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  • SUB CATEGORY :
    PRINT & OUTDOOR
  • ENTRANT COMPANY :
    HAVAS CREATIVE INDIA, MUMBAI
  • TITLE :
    INK OF DEMOCRACY
  • BRAND :
    THE TIMES OF INDIA
  • ADVERTISER :
    BENNETT COLEMAN & CO., LTD.
  • AGENCY :
    HAVAS CREATIVE INDIA, MUMBAI
  • SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT :
    AVINASH CHANDRA
  • CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER :
    ANUPAMA RAMASWAMY
  • ART DIRECTOR :
    RAVINDER KUMAR
  • COPYWRITER :
    SOHAM GHOSH
  • ACCOUNT DIRECTOR :
    ANNIE JOSHI
  • FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY :
    GALLOPING HORSE PRODUCTIONS PVT LTD, MUMBAI
  • DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY :
    ABHIJIT PATIL
  • EXECUTIVE PRODUCER :
    RAVI KUMAR
  • FILM PRODUCER :
    POORAJ KAPOOR/PRITHVI PAI
  • PRODUCTION ASSISTANT :
    VASVI JAIN
  • POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY :
    THE DOCKET FACTORY, MUMBAI
  • CREATIVE DIRECTOR :
    NISHIKA SARKAR
  • POST PRODUCER :
    ISHITA MEHRA
  • CAMPAIGN SUMMARY :
    India, the world’s largest democracy, witnessed 33% less voter turnout in the previous elections, leaving 7,500 litres of purple electoral ink unused.
    In the 2024 Indian General Election, for the first time in history, India’s leading newspapers, The Times of India and The Economic Times, were printed using purple ink instead of the usual black, drawing attention to the wasted potential of the unused ink, the uncast votes, and the unfulfilled promise of democracy.
    The Times Power of Print campaign, launched in collaboration with the Election Commission of India, successfully inspired India’s eligible voting population to take action. The result: a world record of 642 million proud voters.
    These newspapers didn’t just carry the news; they carried the legacy of upholding democracy.
  • CREATIVITY/IDEA/INSIGHT :
    In India, after one has voted, his or her finger is marked with purple electoral ink to prevent duplication of votes. This ink is synonymous to Indian elections. But what happens when people don’t vote? This ink is wasted.
  • STRATEGY :
    Unlike a lot of other ads appealing Indians to vote by simply stating the facts, we did not do so. 33% absent voters in the previous elections mean 7,500 litres of purple electoral ink unused. We used this narrative through a striking visual metaphor to highlight the wasted potential of the unused ink, the uncast votes in order to inspire Indians to act.
  • EXECUTION & CRAFT :
    Pages of The Times of India and Economic Times were printed using purple ink instead of the usual black. For every 132 absent voters, 1 page was printed, resulting in 2.28 million prints. It also carried an ad with the appeal: “Don’t waste a drop of electoral ink. Don’t waste the power of democracy.”
  • RESULT :
    With The Times of India reaching millions of Indian households, the Times Power of Print campaign played a huge part in turning the voter story around, by inspiring people to step out of their houses to cast their votes. The 2024 Indian General Elections recorded the highest number of voters ever, 642 million.