What's in a name? For Opposition parties and brand experts, a lot

Politics has always been about a war of words and a new game seems to be taking the Indian political landscape by storm, with parties spelling out (literally) a challenge to those in power.

In the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 26 Opposition parties came together on Tuesday, saying that their alliance would be called INDIA, or the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance. Soon after, Prime Minister Narendra Modi coined a new full form of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) — New India, Developed nation, Aspirations of the people of India.

A country until now, INDIA is now also a brand name. Shakespeare had famously asked: ‘What’s in a name?’ A lot, apparently. Brand experts feel that the move is a good way to sound the bugle for the elections.

Says Santosh Desai, managing director and chief executive officer, Futurebrands India, “It is a very clever use of the name as it preempts a narrative that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could have used. It provides a credible umbrella for the Opposition parties and seems to be something large and bold, and could signal a shift in how the Opposition views itself and how it is viewed by the people.”

“It also puts the BJP on the back foot,” he adds.

Agrees Dilip Cherian, communications consultant. “In marketing terms, we call this a ‘good thing’— there was an opportunity for them to steal the narrative and move ahead and they managed to do that. From the standing start of 0, this starts with a huge advantage,” he says.

While the name itself has grabbed attention, it is really what comes next that will show if the move is a masterstroke. Cherian points out that mnemonics only make up 20-30 per cent of a brand’s value.

“The other important component of what makes a good brand is the values it embodies, and it is far too early to say what values this brand stands for. The name allows it an aspirational advantage but that has to be demonstrated to the customer — in this case the citizen.”

The third part of a successful brand is what its competition is.

“Here again, INDIA has a higher advantage,” he adds.

Says Harish Bijoor, brand expert and founder, Harish Bijoor Consults, “It can become a masterstroke only when we see the output. In the 2024 elections, if we see that this acronym is taken ahead with a certain set of creatives and top-of-the-line campaigns that focus on India the way the Opposition party sees it.”

He adds, “INDIA is a semantic wordplay at this point. It can turn into something powerful depending on how the Opposition parties defend the acronym and the way they go on the offensive against the ruling alliance.”

Bijoor points out that it is now up to the BJP to counter the move.

“The new acronym for NDA is not a solid-enough repartee. But I will not put it past the Prime Minister and the team to come up with a solid riposte. This could be a positioning of Bharat versus India.”

But with INDIA announcing its tagline — Jeetega Bharat, and effectively covering all bases, the BJP has some serious thinking to do.

“Expect a repackaging of terminologies in this great new election season 2024,” Bijoor concludes.

‘Jeetega Bharat’ tagline for Opposition bloc

A day after the Opposition parties announced INDIA as the name for their alliance, they finalised Jeetega Bharat as its tagline, setting the tone for their 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign. The Hindi tagline means “India will win” and is likely to be replicated in several regional languages, sources said. During the meeting in Bengaluru on Tuesday, several leaders felt that the word Bharat should feature in the name of the alliance, the sources said. “It was decided that it would feature in the tagline,” a senior leader said.  pti