I&B ministers turned into brand managers for Bharat Nirman: Amitava Mitra

Interview with chief operating officer of Percept/H

This year, the United Progressive Alliance government's Bharat Nirman Campaign has been consistently under attack from the opposition and the media. They call it the glossy report card of an ineffective government. All this while, the Congress has refused to tag the seven-year-old campaign as an election plank. Amitava Mitra, chief operating officer of Percept/H, the creative agency behind the campaign, speaks to Rohit Nautiyal about the evolution of the idea, its efficacy and the new working style of sarkari clients. Edited excerpts:

What was the creative brief to you from the UPA government? Was there a lot of back and forth before the campaign was approved?

Since the Bharat Nirman campaign is a work in progress, the brief keeps changing from time to time. The UPA government mainly asked us to highlight its programmes and bills. For instance, the campaign theme this year was based on empowering people. So we created a character called Priya who speaks for the people of India.

The information & broadcasting minister is very focused on the creative idea and its execution. His involvement has been very rigorous right from the creative development stage to the final delivery. He gets into the details, facts and figures and is very particular about the storylines to bring out the core idea clearly. He ensures that nothing which is factually wrong is communicated. So yes, the entire creative process - from ideating and finalising the script to the delivery of the films or review of the print ads -went through minute detailing, discussions and reviews.

How different was the experience of handing a sarkari client as opposed to any big corporate client?

In case of the UPA government, the I&B ministers turned into brand managers and made significant contribution towards the creative output. From Anil Sharma and Ambika Soni to current I&B Minister Manish Tewari all have left their mark on Bharat Nirman. For instance, with his sound knowledge of Hindi, Sharma emphasised on the correct use of the language. While Soni wanted us to focus on consumer rights, Tewari sees 'consumer empowerment' as the foundation of each creative we present to him.

Contrary to the average perception of the so-called sarkari clients, the UPA government has always given us a free hand in executing the campaign. The real job starts after a creative is approved. Every film approved by the client is shot in four versions with cast and setting varying according to target markets. These films are then dubbed in 12 Indian languages and finally cut into 30-, 60- and 90-second television commercials (TVCs).

What has been the media plan for this campaign? Any focus on digital?

Media planning is mainly handled by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity. The focus is more on television, radio, print and outdoor. As for digital part, the TVCs have been pushed on social media platforms.

Will you be releasing more TVCs for this campaign in the near future?

Since the code of conduct for the general elections will be out soon, there won't be a fresh burst in the near future. So no more new films for this year at least.

What feedback have you received for the campaign? The TVC on food security Bill was in question recently as it presented the Lala community in a bad light.

We have not received any negative feedback on the food security film from the client or viewers and it continues to be on-air unedited. I believe the campaign has managed to speak to the people of this country at some level. The tonality of the campaign has remained consistent over the years. To build a rapport with the people of India, we have not changed the logo of Bharat Nirman at all in all these years.

How has the campaign done on social media platforms?

They haven't really focused much on the social media. They plan to do more at a later stage.