Don't Forget 2004: Advertising Secrets of an Impossible Election Victory

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In December 2003, the Congress Party took a drubbing in three state elections. The India Shining slogan of the Vajpayee Government had taken everyone by storm. Finances were stretched thin, General Elections were preponed by eight months. The defeat was inevitable. Yet, in May 2004, the ultimate story was one of an absolute surprise. The Congress won the elections-making history.

This book is the making of that History.

After 17 years, Jayshree Sundar, who was instrumental in scripting this victory, finally unveils the chain of events that took place. In this memoir, Sundar reveals all-from getting the phone call from Congress's office to the final victory.

With a generous garnishing of real conversations with senior congress leaders and Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, Don't forget 2004 is an inside story of the marketing and advertising campaign which dovetailed into the political strategy for the Congress party, bringing it back to power in May 2004.

During her 17 years at Lintas, Jayshree Sundar was known for her work with clients like Cadbury, Maruti Suzuki, ICI, Gillette, Parker, Xerox and Ponds. She went on to join Leo Burnett where she was President (North) for five years. A gold medallist from University of Mumbai, and an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, she now teaches marketing courses at business schools all over India.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee is said to have remarked that the 2004 Lok Sabha election verdict was one which the winner had not expected, nor the loser anticipated. It was undoubtedly a huge surprise, for the Congress was not expected to emerge as the single largest party, let alone be the anchor of a ruling coalition that would be in power for the next ten years.

The Congress had every disadvantage imaginable. It had been out of power for almost a decade. Its finances were stretched thin. It did not have a prime ministerial face. It was up against a Prime Minister who was generally well-liked and well-regarded. It faced a party that had been in campaign mode for almost a year prior to the polls. The media had decided that Mr Vajpayee would return to office.

Yet the Congress won. Many explanations have been offered for the verdict. Hubris and over-confidence on the part of the BJP certainly played a role. Political decisions that Mr Vajpayee apparently wanted to take but finally did not may have cost him. But to my mind the Congress' political strategy of seeing the national election as an aggregation of state-level elections and having the right alliances with regional parties proved to be the decisive factor.

July 2014

I have just finished a marathon class at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Shillong.

Stepping outdoors, I take in the cool breeze and walk to the little canteen to order a hot cup of tea. I check my phone. There's a missed call from my husband.

I call back. He's just getting off a flight. 'How was your morning session?' he asks.

'Tiring, I just took the Congress' case study. It was a marathon class-four hours.'

'Oh, that's strange,' he said. 'You know why? I had a top BJP minister on the seat next to me on the flight. We got talking and I told him you had worked on the 2004 elections. And guess what he said?' My tea has arrived. I take a sip. 'What?'

The minister said, 'We have collected each and every piece of that campaign and have studied it threadbare.' Ah ha.

I switch off the phone and sit under a tree. I reflect on what just happened in the class. All eyes focused, body language totally engaged, the standing ovation at the end of the session.