Photo Credits: PG1. SECOND LEAD_2
We don’t know whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi knows about this, but Reliance Jio used his image in front page ads in some of the country’s leading newspapers a few days ago. The advertisement is smart. It has an image of Modi, along with the Jio branding and copy that reminds you about the Digital India movement. “In the journey of time, there come a few life changing moments. Our honourable Prime Minister’s inspiring vision of a Digital India is one such movement. Jio is dedicated to realising our Prime Minister’s Digital India vision for 1.2 billion Indians. Jio Digital Life will give the power of data to each Indian, to fulfil every dream and collectively take India to the global digital leadership…” Incidentally, the jacket that the PM wears is the same colour as the Jio logo.
Then the television advertisements started. A clip starts with images of India’s most famous icons: Swami Vivekanand, Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and Mother Teresa. This gives way to a portion of Modi’s Independence Day speech this year, where the prime minister speaks of his government’s Digital India programme and how it will uplift India. The final portion links Reliance Jio’s aims specifically with Digital India, and talks of how the service will connect India’s 1.2 billion people with free voice calls.
Twitter was really intrigued. The way the brand used the prime minister’s image was in the same fashion as a brand ambassador would be used. Someone online dug out constitutional law about the use of state emblems.
At the end of the day, this is clever advertising, but did the Reliance go too far?
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Modi trying to sell Jio data plans to Obama...(is #G20 worth anything other than providing fun meme worthy pics?)
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Narendra Modi is endorsing Reliance Jio.
Makes sense for the PM to endorse a brand.
Especially for him: since Roaming is free.
