Development

• Narendra Modi capitalized on his image as someone who had brought about a lot of development in Gujarat at a time when the rest of India was experiencing stagnant economic growth, bureaucratic inaction and corruption scandals.
• Under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Narendra promised to improve rural and urban infrastructure, build 100 new cities and focus on modernization and sanitation. He would employ some strategies from his Gujarat model including the 'growth experiment' which was successful and "won accolades from both local and global investors."
• The "neo-middle class" was one of the specific demographics that this theme was attempting to target. The neo-middle class, a demographic dubbed by Narendra Modi, are those who live in rapidly urbanizing areas, "are no longer poor but not yet firmly in the middle class", and are looking for more opportunity and prosperity but are held back by the country's lagging development. Narendra Modi would cater to this group through tax cuts, lower import duties and better urban infrastructure.
• In addition, this theme was attempting to target rural inhabitants through Narendra Modi's ‘rurban’ vision which would equip rural areas with urban style amenities. He also promised to increase the penetration and usage of broadband, ensure financial inclusion and to generate IT-based jobs in rural areas.

Corruption

• During his campaign, Narendra Modi focused on the corruption scandals that existed under the previous INC government. He planned to wipe out corruption and offer hope for businesses and citizens that were tired of rampant corruption.  
• He promised to establish a system that would diminish the scope of corruption. This would be done through the creation of a black money task force to bring down black money held abroad, the establishment of policy-driven and system-based governance through e-Governance, and the simplification and rationalization of the tax regime.
• The Indian youth were the specific demographic that this theme was attempting to target, because at the time, the young voters were interested in inclusive growth and they were "fed up with the string of corruption scandals" under the incumbent Congress regime.

Employment and entrepreneurship

• Narendra Modi, under BJP, promised to empower and encourage the youth through self-employment. He also promised to create a business-friendly environment and up to 250 million jobs in 10 years.
• He would focus on stronger credit and market linkages as well as on the modernization of agriculture, retail and allied industries. In addition, he would initiate a multi-skill development program that focused on entrepreneurship and job creation; develop high-impact domains such as tourism and labor-intensive manufacturing; and transform employment exchanges into career centers.
• The theme was specifically attempting to target the Indian youth, as majority of them were in informal jobs characterized by low wages, abysmal work conditions, lack of social or job security, and absence of collective bargaining rights.

Themes

Improved Economy Again

• The party mentioned that the Modi government had consistently reduced their taxes, something that has never happened earlier.
• The party also focused that like in 2014 they will continue prioritizing low inflation while expanding the tax base, reducing taxes on the middle class and spending money on welfare measures and exercises like "One Rank One Pension".
• Modi government this time adopted a more inclusive tone, highlighting the notion that their re-election is to continue the country’s economic development and improve the lives of all 1.3 billion Indians.
•  The government also offered more seats in schools to young people but left out any plan for finding employment for the unemployed segment or reaching the segment.
• The 2019 campaign also highlighted the goal of doubling the size of India’s economy to $5 trillion by 2024.
•  Modi government came to power in 2014 and had promised “Sabka Vikas,” or economic growth for all at the time as well and they campaigned over it again in 2019.

• Renowned party leader Arun Jaitley mentioned that the focus of the agenda was the poor, the middle class and the neo-middle class.
• The party also highlighted that the opposition is not focused on the emerging middle class.

• Poor women mostly voted for the Modi government, as the government “pledged priority access to 20 million new homes that it planned to build over the next three years.”
•  According to Marshall Bouton, “Younger India has aspirations for a stronger India and a stronger person representing India, and they’re willing to give Modi a second chance.”

National Security

•  Prime Minister Modi made national security a central theme in his election campaign, which was aided in this endeavor by a major terrorist attack in Kashmir in February 2019 for which a Pakistan-based terrorist outfit claimed responsibility.
•  The government officials, including Narendra Modi, cast themselves as “watchmen” against terrorists and neighboring nations like Pakistan.
• Modi assumed a different avatar and days after the airstrikes by the Indian Air Force in Pakistan, he and his supporters rebranded themselves as chowkidars or ‘watchmen’ and mentioned that will diligently work as a watchman to protect the country.
•  A social media campaign also followed this suit which showed Prime Minister Modi repeating the slogan Main Bhi Chowkidar ‘I am a watchman’.
• Working further on the campaign, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, and ministers prefixed ‘Chowkidar’ before their names on Twitter.
•  A BJP functionary described the campaign as “highly successful and the single-biggest Twitter campaign done by a political party or company.”

•  The party promoted the idea that every Indian citizen is a watchman.
• The party officials stated the Main Bhi Chowkidar campaign is a similar strategy to 2014 Manishankar Aiyar’s ‘Chaiwalla’ jibe into a mass campaign.

•  The party saw 9 k. tweets globally with the new hashtag of Main Bhi Chowkidar.
• The party promoted national security and its campaign through a video that was shared 1.5 million times on Twitter alone.
• The party also gained on the ideology of a common man’s patriotism, the party cleverly associated if you are with Modi, you are with India and if you are not with Modi, you are anti-India.

Hindutva And Ram Mandir Construction

• The focus in its second term was also to pass a Hindu nationalist agenda, including abandoning India’s official secularism and making Hinduism, the guiding ideology of the government.
• The Modi campaign also promoted the equation of Hindu nationalism with Indian nationalism and is taken for granted by large sections of the Indian population.
•  The campaign was ingeniously carved out as of the identity, which has manifested itself as Hindutva, a nationalistic term used to convey a sense of Hindu identity.
•  Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his second term made the construction of a Ram Mandir one of its key campaign promises.
•  Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is a key focus for Hindus, as Hindu god, Lord Ram was born there, which is being profited by the emotional agenda of the Modi campaign.
•  Amit Shah, party president also clarified that Ram Mandir Ayodhya was on top of their Agenda.
• Modi had initially promised that construction would begin in his first term, but it didn’t happen as the Indian Supreme Court controls the property.
• It is seen as a similar action to the U.S. President Trump’s campaign promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

• Hinduism religion is practiced by about 80% of the Indian population.

•  69% of people are in favor of the campaign and want that a Ram temple should be constructed at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
•  67% of the respondents said they “want the Modi government to bring in an ordinance to facilitate the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya at the spot where the Babri Masjid once stood.”

Your Research Team Applied The Following Strategy

Acche Din Aane Wale Hai

• Modi's slogan translated to "good days are coming" was among Modi's most successful campaign slogans in the 2014 elections.
• According to India Today, the slogan resonated with the first time voters and the entire young generation due to their desire for a new India with better and new prospects.
• Similar to India Today's opinion, the Indian youth would have been the target of the message since they were the most aspirational voter category in India at the time, and they were the most vocal in the call for change. According to the Guardian, the Indian youth, which made up 65% of the population, were the most optimistic group at the time with a desire for "better employment opportunities, the containment of price rises, and corruption."

Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas

• Translated to "solidarity with everyone, development for all," this was Modi's promise for more inclusively in India. The message was a promise from Modi and BJP "to take everyone along to the way of development and prosperity."
• According to Business Standard, Modi's past was marred with his renowned "adherence to aggressive Hindu nationalism" as he once referred to the victims of the Gujarat pogrom inter-communal violence as 'puppies' and propagated the superiority of the majority Hindu community.
• Based on this message's call for inclusively, it was intended for the economically and socially marginalized religious minorities, especially in Wayanad and Gujarat who were the most affected by past minority-majority clashes.
• This would be a message to woo the minority Muslim communities by promising them a place in Modi's government, who is a Hindu nationalist. This was especially important at the time since violence between Hindu and Muslim communities had risen by 30% in from 2012 to 2014.

Fight Poverty, not Each Other

• According to Narendra Modi's official website and the Times of India, Modi used the catchphrase "fight poverty, not each other" severally in his 2014 campaign.
• On one occasion, Modi said, "Hindu poor should be fighting the poverty in their community instead of Muslims just as the poor among Muslims should be fighting their poverty rather than Hindus."
• On another, Modi said, "A poor Hindu and a poor Muslim must ask themselves- do they want to fight each other or do they want to fight poverty."
• Based on the aforementioned sentiments, this message was targeting the poor among both the majority Hindu and minority Muslim communities. The appeal for Hindu-Muslim unity was Modi's attempt at living down his reputation as a divisive leader.

Shasak Nahi Sevak

• Translated to "servant not ruler," Modi used this slogan to affirm that Indian voters had been choosing rulers instead of servants for many years and that it was high time they chose servants.
• He referred to himself as "desh ka mazdoor no 1" (number one country worker) when he used the slogan in order to identify with the working population. On one occasion, he highlighted the plight of muttar (peas) farmers who were committing suicide because of poverty blamed on lack of government support.
• By lowering his stature and equating himself to the ordinary Indian worker, Modi was trying to identify with the poor working Indian population by reminding them of his former life as a "chaiwala (tea seller)." This message was, therefore, intended for the poor working population including farmers who were not benefiting from their hard labor.

Northeast is India's Ashtalakshmi

•  Ashtalakshmi could be loosely translated as wealth or prosperity.
• Modi used this message to affirm that India can only prosper if the Northeast region is prosperous.
• On one occasion, Modi said, "India can develop only when Northeast develops."
• On another occasion, Modi pointed out that the Northeastern region had been suffering because it lacked infrastructure, and the region's people felt marginalized as a result.
• Unlike the aforementioned messages, this one was only targeted at the communities of Northeast India the Manipur community.

NEW INDIA

• With a promise of "New India" Narendra Modi launched his party's general election, and in his message, he shared the vision of a new India that will be in tune with its glorious past of economic growth and prosperous society.
• With the message of "New India", Narendra Modi intended to target the eligible voters of India, which comprise of individual who is a citizen of India and is of 18 years of age and above.
• This is a target group as it has been indicated by credible news article sharing the coverage of the "promise of 'new India'" by Narendra Modi.it highlighted his main message used during the 2019 general election campaign (for the position of the prime minister of India).
• The article also shares the verbatim of the speech by Modi, which indicates the target demographic group as it says," Our vision is of a new India that will be in tune with its glorious past ... India's 1.3 billion people have already made up their minds. Once again, a Modi government is going to be formed in this country," he told the crowd.

SABKA SAATH, SABKA VIKAS

• During the election campaign for general elections in 2019,Narendra Modi addressed various rallies and emphasized the vision of "Sabka Saath - Sabka Vikas" and highlighted that Bhatiya Janta Party is keen to ensure the overall development and pave the way to 'New India ' through inclusive growth.

• With the slogan of "Sabka Saath Ssabka Vikas" highlighted the key message of overall development, the demographic group particularly targeted is the minorities in India.
• Minorities group in India constitutes about 19% population of the country, which includes communities from Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, and Jains.
• This is a target group as it has been indicated by credible news articles sharing the coverage of Modi's election campaign and messages.
• The article states that ," Mr. Modi spruced up a mantra — sabka saath, sabka vikas, translated as ‘collective efforts, inclusive growth’. Mr. Modi later elaborated on the theme and said the BJP needed to win the trust, particularly of the minorities. Modi later elaborated on the theme and said the BJP needed to win the trust, particularly of the minorities."

NATIONAL SECURITY

• Narendra Modi addressed national security messaging in most of his campaigns during the general election in 2019 as it was a prime issue with the Pulwama terror attack a few months before the election, in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed, and the BJP government took a hard stand against Pakistan-backed terror organizations.
• "During his election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has routinely raised the issue of nationalism, national security, and his government's tough stand on terror."

• The target demographic for the national security message is primarily the Indian soldiers who have been victims of terror attacks on India mostly in the regions of Jammu and Kashmir.
• This is a target group as it has been indicated by credible news articles sharing the coverage of Modi's election campaign 2019 and main messages.
• The article states that Modi said,"Analyze by speeches, I spend three to four minutes on national security." and" In Pulwama terror attack in Feb 40 CRPF jawans were killed." 

CLEANLINESS

• Emphasizing the message of "Cleanliness" during the election campaign for 2019,Narendra Modi spread a wide voice supporting the cause and encouraged the program dedicated towards Swachta mission.

• The targeted group with the 'cleanliness' messaging of Narendra Modi is mostly females in India who are key players in making Swachh Bharat a reality.
• This is a target group as it has been indicated by credible news articles sharing the coverage of Modi's election campaign 2019 and main messages relating to Cleanliness and Swach Bharat mission.
• The article states that “The PM (Narendra Modi) will send out a message of cleanliness and lay the foundation for Swachh Shakti dedicated to women".

'AJAY BHARAT, ATAL BJP'

• Driving the message of strong governance with highlighting his party's commitment to its core values and the country's progress and forward march under its rule., Narendra Modi coined a new slogan "'Ajay Bharat, Atal BJP', for his 2019 election campaigning.

• With the 'Ajay Bharat, Atal BJP', messaging, Narendra Modi targeted the demographic group of opposition parties who were stitching together as a grand alliance against the BJP in the general body elections 2019.
• This is a target group as it has been indicated by credible news articles sharing the coverage of Modi's election campaign 2019 and main messages relating to Ajay Bharat, Atal BJP' Modi's slogan for 2019 polls campaigning.
• The article states, "Taking a dig at efforts by opposition parties to stitch together a grand alliance against the BJP, Modi said, "People who do not see eye to eye are thinking of a grand alliance. It is a vindication of our work."

Research Strategy:

• To obtain the insights on the main messages (slogans, expressions, catchphrases, etc.) of Narendra Modi's 2019 election campaign (for the position of prime minister of India) along with the details on the targeted demographic group through these messages, we searched through various credible news articles which share election campaigning reports and details on the primary messages being targeted by the candidates along with analysis on the campaign provided by reputed political journalists.
• For the same, we searched through reports from economictimes, timesofindia, navbharattimes, aljazeera, theconversation, hindustantimes and others and listed the above messages which have been main slogans/messages/agendas highlighted and quoted by Narendra modi during his general election 2019 campaign for the position of PM of India and resonated the parties key agendas for the election. Also, by individually analyzing each message the reference of specific demographic group was evaluated where it was mentioned by credible news reports and included quoted from Modi in his speeches/messages resonating the demographic group.

Narendra Modi's 2014 Campaign Products

• Here are samples of Narendra Modi's 2014 election campaign products in TV: 1, 2, 3.
• Here are samples of Narendra Modi's 2014 election campaign products in print: 1, 2, 3.
• Here are samples of Narendra Modi's 2014 election campaign visual branding products: 1, 2, 3.
• Here are samples of Narendra Modi's 2014 election campaign online products: 1, 2, 3.
• Here are samples of Narendra Modi's 2014 election campaign products in Facebook: 1, 2, 3.
• Here are samples of Narendra Modi's 2014 election campaign products in Twitter: 1, 2, 3.

Additional Information

• According to Social Samosa, Bharatiya Janta Party's (BJP) 2014 campaign strategy for Narendra Modi extended past social media to mobile apps and Internet TV among others.
• As of 2014, BJP had 2.5 million fans on its main Facebook page.
• It also had a number of related pages including Narendra Modi, India 272+, CAG, and Friends of BJP among others.
• BJP had 374,233 followers on Twitter in 2014 while Narendra Modi had 3.5 million followers.
• BJP had 44,685 subscribers in YouTube at the time of the election and garnered more than 6.2 million views.
• Narendra Modi's YouTube channel had over 1 million subscribers and 14 million views in 2014.
• BJP also maintained a dedicated Internet TV channel which received 2.5 million likes and 50,000 tweets.
• The party also had a Google+ account with Narendra Modi having 1.22 lakh (or 122,000) people in circles.
• BJP also utilized the India 272+ portal as well as a website with a monthly traffic estimate of more than 9,14,000 visitors.
• Narendra Modi's party also used Whatsapp in its election campaigns with the number 7820078200.
• BJP intended to reach 450 million Whatsapp users in India at the time of the campaign.
• The party also used mobile marketing and offered live speeches of Modi at 022-4501-4501.
• Through this strategy, BJP intended to connect with 185 million mobile users in India.

Summary of Findings

• Here is a link to one example of a TV ad used in Modi's 2019 election campaign.
• Here is one of the print ads used in Modi's election campaign in 2019.
• Regarding visual branding, the BJP party's symbol was used in Modi's recent election campaign.
• Here is link to a Facebook ad used in Modi's 2019 election campaign.
• An example of an online ad used in Modi's 2019 election campaign can be found here.
• According to Narendra Modi's 2019 election campaign's digital advertising, Twitter was a prominent channel used to publicize user-generated content and create high interest and engagement level. The Twitter handle used during the campaign was #BJP4India, which has over 10 million followers.
• Here is an example of one of his campaign ads placed on Twitter.