FOR AD WATCH (MARKETING PERSPECTIVE --- Tuesday - May 4

FOR AD WATCH (MARKETING PERSPECTIVE --- Tuesday - May 4

;JP;CD;
ANPAc..r..
Ads-watch-politics-brand

Branding Politics -- another advertising phenomena

Rodney Louis Vincent
Jakarta

Having spent the last two years in Jakarta, this
is my first taste of Indonesian elections. Not quite what I
expected, especially coming from a country like Malaysia where
elections are subtle and campaign rallies have a more strategic
approach.

Again, with a population of more than 200 million, just being
visible can sometimes be more effective than being strategic. Or
is that true?

According to Eleanor Modesto, technical adviser at Lowe
Indonesia, "I read a comment in a recent issue of The Jakarta
Post's 'Man on the Street' interview column -- 'I'm voting for
the party with the most attractive logo,' said one voter. There
was no mention of any political platform or issue, his choice was
based purely on the appeal of the visual symbol.

"Name and face recognition give candidates and brands heads
up, whether it's choosing a representative or a shampoo. So faces
and numbers were splashed all over thousands of posters and
leaflets, not political issues or campaign promises."

The lack of information and education could be the main source
leading to this, but a political party being selected solely
because they have the largest budget and were able to be present
in every nook and corner is unthinkable. Society in Indonesia has
grown more and more sophisticated over the years and marketers
should realize that there could be more serious issues to
consider when getting to the consumers' sweet spot.

In a joint survey by Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) and National
Leadership Centre (NLC) regarding the most important issues
facing Indonesia today, 52 percent said that getting the economy
under control and creating jobs were pertinent, 17 percent felt
corruption needed a huge clean up, 12 percent went
for strengthening religious values and improving free public
education was supported by 8 percent of the sample size.

This year is the first where Indonesians vote their president
directly, in other words the 2004 elections are more than just a
work out in democracy; they attribute institutional improvements
in the process compared to the 1999 elections.

In another survey by TNS and NLC with 1,016 randomly selected
voters in 18 provinces, the top five presidential contenders were
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (28 percent), President Megawati
Soekarnoputri (14 percent), Amien Rais (11 percent), Prabowo (7
percent) and Abdurrahman Wahid (6 percent).

This year political parties have had the opportunity to
explore the booming TV industry to further support their
campaigns.

"Data from the regular TV monitoring report of Nielsen Media
states that of the 24 parties, 22 of them have employed paid
media advertising in their first round of campaigning. On TV
alone, there were more than 10,000 spots spreading out to all TV
channels, both national and local coverage. We saw an increase of
60 percent in first quarter 2004 TV expenditure compared to the
same period last year.

"And with the exception of retail and personal services
category, all other segments experienced an increase of
advertising investment. Corporate and PSA campaigns preceded the
election drive and their expenditure exploded by 300 percent
during this period," said Rini Akhdiat, CEO,
Carat Media.

In a more complex election where political parties have
increased from three to 24 -- top-of-mind awareness is critical.
PDI-P, the incumbent, probably best understood the power of
branding by being single-minded in their message and focused on
their logo, which simply said: "Coblos Moncong Putih" (Vote for
the white snout).

It's interesting to note, that the tagline has caught up with
many lips on the street and Ibu Mega, who is known for her
motherly characteristics, had posters of her displaying the
firmness of a strong leader. Even the production quality of their
advertising materials seem to be superior than their competitors.
The Golkar Party, recognizing that the masses are disappointed
with the incumbent government, used visuals of the party's
"achievements" -- reminiscent of corporate-style advertising
campaigns.

"The indications are that brand loyalty (or party/candidate
loyalty) is not the same as it once was. It doesn't mean that
it's the end of brands but simply that as times and people
change, brands (and political parties) must change with them,
too. This is the key to long-term survival. And this same
advice is true for political parties and politicians. They need
to define what differentiates them from the others -- what they
stand for and how they can truly be of service to their
constituents," added Modesto. -- The writer is editor of ADOI
magazine, an English-language publication about advertising and
marketing