BMEG & Purnima Advertising: The two agencies behind BJP’s Maharashtra election campaign

The highly anticipated Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly polls have spurred aggressive marketing campaigns from political parties, with several agencies actively involved in the BJP’s outreach efforts. 

Sources indicate that with Bharat Media and Entertainment Group (BMEG) leading the digital charge for the BJP’s 'Ek hai to safe hai' (Together we are safe) campaign, Eknath Shinde government has already allocated over Rs 900 crore on advertising and public relations. 

Whereas, the print buying and placement of the advertisement has been done by an Ahmedabad-based agency called Purnima Advertising. 

The campaign has been all over the internet and aims to foster the thought of ‘united we stand, divided we fall’. The newspaper advertisement released by the BJP also features the logos of its Mahayuti alliance partners, Shiv Sena and the NCP. 

At a recent rally in Dhule, Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a pointed jab at the Congress party, accusing it of fostering division along caste lines. “Their only agenda is to pit one caste against another,” he declared. Emphasising unity, he urged the audience to remember, “Ek hai toh safe hai” (We are safe if we are united) and that’s where the campaign took off, creating a strong recall value.  

Digitally, the party has gone all out to create a buzz. BJP was the largest Google advertiser in the first week of November, spending Rs 3.59 crore and running 8,627 advertisements. The party's Maharashtra chapter spent an extra Rs 8.61 lakh on Meta to increase its visibility on Facebook and Instagram. 

The digital arm of BJP's Maharashtra campaign has been conceptualised and amplified by Bharat Media and Entertainment Group (BMEG), an industry insider confirmed.

“The campaign has already been live and is being received well and will go on till 17 November,” they said. 

Starting its operations in 2022, BMEG is an integrated media and creative agency that “combines critical thinking and imagination to develop and grow businesses at scale,” per the agency’s info page. 

Ahmedabad-based agency Purnima Advertising, founded on 21 October 1994, operates in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The agency and their group companies - including Prithvi Outdoor Publicity and Digital Chakra - are a Rs. 300 crore, end-to-end marketing communications solutions provider. Their other government clients include Aadhaar, BSNL, Delhi Police, Gujarat Tourism, Himachal Tourism, Odisha Tourism, Delhi Tourism, India Tourism Development Corporation and more.

It is to be noted that the BJP has roped in small to medium-scale media agencies very frequently in the past for their campaigns. 

Another very viral ad film- ‘Dulha Kaun Hai’ released by BJP in March 2024, which featured comical lookalikes of opposition leaders, mocking I.N.D.I Alliance's ‘infighting’, was crafted by an agency known as Varahe Analytics.

Though there’s no comprehensive list of agencies involved in the ruling party’s election campaign, Varahe Analytics is one of the key players contributing to the BJP's strategic efforts. This agency calls itself one of India’s most recognised and foremost integrated political consulting firms. Varahe Analytics specialises in crafting data-driven strategies for political campaigns and policy advocacy.

Numerous agencies, both large and small, are part of the BJP's campaign mandate. Additionally, their in-house team of media, creative, and marketing specialists handles a large portion of the campaign work. 

For say, the release of the viral “Dulha Kaun Hai” ad was accompanied by two additional films, including one portraying a ten-headed character with the tagline “Label badalne se level nahi badalta hai,” crafted by an agency as huge as Scarecrow M&C Saatchi.

Earlier this year, BJP engaged in talks with more than a dozen advertising agencies, counting Crayons, Ogilvy, McCann Worldgroup, and others among the potential collaborators.

In the past as well, McCann Worldgroup, led by Prasoon Joshi, and Madison Media, under Sam Balsara, have been appointed to key roles, with McCann managing creative duties and Madison handling media planning and buying.