Political marketing - contemporary review some recommendations for candidate in the run-up to national assembly election in Vietnam

A new role for political markeitng: the permanent campaign ______ 11 1.2 POLITICAL MARKETING THEORY BY BRUCE l... Research objectives The aims of this research are to systemize theories

vietnam national university, HANOI

school of business

Nguyen Tran Thi Anh

POLITICAL MARKETING-CONTEMPORARY

REVIEW SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR candidate

in THE RUN-UP TO NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

ELECTION IN VIETNAM

master of business administration thesis

Hanoi - 2007

vietnam national university, HANOI

school of business

Nguyen Tran Thi Anh

POLITICAL MARKETING-CONTEMPORARY

REVIEW SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR Candidate

in THE RUN-UP TO NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

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TABLE OF CONTENT

Acknowledgements……… i

Abstract………ii

Tóm tắt………iv

Table of contents……….vii

List of tables……….x

List of abbreviations………xi

INTRODUCTION 1

1 NESCESSITY OF THE THESIS _ 1

2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES _ 2

3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY _ 3

4 STRUCTURE OF THESIS 3

CHAPTER 1: POLITICAL MARKETING LITERATURE REVIEW 4 1.1 DEFINITION 4 1.1.1 Definition _ 4 1.1.2 Institutions in charge of elections 6 1.1.3 Mainstream marketing and political marketing 9 1.1.4 A new role for political markeitng: the permanent campaign 11 1.2 POLITICAL MARKETING THEORY BY BRUCE l NEWMAN _ 12 1.2.1 Definition 12 1.2.2 The political marketing process _ 12 1.3 MARKETING STRATEGY BY DAVID M REID _ 18 1.4 THE MARKETING PROCESS BY DONIMIC WRING 25

1.5 POLITICAL MARKETING BY PHILIP KOTLER 31

CHAPTER 2: NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTION IN VIETNAM 35 2.1 POLITICAL SYSTEM OF VIETNAM 35 2.1.1 Overview of political system _ 35 2.1.1.1 The Communist Party of Vietnam 35 2.1.1.2 The State Socialist of Republic of Vietnam 39 2.1.1.3 Socio-political and mass organization _ 44 2.1.1.4 People in the political system _ 46 2.1.2 Vietnamese National Assembly _ 47 2.1.2.1 Introduction _ 47 2.1.2.2 Function of the National Assembly _ 48 2.1.2.3 Duties and Compentence _ 52 2.1.2.4 Organization 54 2.1.2.5 Session of the National Assembly 57 2.1.2.6 Legal framework of the National Assembly 57 2.2 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’ ELECTORAL PROCESS 59 2.2.1 The principle in election activities _ 59 2.2.2 Legal framework of the National Assembly election _ 60 2.2.3 The process of the National Assembly election 59 2.2.3.1 The process of the National Assembly election _ 60 2.2.3.2 Institutions in charge of the Election and their key roles 61 2.2.3.3 Candidates selection process: Main steps 62 2.2.3.4 Candidates selection process: Phases _ 63 2.2.3.5 Electoral bodies 64 2.2.3.6 Electoral units and polliing stations 66 2.2.3.7 Electoral campaign _ 67

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CHAPTER 3 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CANDIDATES IN THE RUN-UP

TO THE UPCOMING NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTION 69 3.1 A GLANCE ON NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTION IN VIETNAM 69 3.1.1 Anticipating voter needs 69 3.1.2 Marketing research in politics 71 3.1.3 The voter behavior _ 75 3.1.4 Market segmentation and target group _ 77 3.1.5 Candidate positioning 77 3.1.6 Image management 78 3.1.7 Marketing strategy _ 78 3.2 FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CANDIDATES IN THE RUN-UP TO THE UPCOMING NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTION 79 3.2.1 Anticipating voter needs 79 3.2.2 Marketing research in politics 80 3.2.3 The voter behavior _ 81 3.2.4 Market segmentation and target group _ 83 3.2.5 Candidate positioning 83 3.2.6 Marketing strategy _ 84

CONCLUSION _ 89

REFERENCES _ 90

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Stimuli Influencing Voter’s Perceptions 19

Figure 2: Formulating Political Marketing Strategy 21

Figure 3: The Political Marketing Process 27

Figure 4: Business and Political Marketing compared 32

Figure 5: Fours Markets faced by Candidates 33

Figure 6: A comprehensive Political Marketing Map 34

Figure 7: The organization of National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam 56

Figure 8: Process of National Assembly’ Election 60

Figure 9: Institutions in charge of the Elections and their key roles 61

Figure 10: Candidate’s selection process: Main steps 62

Figure 11: Candidate’s selection process: Phases 63

Figure 12: Electoral Bodies 64

Figure 13: Electoral units and polling stations 66

Figure 14: Electoral Campaign 67

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CPV Communist Party of Vietnam

INTRODUCTION

1 Nescessity of the thesis:

Since the reform process (called the Doi Moi) in Vietnam commenced in 1986, reform initiatives have been introduced in all areas of social life In politics, some significant changes have occurred The political system has continued to open up both internally and in term of foreign relations In this respect, the establishment of the 1992 Constitution represented a milestone by giving the National Assembly formal powers in governing the country

The National Assembly has strengthened its capacity to perform its duties in recent years The Assembly activities have become more open to the public through its information channels The focus on the importance of parliamentary supervision has increased and the law making process is guided by more intensive debates

The international donor community has been invited to contribute in parliamentary development ―Strengthening Capacity of National Assembly and People‘s Councils in state budget examination, decision and oversight Project‖, ―Strengthening Capacity of People‘s Elected Bodies Project‖,

―Strengthening the Capacity of the Office of the Vietnam National Assembly Project‖ have been implemented by supported of UNDP, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the UK Department for International Development and Canadian International Development Agency, The co-operation is to enhance the democratic processes and to strengthen the constitutional role and functions of the National Assembly

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In election, there also have some identified changing Some electoral campaign was launched, in someway, in the run-up to the May 2007 National Assembly In electoral system, more interested group was recognized officially in consultative conferences And more self-nominated was attempted

Competition among candidates, especially in self-nominated group, have been appeared and increased slowly Candidates who want to win must

be prepared carefully both resources and long-term visions with clear and smart strategies in election A wide-range of information is published in mass media, including internet, by government and other institutions An official election website www.baucuquochoi.gov.vn was launched in supplementary information on election legislation and on the candidates

These changing, both in political and electoral context, are significant signal of applying in all aspects of political marketing in electoral activities

2 Research objectives

The aims of this research are to systemize theories related to political marketing and to build marketing strategy for politicians in Vietnam

To reach the objectives, following questions need to be answered:

Question 1: What do other people talk about political marketing?

Question 2: What is the marketing strategy for politicians, in terms of?

 Identify voter needs

 Conduct market research

 The voter behavior

 Segment the market and identify target group

 Determine positioning of candidate

 Manage the candidate image

 And build marketing strategy

Data analysis was completed in three stages First, the articles were transcribed into specific subjects Second, data obtained were categorized in accordance with each research questions Third, the result was

evaluated and analyzed to design suitable marketing strategy for candidates

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4 Structure of thesis:

The content of thesis will be presented in following chapter:

Chapter 1: Political Marketing literature Review

Chapter 2: National Assembly‘ Election in Vietnam

Chapter 3: Recommendations for candidate in the run-up to the National Assembly Election

Chapter 1:

Political Marketing Literature Review

1.1 Definition:

1.1.1 Definition:

Political Marketing as an academic discipline is relatively new, arising

as a result of the need by politicians to market themselves to their publics The rise of the political consultant has been attributed, in part, to the decline

of the political party bosses, the need for funding to be gained through large numbers of voter contributions and the changing nature of communication technology throughout the last few decades of this century

For years, politicians have relied on basic marketing skills - campaign buttons, posters, political rallies and campaign speeches to familiarize voters with a name, a party, and a platform

The same principles that operate in the commercial marketplace hold true in the political marketplace: successful companies have a market orientation and are constantly engaged in creating value for their customers

In other words, marketers must anticipate their customers' needs, and then constantly develop innovative products and services to keep their customers satisfied Politicians have a similar orientation and are constantly trying to create value for their constituents by improving the quality of life, and creating the most benefit at the smallest cost

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Political marketing, which is effectively the application of commercial marketing to the political process has been defined in numerous ways by a range of authors over the past two decades beginning from 1985

In Maarek‘s view, political marketing has become an integral and vital component of political communication In his words: ―Political communication…encompasses the entire marketing process, from preliminary market study to testing and targeting‖ It should be noted that Maarek admits that the main areas of application of political marketing are image-making campaigns and election campaigns

Lock and Harris point out that ―political marketing is concerned with communicating with party members, media and prospective sources of funding as well as the electorate‖ As they point of view ―the study of the processes of exchanges between political entities and their environment and among themselves with particular reference to the position of those entities and their communications‖ And ―the practice of political marketing is concerned with strategies for positioning and communications, and the methods through which these strategies may be realized, including the search for information into attitudes, awareness and response of the target audience.‖

Dominic Wring defines political marketing as ―the party or candidate‘s use of opinion research and environmental analysis to produce and promote a competitive offering which will help realize organizational aims and satisfy groups of electors in exchange for their votes‖

O‘ Cass argues that the use of marketing ―offers political parties the ability to address diverse voter concerns and needs through marketing analyses, planning, implementation and control of political and electoral

campaigns‖ Taking this one step forward he argues that ―the central purpose

of political marketing is to enable political parties and voters to make the most appropriate and satisfactory decisions‖ O‘ Cass uses an exchange model to define political marketing According to him, when voters cast their votes, a transaction takes place In return for their votes, the party/candidate offers better government and policies after election This way, O‘ Cass argues, marketing can be applied to political processes as it is specifically interested in how these transactions are created, stimulated and valued

Scammell notes that, due to the rapid expansion and the diversity of this field of science, there is still no consensus on the definition of political marketing In her view, political marketing shares with history the desire to explain political leaders‘ behavior, shares with political science the desire to understand the political processes and shares with political communication

an interest in the art of persuasion

Kotler defined ―Political marketing shares much in common with marketing in the business world….In political campaigns, candidates dispatch promises, favors, policy preferences, and personality to a set of voters in exchange for their votes, voluntary efforts or contributions‖

Lees-Marshment point out that ―political marketing is about political organizations adapting business marketing concepts and techniques to help achieve their goals…to conduct market intelligence to identify the concerns

of those they serve change their behavior to meet those demands and communicate their 'product offering' more effectively

1.1.2 Institutions in charge of elections

1.1.2.1 The politician's unique service obligations

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The politician is in effect a service provider who must view the voter/citizen as a consumer in the political marketplace Similar to other service providers, the politician is dealing in a competitive marketplace, and

as such needs to rely on similar approaches as do other service providers who have unique service obligations in their respective marketplaces However, there are three situations that set the politician apart from other service providers like doctors and lawyers

First of all, the politician is faced by situations that are both controllable and uncontrollable As opposed to other service providers like doctors or lawyers, politicians must react constantly to forces within the environment which are difficult to control Politicians can, however, control the course of events by establishing policies which are proactive rather than reactive

A second dimension which sets politicians apart from other service providers is the dual roles played by politicians as both a campaigner and policy-maker As a campaigner, the politician is in the business of trying to win enough votes to get put into office Careful scrutiny of his constituency and competition is necessary to identify voter needs and capture competitive niches in the marketplace This often calls for the use of volunteers who are hired on a temporary basis to carry out grass roots activities As a policy-maker, the politician relies on a permanent staff workers who help him carry out his functions The critical point to be made here is that the range of activities and resultant strategies very much depend on the role which the politician is playing

The third distinction lies with the type and level of communication used by the politician and his organization Unlike other service providers, politicians rarely can meet in person with all of their customers (or electorate), and

instead must rely on the use of mass media communications, public appearances and direct mail procedures to make contact with their constituencies In many cases, the politician's organization is responsible for making the contact However, with respect to competition, politicians usually have more face-to-face contact than we find in most other service industries

1.1.2.2 The voter as a consumer

Marketers work very hard at shaping the expectations of their customers Expectations of customers are often influenced by the gaps in thinking that exist between their own perceptions and those of the service provider

One gap exists between the expectation of the consumer and management's perceptions of those expectations Particularly during presidential primaries, candidates often change policies and promises to align themselves with each state's electorate, even though their congressional voting record suggests a different opinion altogether

A second gap exists between quality specifications and service delivery

In other words, there may be constraints which prohibit the candidate from delivering what he/she perceives to be of vital importance to the voter Politicians are much more vulnerable to this gap than other service industries

as a result of the unexpected situations to which politicians must always respond

There also exists a gap between management perceptions and service quality specifications As opposed to other service industries, politicians do not always have complete control over staffing, since civil servants are often

in positions not affected by changes in elected officials

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Finally, a fourth gap exists between the service delivery and external communications In other words, promises made in advertisements and commercials which don't materialize in tangible results create problems for the service provider This is especially important for the politician who often campaigns on a platform of promises which don't materialize into policy when they get into office because of the bureaucracy in government or puffery on the part of the candidate as a means of getting into office

1.1.3 Mainstream marketing and political marketing

Philip Kotler:

Philip Kotler said that ―Certain differences between political marketing and business marketing are alleged to exist in the public mind They relate to characteristics of the product, buyer and sellers.‖

1 Any specific commercial product is relatively fixed in its characteristics

at a given point in time The political candidate, on the other hand, is more variable For one thing, the political candidate can talk back

2 It is held that the political candidate cannot be as thoroughly formulated for the market‘s needs as can physical products or services But a given political candidate cannot be varied freely in the same way He has a history and fairly set personality It is not easy or even possible to remake a humorless old candidate into a vigorous young one

3 Business products are normally available for purchase any time at the discretion of the buyer Political products, however, are not ―put on sale‖ every few years

4 The buyer of a commercial product or service usually expects personal benefits enjoyed within a reasonable time period Many citizen voters do not expect to accrue any personal or early benefits from their act of voting

5 Buyer of commercial products and services are used to hard marketing tactics whereas voters do not expect, and somewhat resent, hard marketing tactics in the political area A political candidate who would offer trading stamps or who overdoes hard-sell advertising would be taking great risks

6 The messages reaching the public about a commercial product are largely marketer-controlled, through paid advertising The media rarely feature or comment on a brand of beans or toothpaste On the other hand, the messages reaching the public about a political candidate are largely developed by the news media As a result, the political candidate finds it necessary to market himself as much to the press as to the ultimate public

7 A business firm succeeds if it obtains any market share that yields a good return on its investment; the political candidate succeeds only if he obtains a plurality of the votes, that is, the largest market share

8 The aims and means of the business seller and the political candidate are different The business seller is seeking profits The political candidate is seeking power The business firm tries to secure more profits through creating satisfied customers The political candidate does not as clearly try to secure more power by creating satisfied citizens

Lock and Harris

Lock and Harris identify seven main differences between mainstream and political marketing:

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1 Unlike every other purchasing decision, all voters make their choice on the same day Moreover, although there are similarities between opinion polls and brand shares‘ tracking methods, the latter are based on actual purchasing decisions while the former are based on hypothetical questions

2 Voting choice, unlike any other purchasing decision, has no direct or indirect individual costs attached to it

3 Voters have to live with the collective choice even though it may not have been their preference

4 In elections winner takes all, especially in countries such as the UK where the electoral system is ―first past the post‖

5 Political parties and candidates are complex intangible products which the voters cannot unbundled and thus they have to decide on the totality of the package

6 In many countries it is very difficult to form a new and successful party

7 In most mainstreams marketing situations, brand leaders tend to stay in front

Lock and Harris conclude that political marketing is at a ―craft‖ stage and they find the assumption that there is direct transferability of mainstream marketing theory to political marketing ―questionable‖ They claim that political marketing has to develop its own frameworks by adapting the core marketing literature and develop its own predictive and prescriptive models

1.1.4 A new role for political marketing: the permanent campaign

Scammell argues that the blurring of boundaries between governing and permanent campaigning could lead to the engineering of consent She also notes the worrying fact of political consultants‘ participation ―into the inner sanctum of government‖ Still, she counter argues that the application of the marketing concept in politics may result in politics becoming more democratic Political marketing can improve the quantity and quality of information flows from the electorate to parties and candidates, thus making them more sensitive and responsive to voters‘ needs At the same time, it improves the channels of communication from politicians to the electorate and even more to every specific segment of voters Thus, Scammell concludes that ―‗political marketing‘ provides a rational way for parties or candidates to behave in conditions of competitive mass democracy‖

1.2 Political marketing theory byruce L.Newman:

Bruce I Newman, PhD, is Professor of Marketing at DePaul University in Chicago, and is one of the leading experts in the world on the subject of political marketing Dr Newman combines an expertise in marketing and politics with his knowledge of consumer psychology and statistical applications He has published seven books and numerous articles on the subjects of political marketing and consumer psychology

1.2.1 Definition:

Newman defined political marketing as,

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…It has literally become impossible not to incorporate a marketing orientation when running for office, or for that matter, when running the country Politics today is increasingly being influenced by marketing, and the same advanced technological methods used by corporate to market products are being used by politicians to market themselves and their ideas The modern day politicians must rely on marketing not only to success the election, but to be successful as a leader after winning

1.2.2 The political marketing process:

1.2.2.1 Anticipating voter needs

Success in marketing goes beyond the simple identification of the needs of consumers, but also includes the ability to forecast what those needs will be in the future Marketers must not only be able to measure and identify the needs and wants of their customers', but they must also have a vision which enables them to anticipate what those needs will be Whether it

is a candidate, issue or product, marketing is a critical component to understanding what voters, citizens or consumers want and need Needs may

be driven by both emotion and rationality, resulting in people desiring the same product or candidate for different reasons

Marketing is a needs assessment approach to product innovation which relies on information from the marketplace to help guide research and development This means that the most successful products are molded around the findings from needs assessment studies Just as a smart marketer makes sure that there is a need for his product before he distributes it around

the country, so must a politician be sure that voters are concerned with an issue before he decides to advocate it

1.2.2.2 Marketing research in politics

The importance of doing research rests with the notion that not all products can be sold to all consumers Companies use marketing research to determine what to stress to different consumer groups Politicians are no different Marketing research and polling are of course not new to the field of politics

There are many different types of polls that candidates rely upon, including benchmark surveys (usually conducted after a candidate has decided to seek office to provide a baseline of information); trial heat surveys (used to group candidates together in hypothetical match-ups early in the campaign); tracking polls (conducted on a daily basis near election day to monitor any late shifts in support); cross-sectional and panel surveys (conducted by the major polling firms over time to provide a picture of where the electorate stands at different points during a campaign); and exit polls (carried out immediately after the voter casts his or her ballot) In addition to polling, candidates rely on focus groups, small numbers of people brought together in a room to discuss either the candidates or their ideas As the group discussion goes on, campaign strategists sit behind a two-way mirror and watch in an effort to get new insights into ways of altering their campaign strategy

One of the prerequisites to running a successful political campaign these days is the incorporation of opposition research into the candidate's campaign organization The people who carry out this work are called in to

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find out anything they can on a candidate's opponents Unfortunately, these people are often used to dig up dirt that eventually finds its way into a political spot on television or radio, or in a lead to the press This is not a new activity It is not unusual for a candidate to hire a firm to audit their own personal past looking for any vulnerable spots they need to be protected Here the goal is to anticipate up front what a rival might say about you

1.2.2.3 Market segmentation and targeting

In business, market segmentation and targeting are used to identify those groups of customers who the marketer directs his product and promotional campaign towards It is used by many companies who choose not to sell their product or service to every potential customer, but only those who are likely to buy it In politics, market segmentation has been traditionally used by each of the political parties to choose which segments of citizens they target with their appeals

1.2.2.4 The voter behavior:

A predictive model of voter behavior proposes a number of cognitive beliefs that may come from a wide range of sources, including the voter, word-of-mouth communication, and the mass media The model incorporates the influence of individual‘s affiliation with groups of people in their social environment and influence of party affiliation and past voting behavior The fundamental axiom of the model is that voters are consumers of a service offered by a politician and, in that role, choose candidates based on the perceived value they offer them The model proposes that there are five distinct and separate cognitive domains that drive voter‘s behavior

1 Political issues represent the policies a candidate advocates and promises

to enact if elected to office This component in the model captures some classic literature in this field

2 Social imagery represents the use of stereotypes to appeal to voters by

making associations between the candidate and selected segments in society This component captures the influence of the role of party affiliation and other important social networks that shape voter behavior

3 Candidate personality captures the importance of a candidate‘s

personality in helping to reinforce and manufacture an image in the voter‘s mind Similar to the first two components in the theory, there is a significant body of literature in the social sciences that supports this voter domain

4 Situational contingency represents that dimension of voters thinking that

could be affected by ―hypothetical events‖ that are profiled in the course

of a campaign A candidate‘s opponents often use this tactic as a means of creating the illusion that one candidate is better in dealing with certain situations than the other candidate, in an effort to get voters to switch their allegiance There is literature in the field that supports this type of research

5 Epistemic value represents that dimension that appeals to a voter‘s sense

of curiosity or novelty in choosing a candidate Very little research has been conducted to document this dimension of voter behavior

1.2.2.5 Candidate Positioning

Once the multiple voter segments have been identified, the candidate has to position himself in the marketplace Positioning is multi-stage process

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that begins with the candidate assessing both his own and his opponents' strengths and weaknesses Positioning is the vehicle which allows the candidate to convey his image to voters in the best light possible The image

is crafted through the media by emphasizing certain personality traits of the candidate, as well as stressing various issues

1.2.2.6 Image management

The image management process has also been used by political parties

to manufacture "new and improved" images that more accurately align them with their changing constituencies Along with this process has come a constant shifting back and forth of people from one party to another and a blurring of the definition of ideology in this country In marketing terms, ideology is a "labeling" process, almost similar in nature to the use of branding for products People have historically used ideology as a way of labeling both themselves and politicians, and then making a connection between themselves and the candidate and/or political party through the use

of this label These labels are no different then the ones we see on products,

as well as attached to services offered by a whole host of professionals who advertise in the hope of creating an image which defines who and what they stand for in the minds of consumers As a result of this change, ideology is now driven less by party affiliation and more by marketing, and the latest poll results indicting the mood of the electorate Today, the labels liberal and conservative in politics are no longer defined by the political parties, but by the candidates themselves and the images their consultants craft for them Along with this change has come a dramatic shift in power from the political party to the consultants

1.2.2.7 Marketing Strategy

A marketing strategy is a plan of action that is used to implement a series of activities that will insure success in the marketplace Specifically, a marketing strategy is the integration of several "tools" the marketer relies on

to reinforce the position he has created for his product A successful marketing strategy in politics begins with the recruitment of viable candidates

After the right candidate is recruited, a candidate's "position" is established and then reinforced through multiple channels Similar to the tools used in the development of a marketing strategy for a car, the candidate also has tools at his fingertips to help establish his marketing strategy First

of all, the product in politics is the policies and image of the candidate To be successful, a candidate not only has to market himself, but his campaign platform as well The campaign platform evolves over the course of the political campaign It is influenced by several sources, including the candidate himself, the people in his organization, the party, and especially by the voters

After the campaign platform is developed, there are two information channels through which the candidate can promote himself One channel is labeled push marketing, and the second is labeled pull marketing Push marketing is synonymous with the distribution concept we discussed preciously Just as a product is distributed from a manufacturer to a wholesaler to a retailer before it gets to the consumer, so is the candidate's message about his political platform One way of getting the message out is through traditional "grass roots efforts", relying upon local and state party mechanisms Additionally, the candidate must rely on these same people to

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get the vote out on Election Day In the primaries and the general election, it

is imperative that a candidate have an effective volunteer network to win

Pull marketing is the second information channel, and centers on the use of the mass media to get the candidate's message out to the voters Political advertising is, of course, only one component in the development of

a marketing strategy for a candidate, but is widely regarded as the most important marketing component in any campaign The importance of advertising and its role in politics has been well documented in elections that have taken place over the past several decades There are several options available to a candidate, including the television, radio, newspapers, and even e-mail on computers

Success in politics is measured by the ability of a leader to move public opinion in the direction he or she wants it to move in This is a short term measure of success, but it is also the one barometer which everyone will look

at on Election Day before the results come in Moving public opinion in a desired direction is the marketing challenge to leaders in all democracies

1.3 Marketing strategy by David M Reid:

David M Reid develops a new formula for ―Political Marketing Strategy‖ Political parties produce a political product for the consumption of voters Yet, political views have high centrality and many voters remain staunch supporters of some political faction or other and will vote for it no matter what Therefore, promotional noise must be aimed at the floating voter — those individuals who are swayed by contemporary issues rather than rigid dogma The battle for "share of mind" among floating voters is as ferocious as any which is fought by consumer goods manufacturers for space on

Symbolism Colors Gestures Body language

Figure1: Stimuli Influencing Voter's Perceptions

Source: David M Reid

supermarket shelves The outcome of these battles determines the political complexion of governments

Having previously argued that political parties are not adept at marketing themselves, and that a complicated process is involved before the floating voter makes his/her decision, an attempt will now be made to amplify the need for a co-ordinated marketing strategy — an approach which is geared to influence the voting process This strategy must be to achieve overlap of the aims of the party with knowledge of the complicated process the voter goes through and the forces which will win influence This is demonstrated in

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• defining the political complexion;

• using analytical building blocks, and

• formulating strategic objectives and alternative strategies

Defining the Political Complexion

Clearly, a party cannot successfully appeal to all shades of political opinion, but, to gain power, it must first win favor with wide cross-sections of the electorate

It can do this best by establishing in the minds of potential voters the impression that it will be best able to satisfy the needs of the section of the electorate to which it sets out to appeal In this way, it must formulate philosophies, policies and program which can be addressed to certain receptive sections of the electorate

The task is twofold; first, a political complexion must be established and the electorate must be segmented By identifying key segments of the electorate,

a series of political policies and appeals can be constructed to match the capabilities and conventional dogma of the party with the needs of voters The political complexion sets the limits of electoral appeal, and links capability and philosophy with potentially fertile responsive segments of the electorate

Using Analytical Building Blocks

The shape and scope of the political complexion must be based on some sort

of informed analysis This analysis should encompass the environment in which the political machine operates and the needs of the groups of

individuals within it These, in turn, shape the aspirations and motivations of the electorate to which other parties will be attempting to appeal The party should assess its strengths and weaknesses relative to these other parties, since it can only achieve what others will allow It must consider:

• Environmental trends;

• Voters' needs and aspirations;

• The competing political parties, and

• The party's strengths and weaknesses

Environmental Trends

All sorts of social, technological and economic changes occur which impact

on the individual in a variety of ways These changes must be interpreted in political terms For instance, an experience with unemployment can affect the views of groups hitherto loyal to the government they now blame for their new-found misfortune Such an environmental analysis can provide the key to identifying the most fertile areas and issues on which to fight the campaign These issues will crystallize the voters' evaluative criteria

Individual Needs and Aspirations

The needs and aspirations of individuals are shaped by the environment within which they exist New technologies threaten the jobs of some people,

but open up opportunities for others Wider access to higher education,

coupled with greater social and geographical mobility, can distort traditional political loyalties

Competing Political Parties

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Politics is about being reactive and proactive at the same time Care must be taken not to create political opportunities for others It may, in some instances, be likened to a game of "possession football" The initiative must

be maintained at all costs and the energies of the opposition must be stifled Where extreme views are held to be necessary, the perception of these may be softened by the way they are presented to the electorate

The Party's Strengths and Weaknesses

By carefully monitoring the activities of others, views may be formed regarding the issues and stances by which a party may be considered strong or weak by the electorate In a competitive world, all actions are achieved with the reluctant or tacit connivance of others

By developing a profile based on a sound analysis which encompasses the aforementioned steps, shape can be given to the political complexion and the segments of the electorate to which parties are intended to appeal Not only will this give some direction to thinking, it will also provide a focus for assessment of future development Attempts can then be made to establish a prognosis for a set of policies and program within the respective electorate segments

Advertising can be planned which will use repeated phrases of proven power with carefully determined frequency Candidates can be selected with good persuasive skills and schooled to project sincerity through public meetings and, more importantly, the TV camera The next step is to formulate strategic objectives

Formulating Strategic Objectives, Prognosis, Alternative Generation

These objectives could embrace aims such as gaining power, or holding on to

it for another term, etc It is necessary to formulate these objectives carefully and compare them with the prognosis In this way, the extent of the credibility gap may be assessed This gap will set the scale for creative planning activity Many alternative approaches regarding political product policy and strategy should be raised This may involve broadening the scope of its political complexion

It also involves the political marketing strategy, which is the route and method by which the electorate is to be reached, influenced and persuaded

Selecting the Best Strategy

Not all routes and avenues have equal long-term implications or affordable costs Somehow the different options must be weighed and a selection made

Building Marketing/Electioneering Plans

These are the documents of understandings regarding how the strategy will be pursued In the volatile political arena, consistency is crucial Opportunities will be offered to the opposition if inconsistencies are in evidence

Constructing a Product and Promotional Mix

A collection of policies, communications and images must be offered to the electorate in a planned, controlled manner This is the output of the strategic planning process; it is what is presented for the consumption and digestion of the electorate

Executing and Controlling the Plans

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Execution of a plan is the most difficult part of the process Care must be taken to monitor the output and to take effective action to iron out any deviances The output of the political marketing plan represents a set of stimuli to be targeted at the electorate As was indicated earlier, many stimuli

of different types from a variety of sources must "vie" with each other for the consumers' attention

Information Input

Information in a variety of forms is offered to the voter Overt messages and rhetoric are combined to influence his/her choice in the way which is illustrated in Figure 2

These influences should be the result of planned outputs of the marketing strategy In this way, the voter is being subjected to a process of political persuasion

A collective impact is made on voters by combining these different media and approaches Additional weight and momentum is accumulated from each of the different sources to add potency to the impact made

1.4 The marketing process by Donimic Wring:

Donimic Wring has developed a framework based on the basic ‗4Ps‘ marketing model was used in order to identify and explore the various elements that constitute an election campaign

As his point of view, political marketing is, ―the party or candidate‘s use of opinion research and environmental analysis to produce and promote a competitive offering which will help realise organizational aims and satisfy groups of electors in exchange for their votes.‖

Designed with reference to the classic ‗4Ps‘ marketing model, Dominic Wring‘s formulation highlights the roles played by environmental analysis, strategic tools like market research and ultimately the ‗mix‘ of variables (product, promotion, place and price) in the design of political campaigns

The Political Marketing Process

The political marketing process as outlined in Figure3 consists of four parts, namely the party (or candidate) organization, the environment which conditions its development, the strategic mix it deploys, and ultimately the

market it must operate in

The Political Market

The main components of the modern political market are three; the existence

of a mass electorate; competition between two or more parties for the votes

of this electorate; and a set of rules governing this competition

Within the political market the key relationship is based around a concept central to marketing theory, namely that of exchange between buyer and seller Thus citizens give their votes to politicians who, when elected, purport

to govern in the public interest In a modern democracy the right to vote, commonly associated with the age of majority, allows for a mass electorate which can typically number well into the millions

Analysing the Environment

On reflection it may appear that business organisations have a considerable advantage over politicians in respect of the amount of resources they are able to invest in analysing their environment However such a perception of the marketing process perhaps discounts the immense amount of pertinent

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information which candidates and party professionals can draw upon in planning their campaigns Broadsheet newspapers, specialist magazines and academic briefs offer a plethora of reports, analysis and opinion research material on which political strategists can base their decisions and better understand the economic, media and other factors shaping electors‘ concerns

In contrast to the environment, there is the collection of strategic decisions which an organization can implement as part of its marketing program Together these variables are commonly known as the ―mix‖, a configuration that consists of the 4Ps: product, promotion, place and price

Figure3: The Political Marketing Process

Product Party Image

Canvassing Leader Tour

Product

The product is central to a marketing mix In electoral terms the product, a

―mix‖ of variables in its own right, combines three key aspects: ―party image‖, ―leader image‖ and ―policy commitments‖ The notion that politicians are increasingly using appeals based on the promotion of image

at the expense of issues has become a common feature of journalists‘ election coverage

Promotion

Promotions form the most obvious part of a political marketing campaign Misinformed commentators sometimes inflate the importance of advertising, the most recognizable communications tool, to the extent that it is held to represent the entire marketing process Such a mistake fails to appreciate the complexities of a complete strategy, not to mention other parts of the promotional mix With the advent of modernized forms of the latter in the shape of ―junk mail‖ and ―spin doctors‖, these parts of the promotional mix are beginning to gain increasing public prominence and particularly in the electoral arena

The promotional mix can be divided into two principal parts commonly referred to as ―paid‖ and ―free‖ media The term paid media covers all forms of advertising, be it in poster, print or broadcast form Paid media also covers the burgeoning sector of telephone and direct mail marketing, an increasingly common feature of contemporary election campaigning Party colors, designs, slogan copy and symbols provide an additional dimension to the overall communications mix

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Free media refers to the publicity which parties receive but do not buy In contrast to purchased advertising campaigns, organizations have less control over their product‘s exposure in the mass media Consequently political strategists, not to mention the voting public, tend to view this kind of coverage as being of greater importance Electoral organizations are becoming increasingly reliant on the techniques of news management

Free media strategies are not solely concerned with defensive news management activities More common to commerce and increasingly a part

of the political process, public relations is a tool designed to attract favorable

media attention for the organization concerned

Placement

At the heart of a placement or distribution strategy is a network of regional suppliers In politics the equivalent form of organization is the party at grassroots‘ level

Local electioneering commonly takes the form of traditional activities such

as canvassing, leafleting Contrary to some perceptions, most modern campaign canvassing is now more preoccupied with identifying and contacting potential and confirmed party supporters than it is with persuading them This may derive from the fact that local activities have had to change due to a decline in the availability of volunteers coupled with the increasing desire of central headquarters to assert common ―brand‖ awareness in all party electoral communications

The post-war decline in grassroots‘ membership perhaps reflects an assumption that localized forms of campaigning are largely ineffectual Furthermore the implementation of new and more affordable forms of

campaign technology may even increase the value of electoral initiatives at constituency level

Price

Pricing, the fourth part of a conventional marketing mix, enables a commercial firm to develop a strategy which will help maintain competitiveness and profitability in the marketplace Some electoral commentators have discounted the pricing element in the belief that it adds little to the analysis of campaign planning and implementation

Strategic Considerations: market research, segmentation and positioning

Market research plays an important role in modern electoral politics Since its first recorded use by an American candidate in the 1930s, private polling has mushroomed both in terms of its expense and importance The rise of opinion research offers party leaderships potential enlightenment but also a challenge Political elites who were once able to rely on channels of mass communication to influence a captive public are now faced with commissioning often unedifying polling findings in order to help sharpen strategy and sustain their electoral good fortune In the past opinion research has commonly taken the form of quantitative based surveys of key demographic groups More recently politicians have begun to employ consultants who specialize in the ―psychographic‖ forms of private polling designed to explore voters‘ more deep seated values and attitudes Increasingly campaign research studies are beginning to combine traditional quantitative research with focus groups and other types of qualitative methods

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Feedback in the form of opinion research is an important component in the design of an effective marketing mix It also forms an integral part of the wider strategic process, helping to segment and target the market Market segmentation takes place when an organization uses research to divide available customers into categories according to their likely need or ability

to purchase the firm's offering Having identified key consumer segments, a marketing program can then be targeted at defending or expanding current market share Given their similar strategic aims, political strategists have also drawn on segmentation and targeting tools Marketing analysis has pointed to the possible benefits to be derived from dividing voters according

to demographic, psychographic or geographic criteria From the perspective

of political science this trend has been exacerbated by psychological studies stressing the importance of parties' need to target the masses of uncommitted

or ―floating‖ voters in their bids to secure electoral victory

In implementing marketing strategy, organizations use research to help them

best position their offering in the market

1.5 Political marketing by Philip Kotler:

In his point of view, campaign of politics has always had a marketing character in the past Candidates sought office through handshake, baby kissing, and speechmaking They still use these methods He mentioned ―The

‗new methodology‘ is not the introduction of marketing method into politics but rather an increased sophistication and acceleration of their use‖

Figure 4 presents two maps comparing business and political marketing The business marketing map shows a seller dispatching goods, services and communications to the market in return he receives dollars and information

The inner loop is an exchange of money for goods; the outer loop is a flow of information The political marketing map shows a political candidate dispatching specific promises and favors to a set of voters in exchange for their voters He uses general communications to convey these and gathers voter information to plan next period‘s market effort Schematically, the structural processes of business marketing and political marketing are basically the same Both can be analyzed in terms of exchange theory