Table of Contents
Overview
As the Content Lead for the Meghalaya campaign, I spearheaded the creative strategy and digital transformation from July 2022 to early March 2023. This role involved managing social media growth, overseeing content needs, and implementing impactful digital strategies. This page highlights my work as a social media expert and the innovative approaches used to drive digital success in the Meghalaya 2023 Assembly Election campaign.
WE Card
On Dec 13, 2022, Meghalaya TMC launched its flagship scheme, “WE Card”, a financial inclusion programme aimed at women empowerment.
The scheme was launched by party chairperson Mamata Banerjee in Shillong. Under the scheme, TMC promised that when it comes to power, Rs 1000 will be transferred to the accounts of registered beneficiaries every month.
Problem Statement
The primary goal of the campaign was to achieve maximum registrations for the WE Card, a financial inclusion programme aimed at empowering women in Meghalaya. The challenge was to create widespread awareness, encourage women to register for the scheme and build trust in TMC, which faced a negative narrative as an outsider party.
Solution
As the Content Lead of the Meghalaya campaign, I was responsible for the content and digital promotion strategy. The KPI was to get the maximum number of registrations. On the day of the launch, we released a special video explaining what the WE Card is and its benefits. This video crossed 700K views on YouTube. We ran ads on both Facebook and YouTube, with a primary focus on YouTube, as it was the most used social media platform in Meghalaya. We employed many creative strategies involving ad creatives, videos, and more to ensure maximum registrations, showcasing our social media expertise.
Impact
The campaign successfully garnered over 3 lakh registrations in the first month alone. The launch video explaining the WE Card and its benefits crossed 700K views on YouTube, demonstrating the campaign’s wide reach and engagement. The strategic use of both digital and offline channels played a crucial role in the campaign’s success. This effort highlighted our proficiency in social media growth and growth marketing, significantly enhancing the campaign’s effectiveness.
Campaign Song Launch
On 11th January 2023, Meghalaya TMC launched the campaign song for the Meghalaya assembly election. This song was unique because it was the first time I-PAC had to work on a campaign song that was launched in multiple languages. Meghalaya, being a state with diverse tribes, primarily the Garo and Khasi tribes, had the song released in both Garo and Khasi languages.
Khasi Version: “Hoi Kiw Haka TMC”
Garo Version: “Ahowee Inchrona TMC”
Problem Statement
The main objective was to create a campaign song that resonated with the diverse linguistic groups in Meghalaya and to promote it effectively across both online and offline platforms. The challenge was to ensure the song was impactful, culturally relevant, and politically correct, while also overcoming the language barrier.
Solution
As the content lead for the Meghalaya assembly election campaign, I was responsible for coordinating the production and promotion of the campaign song. Several strategies were implemented to achieve the campaign goals.
During the production phase, I collaborated with the campaign team and translators for accurate and impactful translations. I ensured timely and precise revisions from both Garo and Khasi translators and gathered relevant video footage for the campaign song.
On the launch day, we promoted the song through both online and offline strategies. For offline, flash mobs were conducted across Meghalaya in high-footfall areas. A notable event included a flash mob at Police Bazaar, Shillong, performed by a professionally trained dance group to generate curiosity among the public.
Online, we focused heavily on YouTube, the most popular platform in Meghalaya, achieving over 2.8 million views for each version of the song. We engaged local social media influencers to create dance videos and unique content around the campaign song. A hashtag campaign was launched to encourage public participation and curiosity, alongside comprehensive social media marketing campaigns to boost visibility and engagement.
Impact
The campaign song for the Meghalaya assembly election was a tremendous success. Both versions of the song crossed 2.8 million views on YouTube, demonstrating the campaign’s wide reach and engagement. The strategic use of both digital and offline channels played a crucial role in the campaign’s success.
Vote For TMC
After the tremendous success of WE Card, MYE Card, and our Campaign Song campaigns, we were gearing up for the next phase in Meghalaya. However, we were caught off guard when the Election Commission of India announced that Meghalaya’s elections would be held on February 27th, earlier than anticipated. This sudden change disrupted our plans, which were scheduled to run until mid-March.
Despite our campaigns being well-received, we were still contending with the perception of being an outsider party. To address this, my team and I quickly devised the “Vote for TMC” campaign. This initiative involved a placard campaign in which hundreds of digital volunteers participated.
Why was this special?
Participants stood in front of major tourist attractions across Meghalaya, holding placards that read, “This 27th February I will vote for TMC.” This campaign not only aimed to create social proof by showcasing public support for TMC but also served as a reminder of the polling date, ensuring no one forgot to vote. Covering tourist attractions like Nohkalikai Falls, Umiam Lake, and Krang Suri Falls, we aimed to unite the entire state. Featuring young people in the campaign highlighted the youth of Meghalaya’s support for TMC’s vision of a brighter future.
Impact
The campaign received an overwhelmingly positive response. The video showcasing the placard campaign garnered over half a million views across social media platforms. This not only demonstrated the campaign’s reach but also helped solidify TMC’s presence in Meghalaya.
Satirical Memes
One of the most innovative and impactful digital tools we utilized during the Meghalaya campaign was the strategic use of satirical memes. These memes, crafted in both creative and video formats, served as a subtle yet powerful medium to highlight various social issues in the state.
Problem Statement
Meghalaya, being a predominantly Christian state, is less exposed to the intense political content prevalent in other parts of the country. This presented a unique challenge: our content needed to be impactful without crossing the line into extreme or divisive rhetoric. The goal was to create content that effectively highlighted social issues while remaining respectful and engaging.
Solution
To address this challenge, we focused on creating satirical memes that used humour and popular cultural references to bring attention to key social issues. Our memes addressed topics such as poor infrastructure, water scarcity, and education deficiencies. On average, we created four to five original memes every day. These memes were designed to be subtle yet powerful, resonating deeply with the public.
Our strategy included:
Creative Memes: Using characters like Hulk and Iron Man to depict issues such as water scarcity and poor road conditions.
Video Memes: Short, impactful videos that engagingly highlight social problems.
Social Media Distribution: Leveraging platforms like Facebook, Instagram & WhatsApp to ensure wide reach and engagement.
Impact
The memes quickly gained traction, going viral as the general public shared them to voice their concerns about the state’s issues. The effectiveness of our content was evident not just in its virality but also in the reactions it elicited. Even leaders from opposition parties acknowledged the impact of our memes, discussing them in public interviews. This validation highlighted the strength of our digital strategy and highlighting the power of creative content in addressing social issues.
Here are some more examples of the memes we created:
By striking the right balance, we managed to create content that was engaging, shareable, and impactful, driving home the social issues that needed attention.
Conclusion
These campaigns are a few examples of the work I was involved in during the Meghalaya election campaign. This was my first lead position at I-PAC, and it proved to be one of the most challenging experiences, not just due to the workload and language barrier, but also because of the tragic loss of my father during the campaign. This experience allowed me to hone my skills in creative strategy, social media growth, and people management.
Working in Shillong, amidst the unique cultural and social landscape of Meghalaya, provided invaluable insights into effective people-centric campaigning. The real satisfaction came from seeing the tangible impact of our efforts and the positive reception from the people of Meghalaya. Following this campaign, I moved to Kolkata to take on a more challenging role as the Digital Communication Lead for the West Bengal panchayat election campaign.