Campaign jingles are old poll staples, but now AI is the one producing them

As Tamil Nadu heads to polls on April 23, the election campaign is finding a new soundtrack — catchy, hyperlocal, AI-generated songs designed to stick in voters’ minds long after the rally ends. From Coimbatore to the Cauvery delta, candidates are trying to strike the right chord with the electorate through customised campaign tunes, with more than 30 songs produced during the nomination phase alone. And this is no low-budget side act. Parties and candidates are willing to spend anywhere between Rs 10,000 and Rs 25,000 a song to sharpen their outreach.The playbook has moved well beyond wall posters and van announcements. Political parties are now blending music, AI and social media algorithms to create a more targeted campaign push, especially on Instagram and Facebook, where advertisements are being fine-tuned to budgets and voter demographics through Meta ads.At the centre of this concoction of music and politics is a growing ecosystem of AI creators. R Loganathan, creative head of Ninth Direction, says he alone has delivered more than 30 AIgenerated songs for 15 candidates, including several in Coimbatore. “Unlike in previous elections, AI is now being used for better public outreach, especially through AI-generated campaign songs,” he told TOI . “There is equal demand from DMK and ADMK candidates, along with some from DMK alliance parties such as Congress and the Left.”His client list stretches across party lines and geographies — from DMK and ADMK candidates in Tirupur, Coimbatore and the delta to DMK alliance candidates in the southern districts. Loganathan says his journalism background is helping him craft better lyrics tailored to individual candidates. “I have even received requests from former ministers for song packages ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000. Depending on the package chosen, we provide a song to a candidate in different tunes.”But the digital push does not stop at songs. Campaigns are also going global. Sources say DMK’s IT wing is running an intensive social media operation from the UAE, targeting audiences overseas and making use of platforms such as TikTok, which remains banned in India but is active in many Gulf countries. A Dubaibased social media manager confirmed the scale of that effort, saying the DMK’s IT machinery is stronger there than that of rival parties. “To connect with the Tamil audience here, they use extensive SEO strategies,” he said. “TikTok is banned in India, but it is active in many other countries, including the Gulf, allowing them to share Tamil Nadu content and reach the Tamil population abroad.”Back home, campaign professionals say the real transformation came during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when the use of Meta ads and algorithm-driven targeting surged. A popular YouTuber, now working as a freelance social media manager for DMK, said this strategy has since become central to every major party’s IT wing.“Meta ads help target demographics and interests, while paid search engine optimisation helps candidates connect better with elite and younger audiences,” he said. “For Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, it is easier because they are already using songs that are trending. But candidates who are new to social media or less active online have to rely heavily on paid promotions, and the algorithms are designed to deliver ads to the target audience in specific locations.”But in the digital campaign space, visibility has a high price tag. The more a candidate spends, the more frequently they appear on voters’ screens, the YouTuber added. “While there is an official cap on poll expenditure for each candidate, many exceed their budgets through third-party services that go unreported.”

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