analysis of political marketing on legislative election

International Conference on Emerging Trends In Academic Research, November 25-26,
2014. ETAR © 2014 Bali, Indonesia.
Global Illuminators, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
ANALYSIS OF POLITICAL MARKETING ON LEGISLATIVE ELECTION
AMA Suyanto1, Ir, Runik Machfiroh2 and M. Yahya Arwiyah3
Faculty of Economics and Business, Telkom University. 2Creative Industries Faculty of the
Telkom University. 3Faculty of Communication and Business, Telkom University.
Correspondence: Indonesia; [email protected],
2
[email protected],
2
[email protected],[email protected]
1
ABSTRACT
Legislative election was conducted at 9 April 2014, followed by 12 political parties. The
purpose of this study was to analyze the marketing politics strategy of candidates who want
to be elected.This study approach is qualitative, whereas the method is qualitative descriptive.
The study instrument is researchers and data collecting technique that was used is in-depth
interviews to people in Bandung, legislative candidates, and election commissions; legislative
election observations in Bandung, documentation in the form of candidates data, community
data, parties data, and statistic data. The study location is Bandung city. The study objects
were people in Bandung, the elections committee and legislative candidates with snowball
technique. The main data source is the community and the candidates who are related to
political marketing. Data is being processed and analyzed through interactive model, analysis
data preparation, analysis data sorting, digging deep meaning to the data, presenting the data,
and create a broader interpretation of the meaning of the data. Based on the results we
concluded that: The product in the form of political party platforms such as ideology, vision,
mission, and work programs of political parties was not taken into consideration in
determining the choice of candidates more likely. Determining the choice tends to be more
personal factors than political parties, such as personal/figures, popularity, and
capacity/capability of candidates more. Approach to political marketing strategy used by
political parties and candidates in the City people to the political pull marketing approach are
valuable. This study is practically implicated on marketing strategies that is used correctly by
the candidates and build the civil society. While the theoretical implications is increase the
repertoire of political science, especially in marketing strategy model thus improving civil
society.
Keywords: Marketing Politics, Election.
1. INTRODUCTION
Background
Direct legislative election is a process for getting community to choose which candidates are
suitable. Legislative election which is dated on April, 9th 2014 has taken place in Indonesia,
followed part by 12 political parties. Legislative election consists of selecting candidates for
the national parliament, provincial parliament, and the city/district parliament. Therefore,
voters will determine the victory of political actors.
The victory of a political actor is also determined by undertaken political marketing
strategy. Lately, in case for influencing political voices, political actors use the media through
internet technology, local cultures and religious activities (wayang golek, wayang kulit
performances, sekaten night market, etc.), events (circumcision, wedding, recitation), as well
as election TV channels. However, locations are determining political marketing strategies
that are used. Urban areas locations are different to rural area or outskirts locations. Media
utilization has begun to be used in political marketing. Schumpeter (Coleman, 1990: 187)
describes the three stages which are passed by political party in response to internet
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International Conference on Emerging Trends In Academic Research, November 25-26,
2014. ETAR © 2014 Bali, Indonesia.
Global Illuminators, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
technology: First, they use the internet as an automated process of the emergence of the party
in the virtual era. Secondly, they begin to identify the benefits from users as potential voters,
and lastly, they visually programmed political parties’ vision and mission in accordance to
the trends in society. Lately, social media and websites started to be loved or used by many
political actors, considering Smartphone are already starting to bloom among the
Indonesians.
Bandung is one of the cities in Indonesia that is multicultural and dubbed as creative
city. Therefore, this study will analyze political marketing on legislative elections in
Bandung.
Purpose
The specific objective of this study is to analyze the political marketing strategies that are
related to how the forms of political marketing strategy of political actors in the urban areas.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Political Parties
Definition of political parties according to Law No. 2 of 2011 on Political Parties, in article 1,
paragraph (1) stated that
“A political party is a national organization and was formed by a group of Indonesian
citizens voluntarily on the basis of similarity will and ideals to fight for and defend the
political interests of its members, the community, state and nation, as well as maintain the
integrity of the Unitary State Republic of Indonesia based on Pancasila and the Constitution
(Undang-Undang Dasar Tahun 1945)”.
Political party is an organization that attempts to Achieve and maintain control of
government (Carr in Cangara; 2009: 209).
Functions of Political Parties
Functions of political parties are grouped into two, among others is the role and duties of the
internal organization. In this case the political parties play an important role in fostering,
education, debriefing, regeneration, and perpetuate the political ideology that became
background of the establishment of political parties. (Firmanzah; 2008: 69).
Political Marketing
Understanding the concept of political marketing should be understood from a variety of
approaches. Based on the emic approach, then from the political marketing can be described
as a process of selling the ideas, thoughts, programs, including the self images so that other
people want to "buy" it (Damsar, 234: 2010).
In political marketing, there are at least four important elements that need to be addressed i.e.:
a. Product
Products offered by political institutions, as quoted by Firmanzah (2008: 200). In
addition, the political products were composed of party platform, and past record and
personal characteristic. Platform party consists of vision, ideology, mission, goals, and
programs of the party. In addition, the example and the figure of a person in the
community can also be used in offering to the public.
b. Place
The place is an important element in offering a political product especially the intangible
ones such as ideas (Damsar, 2010). Therefore, it can be connected to two things i.e.
political products accessibility and where is the position of a political product.
c. Price
Price in political marketing includes many things such as the price of economic,
psychological, and the price of image so that political parties often attempt to minimize
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International Conference on Emerging Trends In Academic Research, November 25-26,
2014. ETAR © 2014 Bali, Indonesia.
Global Illuminators, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
the price of political product (to minimize risk) on the one hand and increase the price of
the product (maximization of risk) of political opponents.
d. Promotion
Promotion is an attempt to lure buyer through communication techniques with a variety
of media such as print, electronic, and interpersonal. In addition, the promotion should
pay attention to 3P.
Democracy in Indonesia is somewhat leaning towards democracy in America. Based
on the Journal of Sospol Academica (Journal of Social & Political Sciences, ISSN: 20865619), Stisipol P-12, Bangka, Vol. 1 No. 1, 2012, page: 7-16 of political marketing in the
presidential election of Obama vs. Hillary, despite coming from the same party (Democratic
Party), but they carried a different campaign strategy which is envisaged that the segment
voters of Obama "potential" choice are based on rational considerations, while Hillary
potentially on emotional considerations.
3. RESEARCH METHODS
This study used qualitative methods. Data can be obtained from the documentation both
written and media, in-depth interviews of political parties, legislative candidates, and the
community. Data were analyzed with Interactive Model Analysis (Miles & Huberman, 1992),
where researchers have been collecting data and always makes data reduction and
presentation of data continuously until a conclusion is arranged. The questionnaires were
analyzed as statistically descriptive. Thus the outlines of the data collection techniques in this
action research are: direct observation, questionnaires, and documents (existing political data
sources, mass media, biography, autobiography and internet). Study location was conducted
in West Java in particular; the urban areas (Bandung City).
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Political marketing which is done by political parties or political actors can be measured from
a political product, place, price and promotion. Bandung is one area that represents the urban
areas in West Java and has become a barometer in every presidential election or legislative
elections. With its community heterogeneity such as cultural aspects, ethnicity, education,
and also economics, makes Bandung becomes interestding to study, especially in political
marketing strategy undertaken by political parties and their candidates. Availability of
infrastructure and society lifestyle that characterizes modern can be seen from the use of
current technology and it current deployment that can be quickly accepted by society. This is
captured as opportunities in marketing the political products, especially for potential young
voters.
The study results of political marketing strategies on aspects of product, place, price,
and promotion can be described as follows:
a.
Product
Political parties’ products, such as political platforms, in general weren’t becoming
interesting information in marketing the political parties and their candidates. Political
parties’ platforms such as ideology, vision, mission, and work programs of the related parties
weren’t taken into community’s consideration in determining their preferences for the
candidates fielded by political parties. This is because of the lacks of public knowledge of
political platforms from the related party of the candidates and also from the party itself that
still not fully provide political education to the community. The three aspects measured,
knowledge of the work programs of political parties is the lowest aspect perceived by the
public, compared with the public's knowledge of political parties’ ideology as well as the
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International Conference on Emerging Trends In Academic Research, November 25-26,
2014. ETAR © 2014 Bali, Indonesia.
Global Illuminators, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
vision and mission of political parties. The work programs of political parties still cannot be
perceived by the community.
Trends that happen, people in choosing the legislative candidates are based on personal
character promoted by political parties. The characteristics of legislative candidates that is
promoted by political parties are the factor used by the community that become the main
consideration in choosing. Legislative candidates’ personal characters which taken into
consideration by the community in Bandung City, from the measured three aspects, is the
aspects of capability / capacity / competency of legislative candidates promoted by the
parties. It means that people no longer vote because of political parties bearer’ ideology but
rather on what the legislative candidates can do and what solutions will they provide to the
problems faced by the people of Bandung City. The figure persona of legislative candidate’s
ranks second in underlying the community settled their choice.
b.
Place
The place is a means to market political products to the public and media to get closer to the
community. The existence of political product location such as parties’ attributes and the
parties’ winning secretariat / post becomes important factors in distributing political
information to the public. Community accessibility should be the main consideration so that
political products are within easy reach. With regard to this accessibility aspect, the
affordability of the community to the secretariat of the party and the winning post of the
legislative candidates in Bandung should be improved. The location determination should be
carefully and precisely considered and also located in strategic position which is easily
accessible by the public. In general, people of Bandung City know the location / place /
where the secretariat and their chosen legislative candidates’ winning post.
c.
Price
The political cost to run in legislative elections is still considered expensive by the
community in Bandung. However, the amount of funds own by the legislatives candidates
doesn’t necessarily provide a great opportunity to be elected in the legislative elections. The
allocation of funds by candidates to campaign and promotional activities cannot be said to
give a significant effect on the determination of the people to choose. Generally, people in
Bandung still have tendency to choose the candidates based on the similarity base that they
possessed. The similarity profiles of legislative candidates in terms of religion, culture, and
ethnicity provide comfort / confidence, and psychological pride of the voters. Legislative
candidates’ profile fielded by political parties by people in Bandung, also have an impact on
the image of the political party bearer, not entirely derived from the news media.
d.
Promotion
The use of mass media / printed media in Bandung is still dominantly done by political
parties and the parties’ legislative candidates in comparison to other media such as
electronics, social as well as interpersonal. But the interesting thing is the start to use social
media such as Facebook, Twitter, BBM, and other social media to promote the party as well
as the legislative candidates.
The effectiveness of a party’s political marketing strategy approach depends on the party’s
ability to empower the existing resources and make the party as a political machine.
Additionally, the use of media as a marketing tool should also be adjusted to the conditions or
characteristics of the voting public. If described, political marketing strategies, as shown in
the picture below.
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International Conference on Emerging Trends In Academic Research, November 25-26,
2014. ETAR © 2014 Bali, Indonesia.
Global Illuminators, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Figure 1 Political Marketing Strategy (Eep Saefulloh Fatah, 2010)
The application of political marketing strategy in legislative elections can help
legislative candidates and the community in ensuring the success of the election. Through
political marketing, legislative candidates try to convince the voters that they are worthy to be
selected. Legislative candidates and their winning team convince the voters by offering
political products which is suited with the voters’ wishes. Voters’ segmentation by looking at
the characteristics of the region, demographic condition, social, culture, economic, education,
and infrastructure which are owned, determine appropriate marketing strategy in order to
obtain the expected results.
Based on the explanation above, if it done in-depth study of political marketing
strategy in Bandung, from the three approaches described earlier. Pull political marketing
approach has strategic value in attracting people through the use of various media, including
the social media. It is very possible to do; given the potential voters in this area are young
voters whose in lifestyle are familiar with technologies and the use of social media. The
media has a very large and significant role in establish public opinion against a candidate.
According to Oman Heryaman, this type is called by political marketing based on the
performance which is required media, particularly using information technologies and
communications. Ideas or political program that has campaigned, then fought in the
formulation of policies and can implemented in community life, are the values for voters for
imaging the legislative candidates as aspiring candidates, keeping promises, work hard, and
fight for the fate of society. However, it is not easy for political parties do this performancebased marketing. It is required documentation center and data analysis at every level of the
political parties (national, regional and local) that can observe record and document every
political performance step of political parties that continuously updated. Moreover, it also
required media (website, newsletter, etc.) that can be accessed widely by the constituents and
the general public to publish the success political parties’ performances continuously as the
imaging of all time. For this matter, many political parties in several countries utilize
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a digital / online media campaign.
5. CONCLUSION
The product in the form of political party platforms such as ideology, vision, mission, and
work programs of political parties was not taken into consideration in determining the choice
of candidates. Determining the choice tends to be more personal factors than political parties.
Reviews such as personal/ figures, popularity, and capacity / capability of candidates more
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International Conference on Emerging Trends In Academic Research, November 25-26,
2014. ETAR © 2014 Bali, Indonesia.
Global Illuminators, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
likely. Political marketing strategy approach which is used by political parties as well as
legislative candidates in Bandung is more towards pull political marketing approach because
the way to capture the voters using media especially social media.
6. REFERRENCE
Cangara, Hafied. 2009. Komunikasi Politik Konsep Teori dan Strategi. Jakarta: Raja
Grafindo.
Coleman, JS. 1990. Equality and Achievement in Education. Westview: Boulder.
Damsar. 2010. Pengantar Sosiologi Politik. Jakarta: Kencana Premedia Group.
Eep Saefulloh Fatah.2010. Masalah dan Prospek Demokrasi di Indonesia. Jakarta:Ghalia
Indonesia.
Journal of Sospol Academica (Journal of Social & Political Sciences, ISSN: 2086-5619),
Stisipol P-12, Bangka, Vol. 1 No. 1, 2012, page: 7-16
Firmanzah. 2011. Mengelola Partai Politik. Jakarta: Yayasan Obor Indonesia.
_______. 2008. Mengelola Partai Politik. Jakarta: Yayasan Obor Indonesia.
Miles, Matthew B and A. Michael Huberman. 1992. Analisis Data Kualitatif, Buku Sumber
tentang Metode-Metode Baru. Jakarta: University of Indonesia
Law No. 2 of 2011 on Political Parties
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