Gianpietro Mazzoleni La comunicazione politica Chapter 7 Electoral campaigns Gianpietro Mazzoleni La comunicazione politica Chapter 7

Why are electoral campaigns important? Elections are essential in all democracies All politics is concerned by permanent campaign

The evolution of the electoral campaigns

Different types of electoral campaign Position campaign vs. conquest campaign Party-centered vs. candidate-centered campaign

What is ‘professionalization’? Nationally coordinated campaigns The creation of campaign units within parties and the use of consultants The use of market intelligence Communication focused on the media Narrowcasting The permanent campaign

Why professionalization? Professionalization is fueled by three conditions: Political secularization (=end of ideology) The growing availability of media resources The professionalization of politics in general

Phases of the marketing 1

Phases of the marketing 2

The main tool of the electoral marketing The survey Benchmarking, to assess the probability of entry Tracking, a panel to assess the ups and downs of the public opinion along the campaign Quick response, to assess the impact of a given event Focus group, not a true survey …

Other tools for the marketing Traditional techniques Interactive: canvassing, meetings Unidirectional: press, leaflet, gadget Audiovisual techniques Direct use of the TV: spot Indirect use of the TV: debates, talk show New media Microtargeting Fundraising Political consultants

Candidates’ and leaders’ imagine Launched vs. perceived image Three dimensions of the image Personal Political Performative

What is a spot? The spot is a: Televised message Lasting at most one minute Assertive and unproblematic Presenting an example Simplifying political reality

Negative campaigning A candidate goes negative when he attacks the competitors rather than discuss his issue position Is this strategy remunerative? It is not clear …

Do campaigns matter? Yes, they are the main tool for winning elections Yes, they are quite important, disregarding how they are run Yes, they matter, but only is they are run properly by professionals No, they do not matter at all