Two Havas Worldwide India creatives developed a pioneering campaign to prompt Indian citizens on their voting rights during the General Elections in the world’s largest democracy, engaging over 15.8 crore eligible voters.
The Power of Print Contest 2024, hosted by The Times of India Group and the Election Commission of India, awarded Soham Ghosh and Ravinder Kumar of Havas Worldwide India, who will showcase their talents at Cannes Lions 2025.
The winning entry, selected from over 560 entries from across the country on the theme ‘I Vote For Sure’, is aimed at inspiring greater voter turnout by highlighting the significance of every individual’s vote.
Revealed in The Economic Times, Bengaluru edition on April 26, 2024, during the city’s voting day for the second phase of the 18th Lok Sabha Elections, the winning concept features a powerful visual metaphor. The entire newspaper page, in purple ink, represents the unused electoral ink from 2019. This unique tactic highlights the potential of unmarked fingers and uncast votes, aiming to inspire national voters with publication across key markets in the next two weeks.
Sagnik Ghosh, Head Creative Strategy, Innovation, Branded Content and Trade Marketing for BCCL Response, Times of India said, “After a tough competition and intense evaluation by the eminent jury, the fifth edition of The Times Power of Print, supported by the Election Commission of India, has its winners. Among the many strong entries, the winning ad stood out for its effective portrayal of the urgency of the issue of low voter turnout and masterful use of print as a versatile medium, open to innovative possibilities. We hope that this ad is inspiring to the readers and motivates them to exercise their right to vote on D-Day.”
Speaking about the idea, Anupama Ramaswamy, Chief Creative Officer, Havas Worldwide India said, “At Havas Worldwide India, we truly believe in the power of ideas to drive meaningful change. Soham and Ravinder’s powerful idea exemplifies our commitment to leveraging creativity for social good, empowering citizens to shape the future of our nation.”
Soham Ghosh said, “Our idea stemmed from the low voter count in the last Lok Sabha Elections. The insight was simple yet powerful – if people are not getting their fingers marked with purple ink, then they’re not just wasting the electoral ink, they’re also wasting the power of democracy. So, we suggested printing an entire page of the newspaper using purple ink for people to take notice of the unused electoral ink.”
For Ravinder Kumar, this campaign is much more important than just winning tickets to Cannes Lions next year. He said, “Going to Cannes Lions Festival has been a life-long dream but with this newspaper innovation using purple ink, if we can inspire even one person to step out and vote this time, it will be a bigger victory for us.”
