Ujjwala scheme to get Rs 293-cr publicity push from BJP ad brain: Sources

Delhi-based US Advertising Agency to undertake Rs 293-crore campaign

With the election season round the corner, public sector undertakings (PSUs) seem to be on an advertising spree. The biggest campaign valued at Rs 293 crore and tendered by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), will be undertaken by Delhi-based US Advertising  Agency.
 
The agency, on the website, says that the ruling BJP is among its top clients. The tender involves outdoor campaign that highlights the success of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY).
 
According to sources, the IOC tender is considered to be huge for a single scheme since the total budget for campaigns run by the government’s Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity on an annual basis is only around Rs 150-200 crore. According to an industry source, other companies in the fray for the IOC tender were Mumbai-based Laqshya Media Group and  Signpost India. Under the tender, the winning agency would come up with outdoor campaigns in Karnataka, Gujarat and Odisha and Mumbai and Delhi along with 26 airports across the country.  “We are being awarded the IOC contract. The government’s idea is that if you are performing on some parameters, it is your duty to inform the public. This campaign is to inform the public about the success of Ujjwala,” Amit Kapoor, managing director, US Advertising, told Business Standard.

 
The major clients of the firm, that was set up in 2000 and turned into a private limited company in August 2014,  include Flipkart, Sony, Nissan, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, Gail India and BP.
 
As of today, 60.6 million consumers in 715 districts became part of the Ujjwala scheme launched in May 2016. “Since the Ujjwala scheme was conceptualised after the success of the ‘GiveItUp’ campaign, we want the success of the scheme to reach the class that had given up its subsidy. That is why the advertising campaign will cover 26 airports as well,” said an IOC official.
 
Other public sector companies like Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) and hydropower major NHPC, too, have come out with campaigns to promote the success of government schemes.

 
The two power majors are promoting the Sahaj Har  Ghar Bijli Yojana (Saubhagya) scheme. The Rs 16,320-crore scheme aims at providing “last-mile electricity connectivity to all rural and urban households”.
 
Last year, PGCIL had issued four tenders totalling Rs 5.82 crore to install hoardings across several districts of Odisha.
 
NHPC will do the same across Jammu & Kashmir, including Leh and Ladakh.
 
The total tender volume of NHPC stands at Rs 26 lakh.