New Delhi: As Bihar gears up for its 2025 Assembly Elections, insights from TAM AdEx’s 2020 report offer an interesting look back at how political parties leveraged advertising to shape voter sentiment during the last election cycle. Covering the period from September 1 to November 7, 2020, the report analysed political ad insertions across Television and Print, highlighting clear patterns in media choice and party strategies.
Television Reigned Supreme
In 2020, television emerged as the undisputed choice for political campaigning, capturing a massive 93% share of total political ad insertions. Print media, by contrast, accounted for only 7%.
The preference underscored how television’s reach and persuasive power made it a vital platform for engaging Bihar’s diverse electorate.
BJP Led the Advertising Race
Among political advertisers, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dominated the 2020 campaign trail, contributing nearly 39% of all political ad insertions across TV and Print. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Congress followed, each commanding close to 17% of the total ad volume.
Regional players also had a strong showing — the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Janta Dal (United) ranked fourth and fifth, with 11.9% and 9% shares respectively. Together, these state-level parties accounted for around one-fifth of all ad insertions, underlining their significant presence in the media landscape.
Medium-Wise Advertising Split
TAM AdEx’s medium-level analysis revealed notable differences in advertising behaviour between Television and Print:
- On Television, the BJP led decisively with 41.4% share, followed by the NDA (18%), Congress (11.8%), RJD (11%), and JD(U) (8.8%).
- In Print, the Congress-led alliance — comprising RJD, CPI(M), CPI, DM, and INC(U) — edged out BJP with a 14.7% share, while BJP followed closely at 14.1%.
This dual-medium strategy reflected how national and regional parties balanced mass communication with targeted messaging in 2020’s high-stakes electoral environment.
Ad Volumes Peaked Just Before Polling
Week-on-week data from the report shows that political ad volumes surged sharply in the run-up to voting.
- Week 8 (October 25–31) saw the maximum number of TV ads, accounting for 43% of total weekly insertions.
- Week 9 (November 1–7) witnessed the peak for Print ads at 31%.
The first few weeks of the campaign period saw limited activity, but ad momentum built steadily through mid-October, culminating in an intense media blitz as polling neared.
Lessons for 2025
As Bihar’s political landscape prepares for another election season, the 2020 TAM AdEx findings remain relevant. The dominance of television highlights the enduring power of broadcast media, even as digital platforms have since gained prominence. The BJP’s early and sustained advertising lead in 2020 also reflects the value of consistent messaging across mediums.
With digital, social, and OTT advertising now a growing part of the mix, it will be interesting to see how parties recalibrate their strategies in 2025 — whether television will maintain its lead or if digital engagement will take centre stage.
