100th episode: How Mann Ki Baat has helped consolidate Brand Modi

The show that hits 100 on Sunday will be broadcast worldwide, will see a commemorative coin

It started in October 2014, five months after he took over as Prime Minister of India. And on Sunday, April 30, it will hit a century. Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 30-minute monthly programme addressing the nation on radio and television, has come a distance.

There are big plans around the 100th episode, which will be broadcast worldwide. The government will unveil a Rs 100 commemorative coin to mark the event. And on Wednesday (April 26), a conclave with around 100 well-known personalities, including Bollywood actors Amir Khan and Raveena Tandon, who found mention in previous episodes, was held at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi.

Since it was first aired, Mann Ki Baat has reached one billion people, says a survey by IIM Rohtak. In January 2015, former US president Barack Obama co-hosted an episode where he responded to questions by Indian citizens.

From science to environment and exam stress to the importance of getting vaccinated against Covid-19, Modi’s Mann Ki Baat has covered sizeable ground.

An intimate conversation, albeit one-way, is how experts describe the show that often delves into issues that touch everyday lives.

In the age of influencers, it would be safe to say that Modi dominates the space with an enormous following across social media platforms: he has 88.2 million followers on Twitter; 74.7 million on Instagram; 14.5 million on YouTube; and 48 million on Facebook.

Mann Ki Baat has only helped him consolidate that position further.

Says brand expert Harish Bijoor, “It all starts with the name of the show — it’s much more perennial. Talking about what’s on his mind, for the mind is superior to all else.”

The choice of medium also carried the message: radio. It helped him establish an immediate connection with the hinterland.

“Radio and voice are a spirited means of communication in our country,” says Bijoor. A big part of India lives in its small towns. “Everyone can listen to the radio, and the Prime Minister has used it to his benefit,” he adds.

Samit Sinha, founder of Delhi-headquartered Alchemist Brand Consulting, says, “It (Mann Ki Baat) came as a substitute to media interactions, and as a space where the Prime Minister had complete control of the narrative.” The show, he adds, emerged as a means to have a heart-to-heart with the Indian public, “and appealed to those who supported and voted for him”.

Besides radio channels and major audio music platforms, the programme is also broadcast on national television channels, on YouTube and on the NaMo app, the official app of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that was launched in 2015.

A big reason for its success is Modi’s oratory prowess.

“Even a farmer in a hamlet in Hoshiarpur feels the Prime Minister is talking to him and him alone when he tunes into the show,” says Bijoor, adding, “It’s how Modi modulates his voice. It has helped him develop a deep and umbilical connection with the people.”

He’s an influencer like no other in India, says Ankur Warikoo, a YouTuber who knows how the space operates. A social media influencer himself, Warikoo says, “The fact that a political leader of a country has amassed such a big social media following speaks a lot about his popularity. The radio show also goes a long way in adding to that because it presents him in a different light with conversations that are much more personal.”

Earlier this year, Modi’s approval rating rose to 78 per cent, way ahead of US President Joe Biden’s who stood at 40 per cent.

“There are certain ways in which one builds a brand,” says Sinha. There is advertising, public relations, talking to the media, and being highly visible at the right places.

“For any leader, it is very important to communicate and control the narrative,” he explains. “Mann Ki Baat is the only direct contact he has with his fans. The consistency with which he does it and that he seems to be speaking about things that matter to him as well add up to create a stronger brand for his name.”

As it hits 100, there is no let-up in Mann Ki Baat’s momentum.

Listening in

Nearly 96% of Indians aware of Mann Ki Baat

Nearly 230 mn tune in to it regularly, while 410 mn constitute an occasional audience

65% prefer listening to it in Hindi; 18% tune into English broadcast

73% respondents optimistic, feel India will progress

63% respondents say their approach to government has become positive

Source: IIM Rohtak survey