He gained 60M followers on Instagram in just 43 minutes! Kim Taehyung of the BTS group set a world record.
How much time do you think Mahatma Gandhi would take?
Yes, you read it right!
Imagine, Gandhi ji live on Instagram during Dandi March. The 390 km long march which started with only 78 satyagrahis would have witnessed a wider participation than just 50,000 people.
Today, a single Instagram post can achieve an astounding reach, garnering thousands of likes and views in mere minutes.
How would have freedom fighters used various social media platforms to fight for freedom then?
How would have digital marketing helped gather support from the people of the nation and spread their message to a wider audience?
To answer more intriguing questions like these let’s dive in deeper-
Being in Public Eye –
Even in the 1920s, Gandhi Ji was aware of what a good marketing strategy could do for his cause. By making people aware that they were fighting for the same cause, he united and gathered wider support. He publicized the cause and influenced not only Indians but also the worldwide public.
He was in constant touch with worldwide media and the public by issuing regular statements and holding daily prayer meetings in his Ashram before the Dandi March. The New York Times covered the March daily including 2 front-page articles on the 6th and 7th of April, 1930. Even covered by Marion Times-Mirror.
When The Burlington Hawk-Eye Newspaper called Mahatma Gandhi the most talked about man in the world during Dandi March, Jimin in 2020 broke all records when he got 83M mentions on Instagram. This shows the potential of digital marketing when leveraged right.
A parallel can be drawn from Dandi March to the Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress party. The Yatra which spaned over 150 days and covered 4,080 kilometres was accompanied by a strong digital marketing strategy.
While a single Instagram page of Bharat Jodo Yatra gathered 179k followers whereas Gandhi Ji held regular meetings to gather a crowd. In just 140 days, there was a 50% increase in Rahul Gandhi’s Instagram followers and a 26% increase on Facebook. They even launched a dedicated app that could issue E- Certificate to all those who participated in the Yatra and also informed people when Yatra would pass through their State or the nearest location to them.
Nurturing Free Indian Minds On Different Social Media Platforms –
Tailored social media strategies would have aided in influencing and uniting different family members in the fight for freedom and instilling the spirit of nationalism.
Instagram – A strategic collaboration with the right influencers would have made Dandi March more impactful.
If people shared stories or go live on Instagram while burning British clothes during Swadeshi Movement and turned it into a trend saying “#CampfirewithBritishGoods, #SayNoToBritishGoods, #Boycott”, the movement would have gained wider popularity, especially among young adults and teenagers (18-24 years) who are the major users of Instagram. Harness Instagram’s marketing strategy to popularise charkha with the #WeaveWithMe Challenge as a tool to promote Swadeshi.
“#JoinAtThisLocation could be used as a popular hashtag to promote people to participate in various freedom-fighting movements. It could also be used as an event management strategy. #QuitIndia would have been the most trending hashtag.
To compare it with today’s world let’s take the previous example of Yatra. Its one Instagram reel has 69k likes. Whereas to foster the spirit of nationalism journals and articles like “Young India”, “New India”, and “Kesari” were published whose reach was limited to a few people. With a literacy rate of just 16.1%, it was difficult to reach the majority of the population to convey their message. Today India has a mobile penetration rate of 76.6 percent. The availability of content in regional languages on their smartphones would have helped in taking the freedom struggle to the grassroots level.
In a powerful display of solidarity against the British Raj, netizens could have symbolically changed their display pictures to black screens, mirroring the impactful “Black Lives Matter protests.” This digital gesture would have echoed the collective outrage and united voices for justice after the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.
LINKEDIN –
*Buzz*
What’s that?
Oh, that’s a LinkedIn post notification from Bal Gangadhar Tilak
I would have followed Bal Gangadhar Tilak and other freedom fighters on LinkedIn.
Using a robust LinkedIn marketing strategy would have proved invaluable for the freedom fighters in their quest for Independence.
With LinkedIn networking, they would have formed faster connections with like-minded people.
Imagine Mahatma Gandhi sharing excerpts of the Round Table Conference from London.
Jawaharlal Nehru and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose would have established themselves as thought leaders. This LinkedIn strategy would have helped in gaining a huge following from politically educated people and graduated youth who would have appreciated a free India mindset.
Snapchat –
Picture this, maintaining a long Snapchat streak with Bhagat Singh!
Utilizing Snapchat business strategy of maintaining a streak could have helped ensure freedom movement stayed top of mind recall with youth.
Snapchat users’ age demography of 18-24 age, could have been engaged by various filters related to freedom movements. Naujawan Bharat Sabha would have used Snapchat to influence youth during protests against Simon Commission.
Facebook –
Imagine joining a Facebook Live of Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore talking about the natural education system. It would be a hit among the 25-34 age Facebook users demography. This is one example of Facebook’s marketing strategy that could have been useful to spread awareness then.
Gandhi ji could have come Live on Facebook to explain why he suspended the Non-Cooperation Movement. He could emphasize on the importance of non-violence after protestors burned down a police station in Chauri Chaura.
Bharat Jodo’s digital marketing team performed an excellent task in strategizing the marketing plan. This can be evident from the fact that it used all the social media platforms well.
With 308K followers on its Facebook page, the account shared short videos of behind-the-scenes conversations between Rahul Gandhi with local people. The interactions with prominent guest personalities were used as videos to give a sneak peek into the 3500km Padayatra. Had Dandi March occurred today it would have been witnessed by thousands of people watching it live online just like Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Twitter –
“At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.” – Jawaharlal Nehru
This would easily become the most retweeted tweet on Twitter if we won Independence in today’s digital age.
Employing a well-crafted Twitter marketing strategy, freedom fighters could have harnessed the potential of this platform to propel their cause to unprecedented heights.
With the growing popularity of Twitter as a platform for political discussion, it would have been a cornerstone in their digital marketing strategy. Powerful Hashtags like #SimonGoBack #DoOrDie #DiliChalo would have garnered widespread support online and fostered a sense of unity among a diverse audience.
A Twitter marketing strategy was deployed by Bharat Jodo Yatra as well. They shared emotional clips of people waving the Indian tricolor flag and footage from the walk followed by powerful hashtags. This helped in building a community and connecting people together.
Through strategic Twitter engagement and impactful tweets, the freedom movement could have made an indelible mark in the realm of social media, taking the country on the path of liberation from foreign rule.
CONCLUSION –
As much as people love to watch their leaders giving speeches on stage, they want to watch them off stage as well. Leveraging various social media platforms and posting the right content for every platform’s target audience could help build a community and it’s easier to convey a belief or unite people for a cause.
From 340 million in 1947 to 1,428.6 million in 2023, the Indian population has grown 4X. If the fight for Independence happened today, it would have been easier for our leaders to unite us. The various digital marketing tools would have aided them in demanding freedom from the British Raj. Oh! How much would I have loved hearing Netaji’s podcasts?
For more insightful articles subscribe to our newsletter.