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

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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