Ink of Democracy

Creative idea

The hallmark of Indian elections is the purple-coloured electoral ink applied on every voter's finger to prevent duplication of votes. The inked finger is a symbol of democratic right. But 33% less voter turnout in the previous election resulted in 7500 litres of unused electoral ink. The idea? So, during the massive 2024 Indian General Elections, pages of India’s highest selling English newspaper, The Times of India and The Economic Times were printed using purple ink, instead of the traditional black. For every 132 absent voters, 1 page was printed, resulting in 2.28 million prints and 1 appeal.

Brand name: The Times of India
Advertiser / client: The Times of India
Product / service: Election Appeal Ad
Campaign name: Ink of Democracy
Agency network: HAVAS
Agency: Havas Creative India
Additional company: Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.
Production company: Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.
Chief creative officer: Anupama Ramaswamy
Creative director: Ravinder Kumar
Copywriter: Soham Ghose
Account director (agency): Annie Joshi