Marketing is not only limited to selling or promoting a product or service. Nowadays, the political world makes use of the power of marketing mainly to gain an advantage against their opponents. Political marketing, or politicking as it has been informally coined, is a common worldwide practice that influences the people to choose a candidate. It puts a person in a desirable position, like how marketers highlight a product or service’s good points.
Political marketing is a way to make the public aware of a party or candidate’s ideology or stance on certain issues. It helps make the public be at ease with a group, allowing them to earn their trust and satisfy their political needs. It is a medium for understanding what the public wants the parties to stand for or to act upon. It puts them in a favorable position, avoiding risks and issues that can destroy the image of the candidate.
Political marketing is neither cheap nor easy. It requires patience and research. With proper investigating, a marketer will be able to do the following:
1. Identify the current position on the politician. See which areas need to be improved and how to improve them. If the candidate is not looking good to the public in regards to a certain issue, a new strategy might be needed.
2. Identify an effective approach. Just like advertising a product, there are many effective ways to put information out in the market that will generate a desirable feedback. A live forum may be more effective over a TV appearance. A city visit may leave a better impression than a simple handing out of flyers. Social media may also help to get votes from the younger generations. It will all depend on what the marketer sees as most effective.
3. Identify what the public wants. Sometimes people do not really know what they want until it introduced to them. This can be the case when it comes to political marketing. The public may believe that position A is the best option, until a candidate shows them or makes them believe that position B is the best way to go.
With these, it is safe to say that proper political marketing can really influence people’s decision making. This may sound like you’re taking advantage of them, but it certainly will help the candidate reach their goal.
Political marketing can also make a candidate look good with the media. If the media people fall in love with the candidate, chances are, they always show their good side to the public. Just as in advertising, the public should only see the good side of the product. As soon as the public sees a flaw, they can use that to question the candidate’s credibility, which will pose a great problem.
It is important to hire a smart political marketer, somebody who knows how to avoid loopholes. Also, be creative with whatever strategies you use. A smart marketer will be able to get you to your goal without having to do the same thing that the public may be bored with.
