From the ramparts of Red Fort we have come to expect a fresh new slogan every time Prime Minister Modi gets up there to deliver his Independence Day address to the nation. This year too, in his third address, the PM – who is fast earning the sobriquet of Slogan Murugan – came up with a great catchphrase. After Swachh Bharat in 2014, and Start up India, Stand up India in 2015, this time around it’s Swarajya se Su-rajya. In other words from self governance to good governance.

And those looking for hidden messages can even find a pun in the Suraj-ya –since the PM kept referring to solar power.

Will the sun shine on Independent India as it steps into its 70th year? A story of misses at Rio despite Dipa Karmakar's braveheart vault may not augur well in the sporting field, while there's a conflicting picture on growth in the economic arena. Yet marketers and politicians have wasted no time making hay on jingoistic campaigns celebrating freedom and a new tomorrow.

There's Uttar Pradesh celebrating I-Day with a high decibel campaign on Umeedon ka Pradesh while almost all the nationalised banks have issued print ads saluting or cheering the nation. A subdued Air India has some freedom offers too.

For long the preserve of public sector and Doordarshan (remember the evocative Mile Sur Mera Tumhara) and later the Public Service Broadcasting Trust –the freedom card has now been totally usurped by the private sector. From retailers – both online and offline – who celebrate mega “freedom sales” to advertising campaigns from as diverse a set as two wheeler giants to cement firms, the Independence Day pitch has seen sublime to ridiculous campaigns. From a Hero riding towards India of tomorrow with its musical ragon mein raftar campaign to Aditya Birla group’s White Cement brand telling us about “walls deserving freedom from flaking” to ICICI exhorting you to free yourself from yearly renewals everyone's fallen into the freedom trap.

There is opportunism galore on display. eWallet company PayTM has a rather smart campaign on a cashless India freeing the country from corruption . There is even an unlikely addition to the Independence Day chorus from bathroom fittings firm Jaquar – though its Made in India Swadeshi pitch is a beautifully crafted eminently watchable TVC in sharp contrast to the brash Patanjali pitch of “Get India Economic Freedom”.

Even the neighbourhood restaurant slipping in a flyer inside the newspaper is not free from the temptation to tell you that "freedom means more choices".

Corny lines and cliches dominate most ad campaigns that are cluttering both print and TV screens. Even PM Modi too had oft-heard lines like "Freedom from Poverty" running through his speech though there were some catchy phrases like 'Reform, Transform and Perform" and "Sammati and Sahmati" as well.

This year, the PM crowdsourced what he had to say in his speech reaching out to masses to suggest subjects. Perhaps our marketers also need to take a leaf out of his book and crowdsource some thoughts on Independence – at least we will hear a freedom pitch that resonates.

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