February 2021, amidst the Tamil Nadu election campaign, I initiated the Makkalin Kural project to capture the voices of the people in Chennai. By travelling to over 10 constituencies and interviewing hundreds of individuals, I aimed to understand their thoughts on the upcoming chief minister election and the socio-economic issues they faced.
Problem Statement
There was a lack of accessible platforms for citizens to express their political preferences and concerns, leading to a one-sided narrative dominated by political parties and media outlets. Our goal was to bridge this gap by engaging directly with the public and capturing their genuine opinions.
Solution
We conducted on-ground interviews across various locations in Chennai with the help of my digital volunteer community. Engaging individuals from different demographics ensured a diverse range of opinions, which were recorded and documented to present a comprehensive view of public sentiment.
Impact
The video series was an instant hit, reaching millions of people on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. It was pioneering for Tamil Nadu politics at the time, prompting candidates from various constituencies to request similar surveys. The footage was frequently used by news channels and campaign pages and even inspired similar series by opposition parties.
Event Management
As a Digital Network Coordinator at I-PAC, I handled the coverage and promotion of over 30 public events between July 2020 and March 2021. These mass public events, attended by thousands, were crucial for the election campaign. One notable campaign was “Ungal Thoguthiyil Stalin” (Stalin in Your Constituency), where I was responsible for pre-buzz, live coverage, and digital promotion.
Problem Statement
Coordinating large-scale events involving thousands of attendees required seamless management, effective coverage, and robust digital promotion. Ensuring real-time engagement and extensive reach was essential.
Solution
We focused on three key areas: pre-event buzz, live event coverage, and digital promotion.
Pre-Event Buzz
I led the digital strategy to generate pre-event excitement, using social media platforms to maximize reach and engagement. Crafting compelling narratives and leveraging influencers helped create significant anticipation.
Live Event Coverage
On the event days, I coordinated live coverage, ensuring key moments were captured and shared in real-time across digital channels. This kept the audience informed and involved, boosting the event’s visibility.
Digital Promotion
Post-event, I managed digital promotion to extend the event’s impact. This included creating highlight reels and engaging with the audience through follow-up content.
Impact
I covered the events of DMK Chief and the present Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, and also, Member of Parliament Thamizhachi Thangapandian among many notable leaders, as part of our “Vidiyalai Noki Stalinin Kural” campaign. Coordinating with hundreds of digital volunteers, media personnel, and political figures ensured smooth execution and impactful promotion, leading to high engagement and successful event turnouts.
Community Building
As a Digital Network Coordinator at I-PAC, one of my primary responsibilities was building and managing a community of digital volunteers across Chennai. This role involved recruiting, training, and engaging volunteers in various campaign activities, ensuring that our initiatives reached every corner of Tamil Nadu through digital platforms.
The Challenge
In the rapidly evolving political landscape, harnessing the power of digital platforms and a motivated volunteer base was crucial. The key challenge was to establish a dedicated and passionate volunteer community from scratch. The tasks included digital propagation, promoting the “Stalin Ani” app, and managing large-scale events. These activities required seamless coordination and continuous engagement to maintain volunteer motivation and ensure campaign success.
The Solution
I successfully built a community of over 100 digital volunteers. From managing the first campaign launch event at Anna Arivalayam, Chennai, to organizing large-scale public events with over 20,000 attendees, my team played a pivotal role. The volunteers, driven by passion and enthusiasm rather than monetary benefits, were instrumental in ensuring the smooth execution of campaign activities. This included digital propagation, event promotion, and other campaign-specific tasks.
The Impact
The community’s efforts led to a significant boost in our digital presence and on-ground support. The volunteers’ dedication ensured high engagement levels, contributing to the overall success of the campaign. This volunteer network became a cornerstone of our campaign strategy, showcasing the power of collective effort and digital coordination.
The work done here highlights the importance of community building and the impact of a well-organized volunteer network in achieving campaign goals. The passion and dedication of these volunteers were critical to our success, demonstrating the effectiveness of grassroots digital engagement.
Campaign Song Promotion
During the Tamil Nadu election campaign, while I was working at I-PAC, we launched our campaign song “Stalindhaan Vararu Vidiyal Thara Poraru” on March 1st, 2021. This translates to “Stalin is coming to bring a new dawn.” The campaign had two immediate goals: to make this campaign song the most-watched political campaign song on YouTube and to achieve 1 million song downloads through our campaign song’s website.
Solution
We employed both digital and offline strategies to promote the song. Digitally, we used WhatsApp propagation and social media marketing. Offline, we created curiosity among the public by pasting posters of QR codes in high-traffic areas such as neighbourhood tea stalls and internet cafes. Scanning these QR codes led people to our campaign song website, where they could watch the song’s video on YouTube and download it to their mobile phones. Additionally, we played the song in public places and conducted flash mobs to generate interest.
Impact
The campaign song became an instant hit. Even non-political individuals without party affiliations started enjoying and sharing the song. The YouTube video of the campaign song went on to become the most-watched political campaign song in the world, garnering 60 million views.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the many projects I was involved in during the Tamil Nadu election campaign. This was my first campaign at I-PAC, and I had the privilege of working in my hometown, Chennai. The real joy came when our client, DMK, won all assembly seats in Chennai, proving that our hard work had a significant impact on the public. Following this, I worked on campaigns in West Bengal and Meghalaya, taking on diverse and challenging roles at I-PAC, focusing on growth marketing, digital engagement, and creative strategy to drive impactful results.