An exploratory case study focusing on the creation, and development of a new political brand: The case of Aam Aadmi Party

• Published date: 01 February 2020
• Author: Krishna Das Gupta
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1991
• Date: 01 February 2020

ACADEMIC PAPER

An exploratory case study focusing on the creation, and

development of a new political brand: The case of Aam Aadmi

Party

Krishna Das Gupta

Xavier Institute of Management, Xavier

University, Bhubaneswar, India

Correspondence

Professor Krishna Das Gupta, Xavier Institute

of Management, Xavier University, Xavier

Square, Bhubaneswar 751013, Odisha, India.

Email: krishna@ximb.ac.in

In the backdrop of India's rising prominence in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China,

and South Africa), understanding of its political environment, electoral competition,

and constituent parties with their political ideologies contesting to form govern-

ment attracts immense interest from the researchers in political science, political

marketing, and public policy. Although literatures in political marketing are more

than two decades mostly carried out in developed democratic systems like the

United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, India as a

posttransition democracy received relatively less attention. The article has been

conceptualized in the context of 2014 Indian general elections Lok Sabha 2014

as an attempt to study application of political marketing principles in a cross‐

cultural democracy. The author has probed the emergence of new political party

Aam Aadmi Party riding on the success of Janlokpal (civil society movement), the

marketing approach used by Aam Aadmi Party, essentially positioning and branding

strategies, during the national elections and party institutionalization. Research

strategy followed secondary research of published data for examining the new

party creation from a marketing perspective.

1|INTRODUCTION

As a member of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa),

India's role will have lasting implications for global political and eco-

nomic issues like climate change, nature of future consumption, and

world trade. Eventually, India along with China is going to shape up

the global economy in next 30–40 years. The link between national

development and globalization figures high on the agenda of public

policymakers and scholars. Chang and Lee' (2010) states political

ideology determines the party's policy position that in turn is a strong

predictor of globalization. Dutt and Mitra (2005) also empirically inves-

tigate how the ideology of the government in power affects trade policy

measures. Marks, Wilson, and Ray (2002) demonstrate the strength of

ideological commitments as predictors of party positions in emerging

issue of European integration. In this context study of Indian political

environment, level of electoral competition, party's unique value prop-

osition Brennan and Henneberg (2008) assumes significance to the

political researchers, political marketers, campaign planners, and

campaign strategists across the globe. Promoting India as strategic

market for the global investor is the prime job of the federal system.

To this effect, the government at the center and its approach to trade

and globalization is the most crucial determinant of policy formulation

creating an opportunity for the global investor. The 2014 general

elections provided the springboard for the launch of Aam Aadmi Party

(AAP), a context to analyze the intersection of party development and

institutionalization strategies similar to economic circumstances.

Received: 27 April 2019 Accepted: 17 May 2019

DOI: 10.1002/pa.1991

J Public Affairs. 2020;20:e1991.

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1991

© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa 1of5