The Rise of Prashant Kishore and the Role of Political PR Consultancy in Modern Indian Politics
Prashant Kishore became one of the most highlighted names as a political strategist or political PR professional and his organization I-PAC, found popularity and credibility after 2014, when his client Shree Narendra Modi ji became the honorable Prime Minister of India. He later worked with other political figures and parties too and till date in 2024 after his retirement as a political strategist, he is the most famous name in this niche. His views and opinions are taken seriously by the media and corporate and political stakeholders. He has gained a status of being an Industry Leader with a Clear thought process! in the niche called Political Consultancy, further leading to be India’s one of the biggest opinion makers.
Many political consultancy agencies are operating across the nation. Some have ideological alignment and some prefer to use their skill set neutrally and serve competing parties from time to time. Personal ethics may vary from each agency and founder and for a limited time period, influence the narratives and social fabric of that particular region, which they are working on. Usually, the employees appointed or hired at such agencies are seasonal and contractual part-time ones as it is a seasonal scope of work. MLAs, aspiring MLAs, Members of Parliament, Cabinet Ministers, and aspiring Cabinet Ministers and MPs are usually the clients of these specialized agencies. Many a time, the hired employees need to know a particular regional language due to the nature of the job. The number of employees in each department would vary due to budget constraints.
Structure and Functioning of Modern Political Campaign Teams
The agency would have a social media team that would work on graphic designing, social media posting, social media scripts, managing supportive pages, and everything else under the umbrella of “Digital Marketing and Social Media Marketing”. Additionally, at times there are photographers and video teams too who would click relevant content. There is a tele-calling team that would understand the local or regional constituency. A questionnaire for the survey is prepared to understand the sentiments of the people. They operate similarly to a telemarketer job function. Based on the feedback and data gathered, an analysis can be made of the possible election outcomes. Mostly this helps in creating a primary research data.
PR Team usually gives plans on campaigns they can come up with, draft content (speeches, social media content, media content, etc.), plan media activities, handle media queries, solve misinformation issues, invite media to relevant events, connect with other stakeholders to align with events or plans and make a tactical approach. Media monitoring and providing suggestions is a daily task too. At times PR team also co-ordinates with the social media team and other teams to align the project plans.
Operational Dynamics of a Comprehensive Political Campaign Team
The Field Associate (FA) team works at the ground level. They are involved in voter mapping, meeting the party workers or associates daily, and understanding the ground realities. FA team also participates in the events of the ground team to understand the scenario, note their observations, and coordinate with the relevant stakeholders. At times, the political candidate team provides IT and App support to make this function easy. Usually, the Field Associate team is provided with vehicles and fuel, mobile handsets, and sim cards to make the function easy.
There is at least one data analyst expert who compiles the data regularly and makes reports and analyses. There would also be an admin professional and HR professional to look after salaries, records, accounts, looking after food facilities, accommodation, and other relevant functions. Usually the HR and Admin professional acts like an internal communications team member.
A Project Manager overlooks the entire function of all the teams, monitors their daily activities, sets a direction for the project based on the client brief, keeps the team motivated and aligned, and is responsible for everything in front of the client and the consultancy owner. Research is the basic task of all the departments and employees involved in the project. The command room is meant for the Project Manager and Agency owners. There is a War Room meant for the social media team, PR team, and data analyst team. Tele Calling team is provided with a separate room or office setup.
Navigating Ethical Boundaries and Team Synergy in Political Campaigns
All the members involved in the project have to abide by the Code of Conduct, rules and regulations, and legal compliance of the region and the nation during the entire course of the campaign. The client team needs to coordinate and engage with the consultancy team daily to keep the operations functioning smoothly, relevant, updated, and impactful. The flow of information from the client team and project team plays a crucial role in giving clarity, understanding the expectations, setting a tone, understanding the ground realities, and coming up with solutions.
With my limited knowledge, brief experience, and small conversations with domain experts, I have understood this. The agency or consultancy can’t guarantee a win in elections for the candidate or political party. One thing different from other general PR Agencies and the Political Consultancies is that the client doesn’t need market share or sales but the trust of the voters and his personal reach to the last mile. If the concerned political candidate or party wins, the credit doesn’t belong to the consultancy team alone but to the concerned personality as well because in the end it is a teamwork based on partnership. Personal ethics should be given a high priority in this profession. It is the duty of all the people working on the project to make sure that it is a PR project and doesn’t turn into propaganda.
About the Author:
Devesh Purohit is a Senior PR and Communication Consultant from Gujarat. He is the author of the brand legacy management book, titled, Theory of Reference Building: Legacy Matrix. In 2024, as a PR practitioner, he worked on a political project for a Honorable Member of Parliament. He has been an assistant brand researcher at Trust Research Advisory. Academically, he is a Gold-medalist in MAPR from Hinduja College, Mumbai, in 2016.
In Short About The Post :
- Prashant Kishore’s Prominence: Gained recognition after I-PAC’s success with Narendra Modi’s 2014 campaign.
- Collaborations: Worked with various political figures, becoming a leading opinion maker.
- Clientele: Serves MLAs, MPs, and Cabinet Ministers.
- Seasonal Employment: Hires part-time employees with regional language skills.
- Team Roles: Includes digital marketing, tele-calling, PR, field associates, data analysis, HR, and project management.
- Campaign Activities: Involves social media content, voter surveys, campaign materials, media handling, and data analysis.
- Ethical Focus: Prioritizes strict ethical standards and building voter trust.
- Collective Success: Emphasizes that campaign success is a team effort, avoiding propaganda.
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