Political Marketing Essay Example

these requirements. However, without systematic research, the candidate cannot determine how different voter groups perceive key social, economic, or political problems. Therefore, the candidate should adapt their voting strategy to suit different voter segments, requiring marketing research to determine the best position in each segment. The results of this research inform the candidate's marketing mix and ultimately contribute to their success in expanding their electorate.The concept described by the infringer used the election committee in U.S. Residential campaigns as an example. In 1952, Dwight Eisenhower's staff first conducted marketing research to position the candidate by preventing polls. The research aimed to define Eisenhower's position in comparison to his main rival, Dalai Stevenson. The research process was simple - voters were shown thirty-second political spots and then interviewed to determine which problem presentation had the greatest impact on them. By controlling the problems presented in the spot, the interviewers could predict the voters' behavior. Preventing marketing polls quickly became common in positioning presidential campaigns in 1968. They sought to understand voters' ideas of an ideal U.S. President and then position the images of Nixon and his main opponents, Hubert Humphrey and George Wallace, within that context. Nixon was able to identify differences between the image of an ideal president and himself, allowing him to improve and present characteristics in TV spots that closely aligned with voters' expectations. The main goal was to reach undecided, floating (or swing) voters who were considered most open to persuasion messages during the campaign.The primary focus of the effort was to persuade voters, even at the expense of brand-loyal ones, as stated in Chapter 3. Ronald Reagan implemented a different approach

to poll marketing research in 1984. Through preventive polls, his consultants aimed to define the ideal candidate's image, major social and economic issues, and potential solutions offered by residential candidates. The consultants used their Political Information System (PINS) to track changes in voters' attitudes towards candidates. Infringer's model identifies four key marketing stimuli, mirroring the classical commercial marketing mix: product, promotion, price, and place. According to Infringer, the candidate's product combines various perceived benefits that would result from their election. The candidate's party platform outlines the primary promises for voters. These promises are then disseminated through political advertising, press releases, and public appearances.Voters' recognition and acceptance of an offer largely depend on their knowledge about the candidate, his achievements, and the state's economic condition under the previous ruling team. Ronald Reagan effectively utilized his Democratic opponent's arguments on increasing taxes during his 1984 presidential campaign by highlighting the consequences of such a policy and the economic crisis during Jimmy Carter's presidency. This tactic decreased support for Walter Mondale. The creation of a political product is primarily the candidate and their staff's responsibility, while the packaging aspect falls to political consultants. An illustrative example is Reagan's consultants modifying their strategy during his 1980 presidential campaign. They identified that Reagan was perceived as a warmonger and uncaring in his speeches, prompting a change from defensive to peace rhetoric. The phrase "armaments race" was replaced with language closer to the image of an ideal president, portraying him as a politician committed to strengthening peace.The candidate's price refers to the total costs that voters would bear if the candidate were elected. This includes economic costs such as tax increases

or budget cuts. Additionally, other costs listed include national image effects, such as how voters perceive the new leader on the international stage and whether they will see them as someone who increases national pride or a disgrace to their compatriots. There are also psychological costs, such as voter comfort with the candidate's religious and ethnic background. The general marketing strategy for the price is to minimize the candidate's own costs and maximize the opposition's. An example of minimizing a potential cost is the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy, who successfully addressed concerns about being the first Catholic president by appearing in TV spots meeting Protestant audiences. Similarly, Alexander Swankiest stressed that he would be the president of all Poles, regardless of their religion and views in his 1995 presidential campaign in Poland. The concept of the candidate's price is similar to the price of a product in mainstream marketing, as both involve incurring costs when selecting a candidate on the political market or purchasing a product or service on the economic market.One key distinction is that in the political market, costs are mostly intangible or psychological, whereas in the economic market, they are tangible and represented by money or products that are exchanged. On the distribution front, place is a marketing stimulus that focuses on a candidate's ability to personally communicate their message to voters. The marketing strategy for message distribution involves a combination of personal appearances and volunteers acting as an extension of the candidate in local markets. This includes activists who engage in activities such as canvassing, distributing campaign materials, registering voters, and soliciting funds. By directly interacting with the electorate,

these efforts help familiarize voters with the candidate's program and image. The candidate may meet voters in various locations and formats, from city center rallies to club meetings and workplace visits. Given the objective of meeting as many voters as possible, politicians on the campaign trail strive to be present in multiple places within a limited timeframe. For instance, Gary Hart, a 1984 Democratic residential nomination candidate, utilized a plane to swiftly travel between towns.His press conferences were staged at every airport he flew into, giving voters the impression that Hart was in multiple towns simultaneously. More recently, advancements in satellite technology have made it convenient for candidates to arrange interviews with journalists located in remote areas.

Promotion plays a crucial role for candidates, as it involves their program and campaign. Infringer has identified four primary promotion strategies: 1. Concentration strategy, which focuses an excessive amount of money and promotional efforts on specific voter segments such as regions or provinces. 2. Timing strategy, where the heaviest promotion spending and activity take place where it benefits the candidate the most, forcing the opposition to increase their efforts and deplete their resources. 3. Misdirection treatment, involving avoiding a direct attack on a stronger opponent and instead trying to catch them off balance to induce a mistake (particularly effective for underdogs). 4. Negative campaign strategy, staging either a direct or indirect comparative assault on the opponent's position and/or personal characteristics.

After recognizing the reasons behind his poor performance in political debates during the 1980s, Ronald Reagan decided to change his strategy for the next election. He focused his political spots on evoking positive emotions in his voters.

His spots contained

sunrises, parades, landscapes, and friendly faces, contrasting with Walter Mandate's spots highlighting atomic holocausts, starvation, and poverty. Chapter 6 will present a detailed analysis of the advertising strategies used in political management. For different voting market segments, specific marketing programs based on the four As are prepared separately. The segment of undecided voters plays a crucial role in this division, regardless of demographic and cryptographic criteria. Marketing efforts should be directed towards these voters as they are most susceptible to influence. Richard Onion's staff conducted marketing research to reach undecided voters. The political campaign should focus its greatest efforts on this segment while giving less attention to loyal voters, whose preferences are less likely to change. Onion's strategy aligns with the views expressed by Jay Blubber and Denis McLain (1968) that the image of political reality can only be formed among undecided voters, as voters with a defined political stance are resistant to marketing efforts.

During the 1980 presidential campaign between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, the outcome of the election was determined by the segment of undecided voters, which accounted for nearly 20 percent of the electorate. It was crucial to maintain a strong position among current supporters.
In the 1984 presidential campaign, Reagan's need to improve his image among blue-collar workers, Catholics, and Latinos was highlighted by the PINS. The support of these groups for the incumbent leaders was decreasing, leading them to become undecided voters. This segment was easily swayed by the challenger. Refer to Chapter 3 for a detailed marketing plan.
According to Infringer's proposed political marketing model, it is essential for a candidate's team to develop and update advanced marketing information systems. This

includes collecting and analyzing data from political market research, segmentation, and distribution channels for promotional messages targeting specific groups. Regional variations should be introduced to the general campaign strategy, considering the local voting markets' specificities. Candidates should also prioritize certain "showroom" target areas for their marketing efforts. A remarkable success in one area can positively impact the campaign in other areas.Infringer suggests that negative advertising should only be used as a last resort as it may result in a negative response. Additionally, political campaign workers should leverage the specific qualities and limitations of television to gain a competitive advantage, such as organizing rallies or meetings that can generate attention. However, despite claiming to demonstrate the effectiveness of using marketing strategies in political campaigns, it can be argued that Infighter's concept of political marketing is simply a replication of the concepts employed in commercial marketing.

It appears that Infighter fails to adequately differentiate between consumer choices and political choices. Another perspective on marketing the political product is presented by Reid David Reed (1988), who seeks to apply certain concepts from mainstream marketing to political marketing. Reed's focus lies in the voting process, which is likened to a purchasing process. By approaching the problem from a consumer standpoint, Reed suggests that adopting a broader marketing approach would contribute to a better theoretical understanding of the "voting decision process."

The core stages of this purchasing process include problem recognition. This stage involves the motivation that initiates the recognition of a problem that needs consideration. Essentially, it boils down to asking the voter, "Whom will I vote for?""Recognition of the problem depends on the needs of the voter, which vary in

terms of the candidate's voting issues. For example, if a voter is struggling to find employment, they will be responsive to a candidate who emphasizes reducing unemployment as a key objective.

At the search stage, the voter seeks information from different sources such as TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines, all of which contribute to problem recognition. Each source has its own impact on the voter's opinions.

During the alternative evaluation phase, the voter must assess the gathered information using evaluative criteria. These criteria are connected to the voter's motivation, which stems from problem recognition. If the voter's evaluative criteria align closely with their motivation, it becomes difficult to change their voting behavior. For instance, a business owner will be interested in lower taxes as high tax levels hinder their company's growth.

The decision-making process is also related to segmenting the voting market. Candidates and political parties must identify different evaluative criteria among voters and employ marketing strategies to reach similar segments of voters (Figure 2)."2 Buyer Decision Processes 37 Problem recognition Information search Evaluation of alternatives Purchase decision Post-purchase behavior Steps between evaluation of alternatives and a purchase decision

Attitudes of others, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and unexpected situational factors all play a role in the steps between evaluating alternatives and making a purchase decision. This stage is similar to a candidate creating a political platform to attract voters and address important issues. The choice element is crucial in this process and can be influenced by last-minute factors like reading an article or participating in a debate. These factors are particularly relevant for undecided voters. Maximizing voter satisfaction, even among those who didn't vote for the

politician, can be achieved through ongoing public relations activities and political patronage of influential groups.

Reid's multistage approach to the voter's decision-making process is a direct transfer of the classical nonuser decision-making process introduced by Kettle and Armstrong (1990). The approach is depicted in Figure 2.2. It aligns well with the marketing concept in political marketing, which represents the last stage of the evolution process for presidential candidates. This evolution can be seen in how campaign organizations, previously run by party bosses, now reflect concepts from mainstream marketing and are utilized in political behavior. However, this approach does not encompass certain characteristics specific to the political market and various strategies for running lattice campaigns.

Kettle and Jostler's Model of a Candidate's Marketing Map, as presented by Philip Kettle and Neil Kettle (1999), outlines a six-stage process of marketing activities linked to political campaigns. By analyzing these activities, a candidate marketing map is created, as shown in Figure 2.3. A professionally planned political campaign involves environmental research, internal and external assessment, strategic marketing, setting campaign goals and strategy, planning communication, distribution, and organization, as well as defining key markets for the campaign.

Environmental research is the first step in preparing a marketing map for a political campaign. This research involves analyzing the social environment in which the campaign will take place, exploring opportunities and potential threats. It also considers the current economic conditions of the candidate's constituency and the entire country, as well as the feelings and opinions of the electorate on social, economic, and political issues that generate strong emotions and debates.

The environment also includes the psychological profile of the electorate, which includes factors such as

voter participation rates, ideological leanings (left, center, or right), and attitudes towards the incumbent and challenger. It also involves examining the extent of dominance of a particular party organization within a specific voting district.

The social environment is further shaped by demographic variables like age, income, and education of the electorate. Additionally, it includes lifestyle choices, values, and attitudes towards various current issues that stem from these demographics.

These variables serve as the foundation for demographic and cryptographic segmentation, which is one of many marketing strategies utilized in political campaigns. During the development of a marketing map, it is crucial for the candidate to allocate the majority of resources towards research.

Internal and external assessment are essential components of any marketing endeavor, including political marketing. The seller must evaluate their own strengths (internal assessment) as well as those of their rival candidates (external assessment). Internal assessment involves analyzing the candidate's strengths, weaknesses, and the gender composition of their campaign. This analysis is closely tied to the candidate's competition and their current context, whether they are an incumbent seeking reelection or a challenger running for the first or subsequent time. Similarly, external assessment involves examining the strengths and weaknesses of the competition. Both internal and external assessments can assist in positioning the candidate.

Strategic marketing aims to depict society as diverse rather than homogeneous, highlighting different voter segments.

In the initial phase of a candidate's marketing campaign, the organizers focus on analyzing the electorate in different districts. Some voter characteristics remain consistent over time, while others change from one campaign to another. For example, a charismatic and proactive candidate advocating for new reforms may attract a new group

of voters and reshape their views on the issues she aims to promote in her campaign platform. Initially, political campaign organizers identify all voter segments in a specific district, distinguishing between those who plan to vote and those who do not.

Subsequently, organizers strive to categorize potential voters into specific segments for which they develop targeted marketing strategies. In the case of an incumbent candidate, she may seek support from older, affluent, and conservative voters who previously backed her. On the other hand, a newcomer who envisions fundamental changes may build a coalition with young and progressive voters who are receptive to innovation. This requires the candidate to strongly align with the issues included in his campaign platform and establish a fresh political persona and identity.The third stage in developing a candidate marketing map involves segmenting the voting market and defining the strategy. This stage relies on earlier research results that shape the candidate's image and presentation of socioeconomic issues. It also influences the transmission of voting information to effectively promote the politician. Additionally, a monitoring program is prepared to address any issues that may arise during the campaign. The communication, distribution, and organization plan is developed during this stage, following the strategies of standard marketing. This plan involves creating a campaign mix and implementing similar actions to mainstream marketing. It includes determining the best organizational resources, dividing tasks among staff members, and engaging volunteers to create a retail campaign.1. The final step in creating a candidate marketing map is to develop strategies to reach key markets, including voters, donors, and the media (see Figure 1.3). This includes building a media image and understanding the

importance of media coverage, support, and advertising expenditures during the campaign.

At this stage, the candidate utilizes previous market research to determine how to construct and place messages effectively to engage mobile voters. They also consider the number of voters needed for success in different voting districts.

It should be noted that Kettle and Kettle's candidate marketing map aligns with Gary Amuser's process for planning and organizing political campaigns, which includes assessing strengths, developing a voter influence strategy, and implementing the strategy.

Additionally, Jennifer Electromagnets describes the Theory of Comprehensive Political Marketing (CPM), which involves various elements of political marketing outlined in her publications from 2001 to 2003.The text indicates that the concept of product in economic marketing, as described in Women and Lees-Marshiest 2005, is also supported by the given evidence.