Jeep Takes the Road Less Travelled to Help Those Left out of India’s Democracy

Jeep has inspired people the world over with the four pillars of its brand philosophy – Passion, Freedom, Adventure and Authenticity – for more than seven decades. With the Indian general elections under way, Jeep wanted to highlight the importance of freedom and the right to vote. 

Understanding the challenges on Indian roads, Jeep understood that remoteness and inaccessibility due to tough terrain, extreme temperatures, lack of transport, etc. are critical factors affecting voter turnout. Because of these, personal challenges such as old age, young mothers with infants, or walking miles in the scorching heat become huge hurdles. In keeping with its mantra of ‘Go anywhere. Do anything’, Jeep mapped out some of the most inaccessible areas for voters based on distance, landscape and accessibility, and identified a few villages whose inhabitants had yet to vote in full capacity owing to the long and difficult walk to the nearest polling booth. 

After almost year of research, mapping and planning logistics, Jeep arranged for a convoy of cars to ferry the residents to their closest polling booths. After multiple trips negotiating challenging terrain, several people were able to cast their vote for the first time ever.

Speaking about the campaign, Rahul Pansare, CMO and head of PR, FCA India said: “Brand Jeep is about taking on tough challenges. What could be a better opportunity to showcase what Jeep can do than the biggest election in the world?”

Rajdeepak Das, MD India and chief creative officer South Asia, Leo Burnett, added: “This is such a powerful idea and a perfect reflection of Leo Burnett’s HumanKind philosophy that puts people at the centre of all our work. What better way to showcase Jeep’s capability than giving Indians who have never voted a voice? We have been living with this idea for over a year now, and it’s satisfying to see it executed.”