Formation of an election campaign strategy. Development of an advertising strategy for an election campaign - abstract Election campaign strategy, concept of functions and types
Introduction
Advertising strategy occupies an important place during the development of an election campaign; it represents a special area of advertising activity. Political advertising, through which an advertising strategy is developed, becomes most relevant during the pre-election period - the time when the issue of power is being decided. This situation is characterized by the appearance of a huge number of political advertising texts, the purpose of which is to influence the consciousness and behavior of voters during elections.
The relevance of this topic is determined by the fact that most modern election campaigns are developed with the help of advertising. Candidates and election organizers have at their disposal a large number of various means and techniques with which political advertising is carried out.
Developing a strategy and tactics for an advertising campaign is one of the most important components of the entire electoral process as a whole.
The question of the importance of advertising strategy and political advertising for the election campaign was raised by both Western (F. Gould, W. Wells, W. Bove, F. Arens) and domestic scientists (G. E. Grinberg, S. F. Lisovsky, Egorova -Gantman E.V., Pleshakov K.V.). The study of the texts of these authors was carried out under the influence of the traditions of communicative text studies, which received comprehension and justification in many works of the listed authors.
This work is an analysis of theoretical material regarding the development of an advertising strategy for an election campaign and political advertising, its mechanisms and influence on the formation of voter choice.
As part of this work, it is necessary to consider the development of political advertising in Russia, what level it has reached today, what features are most pronounced, and, most importantly, what political advertising is in practice.
The purpose of this work is to study the main directions of development of an election campaign.
The goal identified the following tasks:
Consider the concept and main resources of electoral strategy;
Study the types of election strategy;
Show the practice of using political advertising in regional election campaigns.
The object of the work is an election campaign, which examines the influence of political advertising on voters.
The subject of the work is the types of election campaign strategies.
Chapter 1. Theoretical aspects of the analysis of electoral strategies
Concept and principles of developing an electoral strategy
Strategic planning – putting forward possible strategies (how exactly you need to act to achieve your goals); choosing a working strategy (which strategy is best and why); decision to develop a strategy.
No election campaign can do without developing its own specific strategy.
Strategy is the key to success or failure. As one prominent political consultant, F. Gould, admits: “We all make the mistake of trying to appeal to everyone. But the essence of successful political strategy is making choices, and often tough choices. It is necessary to recognize that you cannot address your political appeal to everyone - you will have to choose” 1.
Whether the chosen election campaign strategy was correct can most often be said only after the elections.
An election strategy is a set of information topics, the content of which will be disclosed throughout the entire election campaign 2 .
Planning of any PR campaign must be correlated with strategic planning of PR – the activities of the organization (party, association) as a whole.
The strategic plan should answer the following questions:
1. What exactly does a political organization, party, association strive for? (Purpose of the program).
2. Who exactly should you reach? (Target audience).
3. What exactly should you achieve with each type of audience? (Tasks).
In PR practice, goals and objectives are formalized in a written document, copies of which are distributed among all employees involved in the implementation of this program. During the implementation of the program, tasks may change depending on conditions, and each change must be communicated to the working group. The statement of goals and objectives is the basis for developing an election campaign strategy. Another document widely used in the practice of planning PR campaigns is the so-called “scenario” of planning, which is a list of forecasts of the most likely scenarios for the development of events, “future states” 1.
Forecasting of various options is undertaken so that, guided by them, it is possible to develop an appropriate strategy for the most possible path of development of the initial situation.
Campaign strategy is the answer to the question of how to attract the attention of voters and convince them to vote for the desired candidate. When developing it, you need to take into account the following:
1. Strategy is a concept or set of concepts;
2. The optimal strategy is the one that, when implemented, will enable the candidate to achieve success;
3. The strategy brings together all the elements of the campaign 2.
The strategy depends on the target groups and their possible motives for voting for a given candidate.
It is necessary to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the election campaign. To do this, it is necessary to objectively assess the advantages and disadvantages of one’s own election campaign, conduct a comparative analysis of candidates taking into account the political situation, and draw up a draft version of the principles of the opponents’ proposed campaign strategy 3 .
There are the following principles for developing an election campaign strategy.
1. Resource - this principle requires a clear definition of the support of which electoral forces in the district a candidate can count on. Sometimes this principle is enough to formulate a winning strategy. If the electoral field is not large enough, one has to resort to creating a coalition that only partially supports the candidate.
2. Image - a principle that requires the creation of a certain contrast within the framework of the election campaign that will most favorably emphasize its best sides.
2.1. Creating a bright contrast. In most campaigns, it is necessary to create a strong contrast between the candidate and his opponent. In this case, you should try to use the largest number of characteristics: differences in professionalism, life experience, success, appearance, physical condition, age;
2.2. Emphasizing ideological difference. This principle is similar to the previous one, but refers to the contrast in the candidates' beliefs, their views, their programs;
2.3. Formation of a positive image. It is necessary to create a positive image for the candidate. This work should begin before the campaign begins. In this case, it is necessary to rely on the results of sociological research, take into account the characteristics of the district and the existing situation;
2.4. Creating a negative image. Often candidates have well-known and popular opponents. In this case, it can be effective to create a negative image of the opponent or to form a positive image of one leader against the backdrop of creating a negative image of the enemy.
3. Communicative principle - finding a simple emotional topic. In most election campaigns, especially local ones, it makes sense to use one simple but powerful emotional theme. Typically, such a topic may be the main issue that worries residents of a given constituency.
4. Organizational principle - this principle is associated with working with voters, attracting as many volunteers as possible.
5. The principle of demoralizing the opponent. Sometimes it is possible to use money with high and clearly visible efficiency and thereby morally defeat your opponent. The purpose of such events is to make the opponent lose faith in his victory 1 .
When forming a campaign strategy, you can rely on one of the principles or use them in combination.
§1.2. Types of electoral strategy
When developing an election campaign strategy, you must be guided by the following types of strategies:
1. Strategy for expanding electoral segments. Applies to already established political figures. Consists:
Taking advantage of competitors' weaknesses;
In directly attracting new supporters and luring them away;
In expanding the political platform.
2. Development strategy. The policy is used to modernize the program on already conquered segments and is based on scientific research work to improve the internal and external components of the image and platform.
At this stage, the policy is repositioned.
3. Strategy for conquering new social groups. It consists of spreading the existing image to new segments of the electorate. Based on sociological research, competition studies and resulting analysis of specifics.
4. Diversification strategy. As a rule, it is used by stable parties and associations.
One of the famous political strategists Dakhin A.V. gives his classification of types of electoral strategies 1:
1. Aggressive virtual mobilizing strategy. The main thing about it is that it is based on ignorance, on political ignorance and illiteracy of voters. Its direct goal is strictly tied to voting day and is to induce the voter to vote in a certain way by any means of information manipulation. This strategy is designed for instant mobilization of voters, and not for long-term consolidation of citizens. The aggressiveness and skill of such a strategy actually creates for some time a certain “trusting” attitude towards the candidate, which, however, can evaporate in a matter of days. The voter understands that he is left “out of his depth,” but the authors of information mobilization are no longer interested in this. As a side effect, a relationship of alienation between the voter (who feels deceived) and the authorities is formed.
The fact that this particular strategy is dominant in Russia is eloquently demonstrated by an analysis of ten years of practice in organizing the information component of elections (and elections, as we know, are the calling card of a new, democratic Russia).
Among the features of a virtual mobilizing strategy, it is necessary to mention such as virtualization and devaluation of social values. Democracy, patriotism, market economy, openness of power, etc. - all these social values are cultivated only as virtual effects, that is, only in the form of images living on the surface of newspapers and television screens. Few journalists become living carriers of them.
2. Strategy of “imposing an image.” The point is that for the viewer what he sees exists; and he believes in what exists; he will give his vote to what he believes in. “They see it, which means they will vote for it” - this is roughly how one can express the idea of the propaganda impact of this technique. From the point of view of social psychology, this phenomenon is similar to what in psychology is called “obsessive images” or “obsessive ideas.” Political advertising does not shun precisely this practice – the creation of intrusive images 1 .
A variety of genres of information products, in particular “news” and “television debates,” become tools for creating an imposed image. For example, “news” is increasingly adapting to being a tool for the formation of imposed images. Due to this:
1. News releases are broadcast several times a day;
2. Announcements of news releases are broadcast several times a day;
3. In all these cases, the same information is transmitted.
Such “news” do not aim to introduce the listener to new information, but to establish in his mind a certain image of an event, person or circumstance. This strategy gradually leads to monotony, the destruction of the cultural layer of society, to the destruction of its depth and the social solidarity that stands on it, “knowing and understanding” social communication.
The consequence of more than ten years of dominance of this strategy in Russia is that both the “carriers” of political advertising (actors-demonstrators, commentators, journalists) and the politicians who resort to this are convinced of the virtuality of the above social values and ideas. strategies and, in the intervals between elections, making real politics 1.
There are many approaches to determining the types of electoral strategies.
You can also distinguish such types of strategy as: planned and implemented.
1. A planned strategy is a strategy that is developed immediately before the election campaign.
2. The strategy being implemented is the one that is implemented during the election campaign.
That is, the first is rather a theory, and the second type of strategy can be called practice. Logically, the strategy being implemented is modified due to unexpected circumstances that arose during the implementation of the intended strategy. Indeed, this is usually what happens. But still this does not always happen. In the real world, we may encounter unforeseen circumstances that completely change our plans. A new strategy emerges that implements an unplanned behavior pattern.
3. An unplanned strategy is one that arises when completely unforeseen circumstances arise.
In practice, it is rare to find perfectly thought-out strategies, as well as exclusively new strategies. These models are rather ideal types, which, as we know, are extremely rare in reality. Most often, therefore, in real life there are implemented strategies that are based on the intended 1.
2.1. Development of an advertising campaign strategy and plan
Most modern election campaigns are developed with the help of advertising.
At the very beginning of the election campaign, it is necessary to develop a plan for all advertising activities, which can become an integral part of the tactical plan. It is according to it that funds will have to be distributed and time and advertising space in the media purchased. Of course, situations may arise when a campaign is forced to deviate from its plan. However, such plans are made as early as possible and tried to be adhered to throughout the campaign, making changes as necessary.
It is difficult to overestimate the benefits of advance planning. Decisions made in the early stages of a campaign are usually more rational and cool-headed, generally more objective, and based on verified facts rather than assumptions. If decisions are made in the midst of a fight, in pursuit of current events, then they turn out to be less thoughtful, cost more and are less likely to lead to success 1 .
Whatever the situation may arise, early planning of an advertising campaign allows you to make the most efficient use of available resources and opportunities. When planning, keep the following factors in mind:
1. Comparative cost of various types of advertising;
2. Comparative candidate and volunteer time required to use different types of advertising;
3. The ability of the media to reach specific groups of voters;
The following forms of advertising are usually used in election campaigns: speeches of the candidate and trusted representatives in front of a “live” audience, visual campaigning, leaflet campaign, direct mail, telephone calls, street advertising, souvenirs, advertising in print, radio and television, campaign “door to door”, etc. 1
1. Visual propaganda and souvenirs - the concept of visual propaganda, which is also called graphic, usually includes signs, posters, plaques, billboards, banners, stickers, badges, etc. Its effectiveness is especially great when:
1.1. It is necessary to achieve recognition and popularity of the candidate’s name;
1.2. It is required to very quickly create a certain idea about the candidate.
Visual campaigning is very important to maintain the spirit and enthusiasm of a candidate's supporters. If campaign materials are distributed at events, rallies, etc., they will inspire activists and campaign staff and create a connection between the candidate and his supporters.
If the work of placing visual materials is done correctly, it will make voters believe in the capabilities and strengths of the candidate.
2. Mailing - this type of political advertising, which is often called “direct mail”, is the distribution of campaign materials addressed to a specific voter 1, allowing you to be specific in your appeal to each voter. A candidate can present their views in three or four pages, which allows for an extended conversation.
An effective mail campaign requires, above all, carefully verified voter lists. If organizers use these lists from the very beginning, then they know who the head of the family in the apartment is, how old he is, how many children he has, what he does and what problems he considers the most important. This kind of information is absolutely essential to crafting a personal letter that can make a favorable impression on the voter. There is no need to send such a letter to every voter. It is necessary that one gets into the family or at least one stairwell. Neighbors will exchange opinions, and the necessary information will be conveyed to residents.
It should be remembered that competitors can also use campaigning through letters. In this case, it is necessary to carefully check the moment of their direction so that the propaganda effect is not extinguished by the letters of rivals 2 .
The potential for using a mail campaign at the regional and local level is quite high.
3. The “door to door” strategy is a targeted visit to voters in their place of residence by campaign activists, if possible, by the candidate.
A possible scheme for conducting such a campaign could be as follows: 1. The campaign begins approximately a month before voting day and is carried out in two stages. At the first stage, campaigners visit each apartment and hand voters advertising materials, the main one of which is a leaflet with a tear-off coupon. On this ballot, the voter is invited to add his wishes or indicate his support for the candidate’s election platform; it also contains the address and name of the voter.
At the second stage, a repeat round is carried out on the eve of voting of those voters who filled out the tear-off slip. They are given a personalized letter from the candidate thanking them for their support and promising to take into account the suggestions made about their activities.
4. Advertising in the media - the media include the press, radio, television, mass directories, film and sound recording, video recording. In recent decades, mass communications have undergone significant changes due to the spread of satellite communications, cable television, electronic text communication systems (video - screen and cable texts), as well as individual means of storing and printing information (cassettes, floppy disks, disks, printers).
There are several aspects of conducting an election advertising campaign using the media that must be taken into account:
3.3. All modern media provide only an opportunity to convey the images and ideas of candidates to the electorate, and the frequency of a candidate’s appearance in the media is not an end in itself.
Advertising in the media in most campaigns performs the main propaganda and agitation function. Such advertising at the regional level also cannot be replaced by anything. Unfortunately, advertising in the media is very expensive, so you need to carefully choose the directions and timing of its use. It is necessary to purchase TV time and newspaper pages as early as possible.
Before planning, you need to determine the popularity and audience reach of the media in the region, and find the most competent and effective approaches to media workers. After all, any advertisement, for example, on TV, can go unnoticed or become anti-advertising if it is presented in the appropriate environment and design. The high cost of projects working with the media requires organizers to constantly monitor the development, placement, and exposure of advertising in the media.
5. Cruising strategy - this technique is most suitable for those candidates who are clearly in the lead from the very beginning of the campaign and who need to maintain their positions throughout the election campaign. This strategy assumes that the advertising campaign will be carried out smoothly, evenly, at the same pace, throughout the entire time.
This strategy can be combined with a fast ending strategy, which means that the amount of advertising time increases sharply in the last week of the campaign. All this allows the popular candidate to be visible throughout the campaign, to run it smoothly and confidently, and to end the campaign on a decisive and victorious note.
6.Strategy of a breakthrough (breakthrough) - this technique is used by those candidates who are not widely known at the beginning of the election campaign. The strategy is to make a push early in the campaign, months before the election. To do this, a large amount of advertising time is purchased for one or two weeks on central and large regional TV and radio, many newspaper publications are ordered, and a large number of booklets, posters, stickers, badges, calendars and other visual advertising materials are distributed.
The main point of such an early breakthrough is to achieve mass recognition of the name and image of the candidate and gain his authority as a worthy contender for an elected position.
In this case, the maximum expenditure of all resources occurs at the very beginning of the campaign, in order to significantly reduce or completely stop advertising activities for a long period. At this time, the main emphasis may be on intensifying efforts to raise funds to replenish the campaign budget and create new advertising materials.
The main point of this strategy is that the candidate should look as good as possible during the initial and final stages of the election campaign.
7. Fast Finish Strategy - The basic idea behind this strategy is that some candidates start their campaigns smoothly, steadily and slowly with the goal of picking up the pace in the final stretch, hoping to win at the finish line.
In this case, advertising time is purchased shortly before the end of the campaign. The main costs in this case for all items occur at the end of the campaign. Starting the countdown from Election Day, the organizers of such campaigns plan to fill the last week before the elections with their advertising most heavily. As a result, voters may experience a very slow start to the campaign, only to be bombarded with a barrage of advertising in the latter stages of the campaign.
Various variations of this election campaign strategy are used in most cases. Every candidate wants to maximize the effectiveness of their advertising and minimize costs. Sometimes this is easier to achieve if you massively immerse voters in your advertising in the last days of the election marathon.
8. Big event strategy - this strategy is designed to attract the attention of journalists who will cover the candidate's election campaign in the media for free. In this case, there are savings in financial resources and energy.
This strategy is based on several major events (political actions, special projects, etc.) that are carried out throughout the campaign. During these actions, you can organize press conferences with statements exposing rivals, loud appeals, television shows, and public debates with opponents.
Using this strategy, a candidate usually buys the largest amount of advertising time shortly before scheduled political events that should attract the interest of journalists from various media outlets. His advertising must reinforce the ideas and positions he expresses at press conferences and during speeches and debates. If you use famous personalities in your election campaign, you need to take care of publishing and distributing advertising materials that would emphasize the candidate’s connection with this person, with his authority and popularity.
Politicians who use this strategy usually save some major event for the final stages of the election marathon and thus combine this technique with a breakthrough strategy, which involves holding a large, memorable and colorful event at the very beginning of the campaign.
9. The “comb” strategy is based on a series of spurts and relatively calm stages throughout the entire campaign, with a gradual increase in the overall intensity of advertising activity towards the end.
The main idea of the strategy is based on the theory that the process of adapting the candidate’s image in the region occurs unevenly, in stages.
Peaks and declines in interest in a particular politician constantly alternate. A long period of high intensity propaganda campaigns leads to a drop in interest, then rejection or indifference of voters to the candidate. Therefore, intensive advertising phases should be short enough so as not to irritate voters, but also frequent enough so that the voter does not forget the politician and treat him as an old acquaintance.
The purpose of this campaign is to give other candidates the opportunity to fight among themselves, while remaining in the shadows for the time being, making short-term forays so that rivals do not have time to start a counter-propaganda campaign 1 .
2.2. Concept, types of political advertising and methods of its application in election campaigns
Political advertising is a process of informational influence on citizens, carried out in a competitive environment with the aim of influencing their attitudes towards the proposed political product (policy, parties, governments, programs, etc.) 1.
The subject of political advertising is the advertiser (political organization or figure), the object is the participants in the political process, making one or another choice, determining for themselves what political orientation to adhere to (in each specific case they constitute a specific target group 2.
To successfully develop an election campaign, it is necessary to most accurately determine what type of political advertising will be involved in the election campaign.
One of the most popular and effective types of advertising influence on the electorate is visual (direct) political advertising.
1. Political poster is a large-format advertising work, the main symbolic device of which is an image (photo of a candidate, graphic symbols, drawing, caricature) containing a minimum of verbal information in the form of a slogan and/call 4 .
In a political poster, the verbal component is a slogan, an appeal, an expression of public sympathy or antipathy. The effect of the advertising charge is designed for a long time and repeated use.
There are a number of requirements for a political poster:
1.1.The poster should amaze. The color scheme of the poster should intrigue and arouse curiosity. However, it is worth remembering that if a politician must relieve people's feelings of anxiety and induce calm, blue and yellow colors, which cause emotional tension, cannot be combined;
1.2.The composition of the poster should be clear, clear, and schematic. One of the most important conditions for the persuasiveness of a poster is its dynamism. The movement and action inherent in the poster can be expressed both directly and manifested in switching the gaze from one element to another;
1.3.It is important to remember to maintain balance. Inside the frame, the weights of the elements must be equalized between the horizontal and vertical axes. A symmetrical image is considered to be well balanced;
1.4.The poster must be quickly readable. The idea is presented briefly, telegraphically, succinctly;
1.5.The poster must be publicly available. Firstly, this concerns its placement - in those public places where the maximum number of people will see it. Secondly, the poster must be understandable;
1.6. The poster must indicate the source of information: the candidate’s support committee, the data of the candidate himself.
Emotional methods of influence in a poster significantly prevail over rational ones, thanks to this advertising information is quickly and effectively introduced into consciousness, the candidate’s appearance is easily remembered and recognized, and stands out from the general background of political persons.
2. A political poster plays the same role as a poster, but is smaller in size and can contain more text.
3. Political leaflet - a one-sided or two-sided printed publication, characterized by predominantly verbal content and used for the purpose of effectively promptly informing the audience about ongoing events (rally, action), calling for a specific action or conveying to voters the main provisions of the programs of parties or candidates 1.
A political leaflet is a powerful tool for influencing voters. According to sociological surveys, more than 50% of voters become familiar with the main ideas of candidates' election platforms from leaflets posted or received by mail. With the help of a leaflet campaign alone, a completely unknown candidate can receive up to 5% of the votes 2 .
Two months before the start of the 1996 presidential elections. According to the principle of mailing “to every door”, 21 million copies of leaflets were sent throughout Russia.
A quantitative and qualitative analysis of leaflets that appeared during the 1996 election campaign showed that all candidates running for the presidency used political leaflets as a means of addressing voters. This could be seen especially clearly in presidential candidate B.N. Yeltsin 3 . (Appendix 2).
Leaflet campaigns can be effective in conditions of regional elections, in situations of lack of access to the media, and in case of lack of funds.
In the parliamentary elections of 1995. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation distributed 13 million throughout Russia. 158 thousand election leaflets calling for people to vote for the Communist Party. The use of leaflets turned out to be especially effective in those regions of the country where the Communist Party of the Russian Federation did not have access to television and radio 4 (Appendix 1).
Main channels for distributing leaflets:
1. Posting in public places;
2. Distribution by campaigners directly to voters in stores, on the street to everyone passing by;
3. Distribution of leaflets at pickets;
In modern political campaigns there are leaflets of an image nature (presentation, biographical, business card), informational (invitations, leaflets, memos), problematic (programmatic), discreditable, supportive, as well as copies of newspaper publications and leaflets of the last day.
Image leaflets are designed to create and consolidate a favorable image of the candidate among voters. Similar leaflets are distributed throughout the election campaign.
A presentation leaflet introduces the voter to the candidate. It contains brief biographical information, the main provisions of the program and a photograph of the candidate. The candidate's name is written in very large font. Such a leaflet can not only be handed out, but also posted on the street.
The biographical leaflet must contain a biography of the candidate, as well as a brief abstract of his program.
A “business card” is a leaflet the size of a postcard. It contains the following information: last name, first name, patronymic of the candidate; his photograph; the candidate's slogan, which succinctly and clearly expresses his main idea; a brief biography indicating the candidate’s level of qualifications and competence. A type of business card is the official letterhead of a current deputy, which can serve as a pass for a personal meeting with a deputy or a form for the text of a voter’s complaint.
Information leaflets are designed to remind about the candidate. For this, various informational reasons can be used. For example, you can report the end of the collection of signatures in favor of a candidate.
The last day's leaflets contain a direct call to vote for the candidate for whom they are urging people to vote. On the reverse side there may be a calendar or some other useful information.
The program leaflet serves to familiarize a wide range of voters with the candidate’s program. It should be released two to three weeks before the election, when voters become interested in the candidates. It is necessary to highlight sections of the program. It is advisable to put the candidate’s signature after the text.
As a variant of a program leaflet, one can consider a problem leaflet, which concentrates on an issue that concerns voters. It is structured so that when discussing a problem, an image of the candidate is formed; it can be accompanied by photographs, testimonies of opinion leaders (for example, have a form of appeal signed by opinion leaders) 1 .
An example is a leaflet issued during the 1996 presidential elections. on behalf of the Union of Landowners of Russia, the Association of Peasant Farms, the Peasant Party of Russia, the Union of Land Users of Russia. The leaflet explained the decree “On the implementation of the constitutional rights of citizens to land,” signed by the president before the start of the election campaign. In an intelligible form, the audience was offered answers to pressing questions regarding the operation of the new law, such as: who has the right to a land share, what a peasant has the right to do with his land, how to avoid deception and defend his rights to a land share, the legal aspects of possible transactions with a new form of ownership - leasing, rent, sale, inheritance, donation 1.
A leaflet of a supportive type is designed to reinforce the candidate’s image with the testimony of authoritative people. These may include opinion leaders, officials, or groups of people. Leaflets with appeals from “great” and popular people can be evenly distributed over the two remaining weeks before the election, with the most popular being distributed 3-5 days before the election.
In a series of leaflets by G. Yavlinsky during the 1996 presidential elections. they were asked to guess the name of a married man no older than 50 years old, with a higher economic education, experience in public administration, knowledge of foreign languages and no habits harmful to the country, who were required for the position of president. Prizes were awarded for the correct answer: the main prize was a normal life for everyone and the incentive prize was a personal annual message from the president. To receive a prize, it was proposed to send a tear-off coupon to the address: Moscow, the Kremlin, to the President of the Russian Federation - and provide your address. Throughout the campaign, leaflets were distributed with empty boxes, behind which the surname Yavlinsky could be guessed; by the time of the elections, the leaflet appeared with the surname, biography of the candidate and testimonies of both the leaders of the Public Committee “Yavlinsky - President of Russia” and volunteer activists from among ordinary citizens 2 .
A political booklet is a publication printed on one sheet and folded with parallel folds in the form of a booklet. For a political booklet, the preferred format is a standard sheet of paper folded in half. This allows you to both send the booklet by mail and distribute it to voters. It is advisable to emphasize the details of the candidate’s biography and show that he has sufficient qualifications to achieve the desired changes.
The text should be in large font; variety of fonts should be avoided, as this distracts attention and makes it difficult to understand. For the same reason, large amounts of text cannot be typed in capital letters - this is only permissible for individual words 1.
Brochures “Results of the candidate’s activities in office...”, “Programs”, and in general materials containing a large array of text, do not make sense to be distributed on the streets or placed in mailboxes. It’s better – at meetings and with voters – those who are really interested in the candidate’s proposals and background come there. For meetings with voters, rallies, and street distribution, booklets are ideal, provided that when folded they are small in size 2.
In the 1999 parliamentary campaign. The Union of Right Forces released brochures made in the same style, characterizing the leaders of the party “This serious Nemtsov”, “Sergei Kiriyenko. Man against the system." “Our time cannot be stopped” (about E. Gaidar) and the programmatic “Right Manifesto”, which, in addition to the program, outlined the values of the party, an analysis of the current situation, a “vision” of Russia, an assessment of the work done and mistakes made 3.
Conclusion
In the course of the work done, it was possible to achieve the main goal - the main directions of development of the election campaign were studied.
Thus, we can summarize that in order to attract and retain attention, the advertising strategy must be carefully planned, it must be richer from an artistic point of view, it must better inform voters. Only then will the advertising strategy increase the success of the election campaign.
To successfully develop an advertising strategy, it is necessary to conduct detailed studies of the political space (legislative, political, demographic and economic situations, the system of power, the balance of power in the political arena, in the economic sphere, etc.). The state of this space and situational changes largely determine the direction of voters’ actions. To achieve maximum effectiveness of political advertising communication, special attention should be paid to studying public opinion, needs, motivations and preferences of voters, and identifying target audiences.
When creating effective advertising projects, great attention must be paid to what overall message needs to be conveyed to voters, i.e. planning the strategy and main idea of the advertising message. The statements on which the appeal strategy is based should be simple and accessible, emphasizing the benefits that the advertiser would like to emphasize.
Political advertising plays a significant role in the election situation. It is able to integrate the influence of various factors influencing electoral behavior, organize this influence and subordinate it to the electoral strategy of a given party or candidate. Political advertising acts as a kind of vector that brings together possible behavioral reactions of the electorate and gives them the only right direction that can bring success in elections.
Political advertising shapes our understanding of candidates, parties, and the attitude of voters towards them; it is a significant addition to all other propaganda aspects. Political advertising is a factor without which not a single election campaign in which successful results are planned is possible.
List of sources and literature
2. Bugrimenko A. G., Manukhina S. Yu. Political advertising as a means of political influence. M., 2000.
3. Egorova-Gantman E. V., K. V. Pleshakov K. V. Political advertising. M., 2002
4.Gould. F. Strategic planning of the election campaign // Polis. 1993. No. 4.
5. Grinberg G.E. Political technologies: PR and advertising. M., 2005.
6. Dakhin. A.V. Greenhouse effect - 2: Anthropological trace of advertising and information hygiene // Free Thought - 21st century. 2003. No. 9.
7. Evdokimov. V. A. Specifics of the media’s use of advertising (counter-advertising) for the purpose of politicizing social conflict // Bulletin of Tomsk State University. 2007. No. 295.
8. Zhmyrikov A.N. How to win elections. Obninsk, 1995.
9. Ilyasov F.N. Political marketing. The art and science of winning elections. M., 2000.
12. Nathanson.L. The effectiveness of the election campaign // Political marketing. 2004. No. 2.
15. Skripkina Zh.B. Electoral systems and technologies. M., 2006.
16. Soloviev A.I. Political communications. M., 2004.
17. Soloviev A.I. Political science: political theory, political technologies. M., 2000.
18. Orlov. D. A. Fading technologies // New time. 1999. No. 40.
19. Poluektov V.V. Field and manipulative technologies. - M., 2003.
Applications
Appendix 1
Sample election leaflet of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (1995).
Appendix 2
Sample of election leaflet of presidential candidate B. N. Yeltsin (1996).
Appendix 3
Sample of election leaflet of presidential candidate V.V. Putin (2000).
1 Gould. F. Strategic planning of the election campaign // Polis. 1993. No. 4. P.136.
2 Soloviev A.I. Political science: political theory, political technologies. M., 2000. P.324.
2 Zhmyrikov A.N. How to win elections. Obninsk, 1995. P.324.
1 Poluektov V.V. Field and manipulative technologies. M., 2003. P.25.
Submitting your good work to the knowledge base is easy. Use the form below
Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.
Similar documents
Essence, functions and technologies of electoral strategy. Analysis of the election campaign of Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal in the 2007 French Presidential elections, assessment of their effectiveness. Comparative characteristics of elections in France in 2002 and 2007.
course work, added 06/01/2010
The communicative essence of advertising during the election campaign. Means and types of political advertising when developing an election campaign strategy. Analysis of the influence of advertising on the mass political consciousness of Russians during the election campaign.
test, added 12/01/2015
Election process in America. Election campaign: concept and essence. Strategy and tactics of election campaigns: methodological aspects. Analysis of the strategy and tactics of D. Trump's election campaign. Features of H. Clinton's election campaign.
thesis, added 08/12/2017
Study of the essence and goals of the election campaign. Studying the experience of successful political campaigns. Review of the features of the modern Western approach to strategic planning. Reasons for the defeat of political parties, movements and candidates in elections.
abstract, added 12/06/2014
The concept of electoral strategy, its functions and technology. Identification of the main resources of the election campaign and tactical directions. Analysis of the features of the 2012 elections in France. Comparison of presidential candidates Sarkozy and Francois Hollande.
course work, added 01/18/2015
Main trends in the Russian election campaign dating back to 2003. Features of holding elections to the State Duma. The essence of election campaigns. Work of the Central Election Commission. Abuse of administrative resources.
course work, added 03/12/2011
Specifics and features of political PR technologies. The concept and stages of the election campaign. Basic provisions of the election campaign strategy. Methods for creating interpersonal and ideological contrast between candidates and a negative image for competitors.
abstract, added 06/22/2015
Concept of political advertising (PR). Psychological approaches to the study of symbols and mechanisms of PR. Features of the 2016 election campaign (EC). The main authors of the EC and the features of their activities. Analysis of political symbols during the IC period in Russia.
thesis, added 06/23/2017
When developing an election campaign program, it is advisable to foresee what weaknesses competitors can take advantage of in order to create a negative image of the program and the candidate.
The main provisions of the strategic line of the election campaign are based on the results of an analysis of the political situation. If the first strategic step - choosing a district - has already been taken, preliminary conclusions should be drawn:
find out the strengths and weaknesses of your opponents and yourself, conduct a comparative analysis of them, taking into account the political situation in a certain district and the country as a whole;
analyze the situation in the constituency (demographic, historical, geographical, economic, social, etc.);
determine the range of issues that are fundamentally important for voters in a particular district and formulate answers to these questions in your program;
formulate the basic principles of the election campaign and the means of their implementation (that is, the strategy and tactics of organizing elections).
Having determined the main theses of your program based on information from the constituency, it is advisable to take into account the following principles when writing the document itself:
the program must contain answers to problems that are relevant to voters: socio-economic, political, environmental, ethnocultural, linguistic, etc.;
the program architecture can be arbitrary, but structured, with no more than nine content blocks;
the procedure for creating an election program should be as follows: first, it includes “everything that is necessary”, and then excludes “everything that is possible”;
The printed reproduction of the program and the language of presentation must take into account the level of general, political and psychological culture of voters and the time it takes for an ordinary voter to assimilate textual information.
When developing a program, it is advisable to foresee what weaknesses competitors can take advantage of in order to create a negative image of the program and the candidate.
An election campaign strategy, according to world political science, can be based on the following elements:
Declaration of involvement in a particular political party, election bloc, power structure, political leader, etc. This method is effective when used in a district (or even the entire country) in which the political party or socio-political organization that supports the candidate is very popular. Under such conditions, the main task is to inform as many voters as possible that this party or socio-political organization has nominated and supports this particular candidate. In this situation, the personal characteristics of the candidate remain in the background, and the magical influence of the image of the designated party or organization comes forward.
The method of declaring a candidate's affiliation may not only apply to a party, organization or movement. If there is a popular and influential person whose image can be used in an election campaign, this method will work just as well.
In American political practice, candidates often use posters, postcards, and video materials that highlight the support of a given candidate, say, by the President of the United States.
Creating interpersonal contrast among candidates. This method is purely psychological and is based on comparing candidates, their personal characteristics, socio-psychological and professional statuses, age, appearance, gender, education, etc.
When using the method of creating interpersonal contrast, the main task is to develop different ways to compare candidates according to those parameters that are beneficial.
Such parameters may be personal character traits, external attractiveness, sociability, and attitude to current problems of a given constituency.
Creating ideological contrast between candidates. This method is similar in principle to the previous one. It differs in that it is built exclusively on ideological factors (for example, conservative versus liberal philosophy, communism versus anti-communism, etc.).
In this case, a candidate who bases his election campaign strategy in a certain district on one issue must turn the election into a kind of referendum on this issue. If a certain issue concerns the majority of voters in the district, it must be ensured that it “overrides” all other issues, and the difference in the positions of the candidates must be very clear: “yes” or “no”.
When developing such an election strategy, it is necessary to comply with all points of the election campaign plan. And although it is quite difficult to implement, experience shows that such actions can be effective where competitors’ positions are particularly strong.
Formation of a positive image of the candidate. This element of the election campaign is extremely important for any politician, since the process of forming a political image is quite long.
In the process of forming a positive image of a candidate, it is said, first of all, about his personal qualities, which are probably basically universal for countries that democratically choose their legislative and executive powers.
Creating a negative image for competitors. This element of the strategy is built on the desire to add a fly in the ointment to the established (positive) image of the opponent. And although this path is quite dubious from a moral point of view, some consider it an effective means of maintaining the “purity of the ranks” of the political elite of society.
However, the use of this element of strategic behavior does not always pay off during an election campaign. Firstly, we must take into account the socio-psychological and moral-ethical norms that dominate in a given society. Let's say, adultery, for example, in countries with officially recognized polygamy, will have almost no effect on the political reputation of the person competing with you in elections. Secondly, if a candidate goes overboard when criticizing competitors, this can cause the opposite of the desired effect - help increase the ratings of those opponents against whom this criticism is directed.
Experience shows that you should not “attack” the strengths of your opponents’ programs and image. Election campaign managers believe that it is more effective to look for “dark” spots in the biography, emphasizing the vagueness of political views, insufficient level of education, lack of necessary experience, etc. You should not “attack” the politician’s personality “head-on”. It is better to pay attention to the leader’s “track record”: biography, information he has hidden from the public, promises he has not kept, etc.
One of the means of implementing the method of creating a negative image of a competitor is the dissemination of information by all kinds of research centers, public organizations, public opinion polling services, etc., which criticize the biography, political program, social or political activities of a competitor. It is quite possible that these appeals or messages will not contain a direct call to vote against this candidate, however, at the subconscious level, this information will contribute to the formation of a negative image among voters.
Formation of pre-election coalitions. This element of the election campaign is of extreme importance and involves establishing contacts with influential leaders, political structures and pressure groups that shape public opinion in a particular constituency. It is especially important to agree on support (or at least not opposition) with people who have traditionally sided with competitors and are ready to do so again.
Election coalitions can be formed with individuals, political parties, trade unions, public organizations and movements, labor collectives, commercial structures, etc.
It is also possible to specifically address specific groups of voters without entering into legal agreements. These may be appeals for support, appeals to the fundamental interests of racial and ethnic groups, entrepreneurs and trade unions, teachers and engineers, Orthodox and Greek Catholics, rabbit breeders and car enthusiasts.
This approach can be very effective where voters have consistently voted for the opposing party or public organization. It allows you to separate a potentially oppositional socio-territorial community of voters by “playing” on the various socio-professional interests and social statuses of voters.
Focus on power structures. This path is used when local executive power structures control the political situation and can really influence the election campaign process, starting from the selection of candidates (long before nomination) and ending with the stage of direct campaigning. In such cases, manipulation of ballots at polling stations cannot be avoided. The last path is criminal and should not be used, since such actions are punishable by law and can forever ruin a politician’s career.
Focus on socio-political structures. Methodologically, this path is justified if the constituency has a powerful party machine, an extensive network of primary organizations and a large number of members of the party, public organization, etc. This element of the strategy is used in combination with the element of declaring the candidate’s involvement in this particular socio-political structure, which has such significant influence in the region.
Focus on mass communications. It is done in conditions of undeniable predominance of one of the candidates in influencing the media. However, it should be remembered that their influence should not be exaggerated, since, firstly, voters still prefer direct contacts with candidates, and secondly, active support of only one of the participants in the election marathon can only irritate and act in favor of the single elected member of the JMC.
Demoralization of competitors. This element of the strategy is used when a candidate has an undeniable advantage in material and financial resources, relies on a powerful party machine and owns a controlling stake in the media, influential in the region, combined with high personal authority.
The strategy of a political campaign must be stated in writing, no more than one page. After this, you need to begin to draw up a voluminous and detailed campaign plan, which should cover all the main tactical actions for the entire duration of the elections.
In addition, it must be borne in mind that the tactics of political struggle must necessarily be consistent with the strategy of certain actions. Even if it was possible to find some new tactical move, quite effective and interesting, but it does not agree with the developed line, it is better to abandon it.
Having analyzed the main elements of election campaign strategy in domestic and foreign political practice, it should be noted that not every campaign has all the mentioned elements of strategy. And this is understandable, since not in all conditions the use of certain means of political struggle is appropriate and effective. In each individual case, it is necessary to carefully analyze the pre-election situation before choosing the only correct strategy leading to victory.
Strategy development occurs as a result of certain activities. In order to diagnose the pre-election situation and plan PR events, it is necessary to collect information in several areas, such as:
1. demographic situation: population size, number of voters, gender and age composition, migration data, national groups, professional breakdown by group;
2. social sphere;
3. general economic condition of the region;
4. legal side of life in the region;
5. scientific field;
6. religious sphere;
7. cultural sphere: holidays, cultural events, traditions of the region;
8. dynamics of electoral activity;
9. information about the possibility of disseminating information, etc.
When planning election campaigns, you do not need to collect all of the information listed; you need to select what is especially important for a particular electoral district:
1. before forming a strategy, it is necessary to diagnose the electoral district, survey public opinion, analyze the structure of the electorate and identify target groups;
2. it is necessary to determine your weaknesses and strengths, study your opponents;
3. identify a complete list of resources owned by the electoral association, develop an image for the electoral association and the candidate;
4. formalize the goals and concept of the election campaign.
The general strategic line is developed depending on the level of elections; it should be ready 1–2 years before the elections. At this stage, there are several types of strategies.
Cruising strategy. This type of strategy is most used by candidates who are clear frontrunners from the start of the campaign and who seek to maintain their position throughout the campaign. This strategy presupposes a planned election campaign, an even pace throughout, depending on the level of the elections.
Rush strategy. This strategy is used by those candidates who are not known to a large audience at the beginning of the election campaign. The essence of the strategy is the breakthrough that a candidate needs to make at an early stage, several months before the election. To achieve this goal, a large amount of advertising time is purchased for 10–14 days in both central and regional television and radio companies, an order is placed for many newspaper publications, and a large number of propaganda products are distributed. There are trips of leaders (candidates) to regions, high-profile events, press conferences, congresses, etc.
Election campaign strategy- the ability to clearly define goals, the most important and fundamental moments of the election campaign, arrange them in the most advantageous position for oneself and competently manage all available resources. We consider the most important points of the election campaign strategy to be:
1. Resource Inventory ( own and competitors), as well as identifying the strongest and weakest points. Accurate knowledge about resources, about the strengths and weaknesses (of one’s own and one’s rivals), allows one to use one’s resources most accurately and effectively, as well as neutralize the resources of one’s opponents.
3. Ability to arrange priorities. It is important to set priorities both ideologically (which problems need to be raised, which topics should not be touched upon; where, what, how and with whom to talk), structurally (forming the structure of information flows), and organizationally (budgeting, campaign administration , management principles) plans.
4. Campaign Time Management, knowledge of the features of each stage of the campaign, the ability to build a composition from various stages. Time is one of the scarcest resources in a campaign; one very often hears from political consultants that “there wasn’t enough time.” In fact, it is necessary to compare the impact technologies with the available time. It is clear that if time is short, then it is better to choose one special point in the ideology of the campaign and use integrated communications. In a time-poor environment, there is no time (pardon the pun) for development, for agendas, for long-term impact programs. In organizational terms, it is important to rationalize the use of time resources through clear administration, division of areas of responsibility, excessive control, etc.
5. Skill foresee and forecast. Before the start of the election campaign, a political consultant with good strategic thinking already has in his head the most likely scenario (maybe even more than one) for the development of events. And from a strategic point of view, perhaps the most important thing is the ability to reverse the possible course of events. In this case, positioning, agenda, and differentiation from rivals are just tools, structurally subordinate to the strategy of turning the tide of events.
6. Campaign Planning. Planning is an essential part of campaign strategy. And there are a number of important points here. Firstly, this is budget planning, based on the funds available, on the identified priorities and the structure of information flows. Secondly, it is planning the production process from conception to campaign contact with voters. This is planning the stages of the campaign, thirdly.
An election campaign strategy is defined as a broad-based program designed to help a candidate win an election. The formalization of this program is the election campaign plan. It is clear that in this case the emphasis is on planning, on drawing up plans.
Campaign strategy involves a top-down view of the campaign. Having taken such a point of view, it is already easier to draw up campaign plans, campaign ideology, look for tactical moves... And the selection of creativity (slogans, image photographs, etc.) will not proceed according to the principle: “like it - don’t like it”, but according to the principle of strategic compliance with the goals and objectives of the campaign.
For example, Martin Shakkum, despite his fame as a candidate for the post of President of the Russian Federation, was unable to get into the State Duma in the by-elections of 1997-98. It was thanks to the defeat that happened to him in the presidential campaign in 1996..
As you know, the presidential elections only helped Alexander Lebed become the governor of one of the key regions.
For a candidate seeking victory, fake colleagues are sometimes even more dangerous than real rivals. It is from this that they are most often used for frontal and “guerrilla” attacks on the favorites of the campaign (see the corresponding sections of the book).
Each role requires its own image, but if you think that the main thing is not to win, but to participate, immediately work towards your real goal, do not waste time and money on building the image of a winner for these elections.
If you, as a candidate, have invited consultants, immediately tell the truth. Since their task is to solve customer problems in the most effective way.
Once, working with a large entrepreneur, we were guided by a false goal. And they constantly could not understand his cautious attitude towards our recommendations, which could lead him to success. It was only a month before election day that he finally felt it necessary to tell us that winning the election was not the goal of his campaign. As a result, all the preparatory work went down the drain, since we carried it out to achieve completely different goals. And we were forced to terminate the contract.
The main strategic directions of the campaign are formed after analyzing all the information collected about the district and the opponents who have begun collecting signatures.
Strategy is a summary of the main ideas of the campaign. It is within the framework of the strategy that the candidate’s image, tactics and plan of the election campaign are implemented. The strategy determines the content of the main propaganda materials.
We must form the most advantageous image of our candidate in the minds of voters, highlight the strongest facets of this image that reflect the real qualities of our candidate.
Conventionally, from the point of view of comparing the parameters of the images of your candidate and rivals, the strategy is formulated as follows: “We will win if we appear to voters stronger than this opponent, more fair than this opponent, more intelligent than this opponent, more honest than this opponent , more competent than this opponent..."
From the point of view of the program, the strategy is formulated as follows: “We will win because we are going to and can do it... And this is exactly what the people in the district expect from their chosen one.” It is necessary to confirm only 2-3 of your recipes for solving the problems of the district and society. In principle, one was enough for S. Fedorov in the presidential elections.
From the point of view of mythology, we must find the myth shared by the majority of voters in a region or country about the main contradiction in society and take the side of good. Against crime. Against NATO. Against non-payment of salaries and pensions. Against privatization according to Chubais. Against the collapse of Russia. Against the Moscow colonialists. Against the IMF. Against the restoration of communism. Against Russophobes. Against Russian nationalists. Against official corruption. Against American hegemony. Against separatism. Against Islamic fundamentalism. Against Chinese expansion. Against the enrichment of the minority. For tax cuts. For creating new jobs. For domestic investments. For state assistance in the migration of Russians to the central regions of Russia. For the unity of Russia. For self-reliance. For attracting foreign investment. During the campaign, we must strive to “saddle” the 3-5 most serious (from the point of view of voters according to preliminary opinion polls) contradictions in society.
Based on the specifics of the biography and the needs of the electorate, we must create the most effective and at the same time laconic “legend” of our candidate. There is no Hero without a Legend.
At the preliminary stage, it is necessary to assess the general political and socio-psychological situation in your district and country. Is the overall situation and the resulting desires and intentions of voters consistent with increasing your chances of winning?
At the preliminary stage, in the form of theses, we must formulate as openly as possible the problems of our candidate that may interfere with our victory, and work out options and ways to neutralize these problems in the public consciousness.
Practical experience allows one to confidently count on victory in majoritarian elections if, two months before the election, approximately 40% of voters know the name of the candidate, and 10% of voters are ready to vote for him.
Naturally, the candidate’s growth resources should not be exhausted. Sometimes a candidate with 90% recognition is categorically unacceptable to the majority of voters (that is, he has an anti-rating). In a two-round vote, this can lead to defeat or to an extremely high percentage of voting “against all”. The high mobilization of one’s own electorate at the preparation stage sometimes even gets in the way, as it reduces the opportunities for modifying the image and program. In addition, the “overheated” electorate sometimes behaves completely unpredictably.
As a rule, in the current conditions of Russia, five or more candidates run in a district. This means that in a one-round vote, your views, image and program after promotion should interest more than a fifth of voters. This is the direction and reserves of our growth.
Clearly formulate your questions and order surveys from 2-3 different sociological centers. Because, unfortunately, interviewers, and even survey interpreters themselves, often tend to wishful thinking. It is advisable to conduct the first survey 6-9 months before the elections. Naturally, each group of sociologists should not know that they have competitors.
Sometimes, during major elections, it is more profitable to bring to the region a non-resident but proven sociological group, including interviewers. It should be noted that the purpose of the survey is not to obtain ratings (which candidates love so much), but to identify the attitude, intentions and desires of the population.
A typical basic survey includes about 60 questions, mostly closed-ended, sometimes including up to 30 alternatives. Working in the region with local sociologists, we usually take on not only the preparation of questionnaires, but also all data processing. Modern computer methods make it possible to build mathematical models of the electorate, allowing one to predict its behavior and, during the campaign, manage this behavior. First of all, mathematical models of “our” electorate, an electorate that is definitely hostile to our candidate, etc. are built. Models allow us to predict voter behavior depending on various actions and statements of our candidate and his rivals. We find the basic strategic ideas of the campaign, which, while polishing the tactics, are worked out in targeted focus groups.
Example. In one Siberian city, we were invited to help sort out the situation just a little over a month before voting day. Our candidate, the main rival of the current mayor, was behind him by about fifteen percent. Computer modeling showed that the rivals had a significant segment of the common electorate; it was only necessary to create conditions for it to flow to our candidate. Our strategy and tactics were aimed precisely at this. At the same time, sociologists and psychologists working for the current mayor made a number of technological errors, which led to errors in the implementation of their campaign at the finishing stage. As a result of their misguided policy recommendations, the mayor and his supporting governor began a frontal confrontation with our candidate. . We chose the path of avoiding confrontation and, as a result, won with a margin of 20 percent of the vote. However, the short time frame for the successful implementation of this campaign is rather an exception. In this case, we can only talk about the correct strategic decisions of our side multiplied by the strategic mistakes of the opponent’s political technologists.
When preparing a campaign strategy, it can be useful to analyze previous opinion polls, as well as the election results in the district. It’s best if you can get survey results from local sociologists “in digital form.” In this case, through computer processing of additional data, additional useful information can be obtained.
It must be taken into account that at best, half of your potential supporters will visit polling stations. Therefore, the prospect of support from less than a fifth of voters makes an election campaign a rather risky undertaking, unless it is aimed at simply promoting the personality, company and views of the candidate. In this case, only even weaker opponents can bring victory.
You cannot change the political and socio-psychological situation; at best, you will be able to somewhat correct its subjective understanding by voters. Therefore, determine how much you can change yourself so as not to lose yourself, but at the same time bring the number of your potential supporters to at least 20 percent of the district's voters. "Ride" their problems and expectations.
If you objectively have little chance and have no obligations to any structures, it is better to save your money, nerves and not advance.
Unfortunately, our politicians do not yet know how to objectively assess their chances, so candidates multiply before elections, to the horror of each other and the amusement of the public.
When developing a strategy, you need to take into account the resources of your election campaign and the campaigns of your opponents according to the following parameters:
Temporary resources (If you start your election campaign a year, and not three months before the elections, your chances with skillful pre-promotion will increase many times, and victory will not require excessive finances).
Intellectual, creative resources (Ability to attract highly qualified specialists to develop and implement a campaign, create and implement a candidate’s program).
Financial resources (The main problem is to have the right amount of money at each stage of the campaign, and not all at once two weeks before the election).
Organizational resources (First of all, this means the effective mobilization and organization of the “arms and legs” necessary for the implementation of the campaign, as well as the ability to mobilize a sufficient number of “ally” structures during the campaign).
Administrative resources are manifested not only directly, in the form of an impact on the voting process and vote counting, but also indirectly - in the form of facilitating access to finance, material and information resources for the activities of headquarters (premises, transport, databases, etc.), postal services for direct mailing, organizational resources of regional elites. We are also talking about “special” relationships with the media, election commissions, and courts. Thus, in the presidential elections in a number of federal subjects, opposition candidates did not even manage to register. In the parliamentary elections of 1999. a number of movements and blocs were completely blocked from accessing television channels, despite the availability of funds, while at the same time V. Zhirinovsky, who distinguished himself during the May “torpedo attack” on the impeachment of the President of the Russian Federation, received complete carte blanche to promote the LDPR on federal television channels.
Material and technical resources. We are talking about the technological armament of headquarters - access to modern communication systems, powerful computers and software, and transport. The quality of strategy, tactics and media for political advertising often directly depends on the computer and software of strategic planning, image building and creative teams. Campaign management both during campaigning and during voting is more effective the higher the mobility of operational groups and their provision with modern communication systems.
Legal resources (sometimes the good work of lawyers allows us to remove our main rivals or even disrupt the elections if our candidate failed to get promoted). In any case, you can make your opponents nervous. Suffice it to recall the “shock therapy” of Yabloko (which did not want to join the bloc of united “rightists”) during the registration of the bloc in the 1995 parliamentary elections. During elections in one of the regions, our lawyers managed to remove several chairmen of precinct election commissions already on voting day, who did not want to comply with all the requirements of the election law.
Information resources (Access to information flows of rivals allows us to make their campaigns “transparent”; hidden or direct control over the media ensures dominance in the information space. Moreover, in regions with a European mentality, the more subtly we can manage information flows, the higher the effectiveness of the campaign will be. In predominantly Asian regions the opposite is true.)
Special operational resources (Information, organizational, intellectual and other influence on the campaigns of rivals and allies).
As American election methodologies put it, “strategy depends on WHO the voters are that you want to win over; WHY they will vote for you, WHAT unites these voters; HOW and WHEN you can implement your strategy.”
Unfortunately, American methods assume that only two candidates should usually fight in a district. Therefore, your strategy in modern Russian conditions also depends on WHO your rivals are, WHAT forces and means they have, HOW they will act to attract voters to their side.
When formulating your election campaign strategy, you will have to find answers to all these questions.
Political targeting of a district is discussed in some detail in the chapter “Choosing a District.” It is already clear to you WHO your voters are.
But now you must formulate a compelling argument WHY they should vote for you. Who are you or who must you become to qualify for victory? WHAT do you have in common with your voters, what do they have in common with each other. What do they believe in and what do they want to achieve? How can you help them achieve their desires, beliefs and intentions?
Having found the answers to these questions, you need to move on to analyzing the images and programs of your rivals. The new version of the "Law on Guarantees of Citizens' Electoral Rights" states that more votes must be cast for the winner than "against all candidates." This forces any candidate's team to engage in comparative analysis of programs and images very seriously.
In addition, one of the strategic goals is counter-propaganda against the most powerful rivals, convincing voters that they are worse than your candidate. It must be taken into account that, as a rule, the number of fanatical supporters of any candidate does not exceed 20% of those who are ready to vote for him. This is the so-called “hard electorate”. The remaining voters - the “soft electorate” - under certain conditions are ready to vote for another candidate.
Your advantages, multiplied by the disadvantages of your competitors, become one of the keys to the right strategy.
Most opponents will act in a similar way, so you should be prepared to be drowned in the mud and/or smothered in hugs. The campaign strategy includes a forecast of the goals and actions of our competitors during the campaign, and our actions in relation to each of them.
It is better for you to formulate your strategic goals and objectives in the form of abstracts. This way you can determine the intermediate goals of your election campaign, what you must achieve at each stage in order to ultimately win. Actions to expand one’s “hard electorate” should alternate with actions to split and attract the “soft electorate” of rivals.
The correct choice of strategy explains why the winner in the district is often not the one who spent the most money on the campaign, appeared most often on TV screens, joyfully looked at voters from all the fences and filled all the mailboxes with his appeals. And the one who rationally spent limited funds on the gradual achievement of predetermined campaign goals, becoming more and more interesting and likable to both his voters and the voters of his rivals.
Often, especially in gubernatorial and presidential elections, during the preparation of the election campaign we create or imitate the creation of a so-called “minus group”. This is the average headquarters of our rivals, whose task is to show where and how our opponents can hit us at every stage of the campaign. Weaknesses of the image, teams, programs, incriminating evidence - all this needs preliminary elaboration and preparation of reflection. Fixing our weak points is also part of the strategy. Naturally, to predict strikes, an atmosphere of special trust with the candidate is necessary. “Group-minus” works in full contact with the information and analytical department of the candidate’s headquarters, setting its tasks to obtain information about rivals in order to predict their actions.
Naturally, after completing work with this candidate, the invited specialists are obliged to take on a moral obligation not to use the information received against their former client in future campaigns. As a rule, even if invited to further work with other candidates, our specialists do not participate in the development and implementation of counter-propaganda and special actions against former clients. By the way, this is understood by the vast majority of customers.
In high-level elections (mayor, State Duma and above), where, as a rule, already promoted images participate, it is of great importance to build, on the basis of surveys, associative series that accompany the mention of the names of the main candidates in the minds of voters. This gives positive and negative directions for working in the media based on the formation and maintenance of verbal and non-verbal associations, stereotypes, guidelines in the development of outdoor and TV advertising, handouts, and targeted mailings.
In addition, based on expert surveys, comparisons are made of the actual and planned images of candidates according to 20-60 parameters that determine the personal and professional qualities necessary for a person to work in an elected position. (More about this in the chapter “Candidate Image”).
The work on the strategy is being completed by preparing the so-called “campaign plot” (“tree”). This is a kind of “master plan”, which in the most general terms shows the main plot twists of our campaign, the largest “information occasions”, the time and places for our candidates to “voice” any conceptual ideas, the main slogans, the scheme for their launch, shifts, time creation and planned partners in alliances, etc. Key points and dates of the campaign are determined when its further development can take one or another path, depending on the changing situation. The work schedules of the candidate and the press service, media plans, plans for the preparation and launch of advertising media are subsequently linked to these points. Large-scale planning is underway, since a campaign where there is no internal interconnection between individual areas of work is doomed to meaningless excess costs.
A well-written and executed script can keep rivals and voters on the edge of their seats throughout the campaign. It is necessary to attract the attention of voters and retain this attention, like in a well-produced film. Let your opponents try to react to your past moves, at this moment you must create a new information occasion or strike a new blow. Surprise is a campaign resource. Maintaining the initiative is half the success. But even such a “blitzkrieg” as winning elections to the State Duma during the entire two-week election campaign requires completely confidential preparation for four to five months.
Sometimes the specifics of different regions of the district are so complex that one strategy is not enough to achieve success. Thus, one of the secrets of the success of A. Lebed’s election campaign in the 1996 presidential elections was the consistent and parallel implementation of three strategies. In different regions, completely different facets of the general’s image were promoted. Even in federal media of different political orientations, the image was presented in relation to the specifics of the readership.
The questions WHEN and HOW you can implement your campaign already relate to campaign tactics.
Under normal conditions, campaign tactics are formed and coordinated within about two weeks before signature collection begins. In one of the gubernatorial elections, we formed our tactics according to the following parameters:
SAMPLE SCHEDULE OF PREPARATORY WORK
|
Name of work |
Responsible for conducting and preparing final documents |
Deadlines for submitting documents and plans |
|
1. Coordination of the campaign, work with the Leader (working out possible information occasions) | ||
|
2. Organization of nominations, support and collection of signatures (creation of a database of signatories) | ||
|
3. Organization of cooperation with public and other associations, rivals (coordination of support campaigns) | ||
|
4. Preparation of an economic program and socio-economic targeting | ||
|
5. Economics (analytical and journalistic support) | ||
|
6. Conducting sociological surveys | ||
|
7. Conducting psychological targeting (preliminary sketch of the image of the Leader, the main strengths and weaknesses of the images and personalities of opponents) | ||
|
8. Analytical socio-psychological support | ||
|
9. Monitoring the actions of the main rivals and appearances in the media (dossier service work) | ||
|
10. Coordination of media campaigns (working out ripples) | ||
|
11. Development of informational occasions (including directing the implementation) | ||
|
12. Development and coordination of counter-propaganda | ||
|
13. Work with newspapers, including regional ones (preparation and placement of publications, the “single press folder” program, including photo archives) | ||
|
14. Work with television channels, including district, city and village studios (preparation and placement of speeches and videos) | ||
|
15. Work with radio, including regional and city studios (preparation and placement of speeches and videos) | ||
|
16. Preparation of advertising media (posters, booklets and leaflets) | ||
|
17. Preparation and implementation of the campaign on the streets, coordination of the actions of headquarters and operational groups | ||
|
18. Preparing databases for the mailing program | ||
|
19. Implementation of a direct mailing program | ||
|
20. Coordination of support programs from cultural figures | ||
|
21. Coordination of the support program from sports figures | ||
|
22. Coordination of the support program from federal structures and newsmakers | ||
|
23. Fundraising program (formation of an election fund) |
