Electoral Marketing: How it can define an election
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2025 6:42 am
Every two years in Brazil, we enter the electoral process and it marks an intense marketing effort by professionals in the field. The strategies are the most varied and all with the obvious objective of winning over the electorate and ensuring the election of the candidate in question.
However, in recent years, digital marketing has gained a lot of importance, allowing even candidates who have only been in the media for a short time to stand out, as long as they have a strong online presence. Being very active, engaged or even just being in the spotlight can guarantee more votes, which can be the difference between being elected or not.
What is electoral marketing? Do not confuse it with political marketing
To begin, it is worth understanding the concept of electoral marketing, which deals with more direct and short-term actions. Its main objective is to make a given candidate known to the general public. In addition, it aims to show the population what he has to offer, highlighting projects, proposals and even his history, in order to bring his image closer to the people.
Meanwhile, political marketing has another function: to work primarily on the image of the elected politician (although it can also be used by those seeking to be elected). It is designed in the long term, as it aims to showcase projects, approved or proposed laws, and social actions, in order to increase popular support. The idea is that, by strengthening relationships with the population through marketing actions, a possible reelection becomes easier.
Making an analogy with traditional campaigns, it is like trying to albania phone number list establish a brand within the market. This does not happen overnight, right? It is a long-term effort, which tries to make a given brand more accessible and sympathetic to the public. This is how political marketing works.
It is important to highlight that for better results, the ideal is for both (electoral and political) to work together, since they are complementary actions. They are useful both in the pre-campaign and post-campaign.
The main means of electoral and political marketing
The main means of publicizing a candidate's actions or campaigning for him during election periods are well known to the public. Let's take a look at them:
Free election time
This is the type of campaign that is broadcast on radio and TV. Although it is somewhat disliked by the public, it is still a very effective way of showing oneself to voters, especially since a large part of the population still consumes content from both media outlets. Therefore, electoral marketing must be very assertive in order to be able to convey the candidate's message in that short space of time.
Debates
This is a strategic point in the campaign, especially since we are talking about a moment of confrontation of ideas between the candidates. In this case, it depends much more on the preparation of the politician himself, but marketing can also provide support with information, topics that are trending among voters, etc.
Slogans and jingles
This is a way of establishing the image of the candidate or even party in the minds of the electorate. Some will certainly remember slogans like “against the bourgeoisie, vote 16” or jingles like “ey ey Eymael”. The interesting thing about both examples is that we are talking about parties and candidates who do not have the same campaign budget or time as others, but who have still managed to establish their image. In other words, they somehow remain present on the map of the dispute.
Flags and leaflets
These are face-to-face actions that mainly serve to make the candidate's name better known, especially within his/her electoral district. In addition, the candidate himself/herself often appears to talk to the public and help with the distribution of pamphlets, which usually contain a summary of his/her proposals. Even with a more limited reach, it can be effective in building a positive image of the politician.
Online campaign
Finally, we come to the one that has been on the rise in recent years. It has an important component of political marketing, as the work on social media can be ongoing. In other words, the politician and his team can pave the way for his image on the internet over the years, in order to achieve a large reach and captivate the electorate in the long term.
Likewise, in the electoral campaign, through a variety of actions, you can make your campaign go viral, especially with memes (photos with captions that are easy to share). We have even seen this in the last elections, as they manage to reach the younger electorate, who are not always politically engaged.
However, in recent years, digital marketing has gained a lot of importance, allowing even candidates who have only been in the media for a short time to stand out, as long as they have a strong online presence. Being very active, engaged or even just being in the spotlight can guarantee more votes, which can be the difference between being elected or not.
What is electoral marketing? Do not confuse it with political marketing
To begin, it is worth understanding the concept of electoral marketing, which deals with more direct and short-term actions. Its main objective is to make a given candidate known to the general public. In addition, it aims to show the population what he has to offer, highlighting projects, proposals and even his history, in order to bring his image closer to the people.
Meanwhile, political marketing has another function: to work primarily on the image of the elected politician (although it can also be used by those seeking to be elected). It is designed in the long term, as it aims to showcase projects, approved or proposed laws, and social actions, in order to increase popular support. The idea is that, by strengthening relationships with the population through marketing actions, a possible reelection becomes easier.
Making an analogy with traditional campaigns, it is like trying to albania phone number list establish a brand within the market. This does not happen overnight, right? It is a long-term effort, which tries to make a given brand more accessible and sympathetic to the public. This is how political marketing works.
It is important to highlight that for better results, the ideal is for both (electoral and political) to work together, since they are complementary actions. They are useful both in the pre-campaign and post-campaign.
The main means of electoral and political marketing
The main means of publicizing a candidate's actions or campaigning for him during election periods are well known to the public. Let's take a look at them:
Free election time
This is the type of campaign that is broadcast on radio and TV. Although it is somewhat disliked by the public, it is still a very effective way of showing oneself to voters, especially since a large part of the population still consumes content from both media outlets. Therefore, electoral marketing must be very assertive in order to be able to convey the candidate's message in that short space of time.
Debates
This is a strategic point in the campaign, especially since we are talking about a moment of confrontation of ideas between the candidates. In this case, it depends much more on the preparation of the politician himself, but marketing can also provide support with information, topics that are trending among voters, etc.
Slogans and jingles
This is a way of establishing the image of the candidate or even party in the minds of the electorate. Some will certainly remember slogans like “against the bourgeoisie, vote 16” or jingles like “ey ey Eymael”. The interesting thing about both examples is that we are talking about parties and candidates who do not have the same campaign budget or time as others, but who have still managed to establish their image. In other words, they somehow remain present on the map of the dispute.
Flags and leaflets
These are face-to-face actions that mainly serve to make the candidate's name better known, especially within his/her electoral district. In addition, the candidate himself/herself often appears to talk to the public and help with the distribution of pamphlets, which usually contain a summary of his/her proposals. Even with a more limited reach, it can be effective in building a positive image of the politician.
Online campaign
Finally, we come to the one that has been on the rise in recent years. It has an important component of political marketing, as the work on social media can be ongoing. In other words, the politician and his team can pave the way for his image on the internet over the years, in order to achieve a large reach and captivate the electorate in the long term.
Likewise, in the electoral campaign, through a variety of actions, you can make your campaign go viral, especially with memes (photos with captions that are easy to share). We have even seen this in the last elections, as they manage to reach the younger electorate, who are not always politically engaged.