A vendor arranges T-shirts and political party symbols for sale at a textile shop in Thiruvananthapuram. File | Photo credit: Nirmal Harindran
With days to go for the Kerala assembly elections, the digital space has turned into a war zone with social networks on the major fronts posting a whirlwind of content.
The use of concept videos has seen an increase. Concept videos are content-driven visual presentations, typically on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, that focus on establishing and communicating a specific theme or core idea to a target audience. “Concept videos have been used in previous elections as well, especially after the digital boom in the post-pandemic period. It’s cost-effective and can reach more people,” says Joseph Christy Francis, a public relations (PR) consultant.
“The target group is the 16-26 age group, mostly first-time voters who are primarily active on Instagram, and this group can become a deciding factor in polls. So political parties have focused more on Instagram this time,” says an Ernakulam-based PR professional. “These short videos, mostly 30 seconds, are cheaper to produce and can create an emotional connection with the audience,” he adds, giving the example of a video made by the United Democratic Front (UDF) on Indira Guarantees.
“We want to grab the attention of Gen Z voters. Through the ‘Irunda Kalam’ themed reels, we aim to make them aware of the state of governance in Kerala 10 years ago,” says a Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) worker. Interestingly, there is also a website on the same topic and name.
“We create content targeting different target groups, including youth and women. We mainly create videos under three key slogans – Nanniyunde, Vikasita Keralam and Mathiyayi,” says Abhijith Radhakrishnan Nair, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national social media-IT advisor.
Although the parties have denied working with influencers, content has been shared on social media suggesting otherwise, especially embedded videos. In such videos, the promotion of a particular political party will be very subtle and woven into the story.
However, podcasters seem to have hit the jackpot this election. “Podcasts are trending now and many candidates, including Pinarayi Vijayan and VD Satheesan, have given podcast interviews,” says Mr Francis. These videos have thousands of views. “Podcasts are more casual and have a certain level of ease,” he says. While regular interviews are still watched, podcasts allow political parties to reach another group of viewers, adds Mr Francis.
With diverse strategies and an abundance of content, the election battle is heating up both online and offline, and no one seems to be left behind.
Published – 07 Apr 2026 09:55 IST
