‘I am Anna’A case study on winning communication

He became among top 10 influencers of India

Campaign:

‘India against corruption’ attracted 5 lac fans

83% coverage on news channels in August

1.80 lacs petitions on internet to release Anna from Tihar Jail

1 lac people watched pre-recorded video of Anna when he was arrested

4 lac people clicked on status on Facebook

One of the top 10 brands of Indiascoring higher than Big B, Vodafone, MTV

How this happened?

Is it just a co-incidence?

Or is the result of planned integrated efforts?

• “We are no doubt in the Great Age of the Brand,” declared marketing guru Tom Peters.

• Everything and everyone is a brand these days, be it politicians, athletes, movie stars, Corporate or even a nation (Go Brand India!)

• It’s a synonym for not just reputation or image, but all things aspirational. We want to buy it, wear it, and above all, we want to be it.

• The ultimate marker of success in new India is to become a brand. (Nirma University – Enhancing brand Nirma)

• The large turnout at protests has been analysed in terms of customer behaviour.

• “If you look at any strong brand, the measure of its success is customer’s patronage and commitment - willingness to go out of your way to procure your preferred brand”

• Going by these parameters, Anna emerges as a very strong brand.

“Let’s analyse from the marketing perspective”

Integrated Marketing Communication by Team Anna

4Ps

Any brands are developed successfully if 4 Ps of Marketing are defined & exercised nicely.

4 Pillars of Marketing

Importance of 4 Ps

• Product (Solution)• Price (Value)• Place (Access)• Promotion (Information)

Importance of 4 Ps

Product (Solution) – Provide what TG needs•Fighting against corruption and a solution called ‘Jan Lokpal Bill’•Tools like Hunger strike to achieve that goal.

Price (Value) – What you invest & how you justify?•Firm on his values of being non corrupt, straight forward, sober person.•Believes in action, speaks point, invest efforts & time as price.

Importance of 4 Ps

Place (Access) – Proximity to TG•Accessible to media as well as to common man.•Ramlila maidan chosen in order to get maximum visibility & support from common man.

Promotion (Information & Education)•Team Anna used effective IMC to build brand Anna•But started from educating TG about their own needs – Conversion of Needs into Wants

360* communication strategy

PR (Image Build Up)

• The one-point issue — “corruption” – most people’s consciousness as demanding urgent attention. (Need analysis)

• The fact that Anna is an outsider to politics reinforces people’s faith in his efforts in taking up the cause (SWOT analysis)

PR (Image Build Up)

• When Anna was detained, his team published pre-recorded video message of Anna, to keep up their “second freedom struggle” – (Effective Forecast of consequences)

• Portrayed as Today’s Gandhi by comparing his Physic, Speech, Thoughts on Non-violence, Honesty, Social Service, etc - (Acceptable Brand Attributes)

PR (Image Build Up)

• Used very simple language understandable to masses of India (Speaking what TG understands - Transparency)

• Showed passion & purpose, no vague talk, display commitment by being ready for any eventuality (Brand Promise & Value Proposition)

• Frequent visits of Bollywood stars at Ramlila maidan (Usage of Interest Capturing Identities)

PR (Image Build Up)

• I am Anna – Main Anna Hun – Mi Anna Aahe… Slogan every Indian adopted proudly – Reflected Honest Indian in him & all wanted to be same (Brand Positioning Statement)

• Focus of entire event remained on Anna only, made very less entries on stage, & didn't even involve Baba Ramdev (Regular communication tracking)

Mass Media

• Formulation of media strategy taking help of some former TV journalists likes Manish Sisodia, Ex. Producer Zee News, Shazia Ilmi, lead anchors at Star News, & many more (Ensuring Quality of Communication)

• An insider's perspective on how TV channels run and how to stay on top of the news cycle….

Mass Media – Behavioral Analysis

• Never start press conference at 7:30 pm. TV news channels run sports shows.

• Avoid live briefings at 2:30 pm, Hindi news channels run Saas-Bahu & Comedy shows.

• “Never kick off major protest on Sunday or holiday. TV channels runs pre-recorded shows & space for live news is less. Plus, all big anchors & editors take day off. Stories get played up more when top editors are present.”

Mass Media

• Media strategy meetings each morning, come up with ways to feed the media a narrative – or even just a soundbyte – that will go down well with 24×7 hypermedia (Keeping communication Live)

• Team members going for media interviews or TV debates were given talking points & briefs to stick at. (Uniformity in communication)

Mass Media

• Ensured that 'Breaking News' is supplied at regular intervals. Letters to PM or Sonia Gandhi, or photos like Anna sitting @ Rajghat on Independence Day were part of this strategy.

• Creation of symbolism, Anna's image in front of Gandhiji's samadhi became defining image instead of the Prime Minister speaking at Red Fort on 15th August, 2011.

Mass Media

• Communicating right message understood – Ensured there were no deviations from central message.

• Speaking in favour of Narendra Modi, quickly was clarified only as a praise to Modi's development work & did not condone state-sponsored riots (Responsiveness)

Mass Media

• Attempts made to rope in faces from Muslim community to give the movement an inclusive feel (Flexibility to changing environment)

• External media tracking agency tracked every line of news in newspapers & channels. Immediate meetings to rectify any deviation from core communication (Constant research & mapping)

Activation• Anna & Kejrival appeared on popular shows before protest

& spread awareness (Educating TG)

• White cap with slogan ‘I am Anna’ became national symbol (Positioning Injection)

• Posters, face masks, T-shirts, stickers were distributed (Promotional Tools)

• Carefully crafted comments, jokes, captions related to Anna easily circulated via SMS (Reminder adverts)

Social Networking

• Proved that Internet is very effective tool, Team Anna did best use of it.

• Remarkable presence on Facebook, you tube engaged urban youth in the activity.

• Frequent tweets by team members like Kiran Bedi helped youth stay connected with current developments.

“Target Segment of Youth”

Social Networking

• Helped spreading awareness in colleges & schools.

• Mass mailing on Kejriwal v/s Rahul Gandhi, Past life of Anna, etc was done.

• Dedicated team constantly updated “India Against Corruption”, FB & Twitter pages - Youth knew when & where to assemble.

• Communication localized to every city – Campaign not restricted only to Delhi & Mumbai.

Anna Effect