A
1999 study conducted by the
Indian Institute of Mass Communications
Branding of Politicians
By Jaishri. N.
Jethwaney, Nippun Gupta, Shivaji Sarkar
This study conducted on five Delhi campuses asked 585 students
to place various leaders in their perception on two major characteristics out
of a list of 16 attributes that defined their personality the best.
In this age of information, media have become an
indispensable tool, especially in election campaigning. With more than 1000
hours of cumulative programming available on various channels and a host of 24
hour news channels, the scope is immense for the politicians to show around.
The talk shows, discussions and panel meetings are doing what paid advertising
could never achieve.
There are always some inherent characteristics in a
human being but a lot can be acquired. In times when politics is reckoned as a
market activity and politicians as brands, it is not uncommon to see brand
managers and savvy advertising specialists employed to position politicians in
a manner to find favor with the audience. Tried. Tested. Proven. [Jancha.
Parkha. khara.] is just a case in point. Brand management experts, however,
are of the view
That the value provided at a point of time is not perennial, a deliberate
effort is required to not only retain the value constantly but upgrade it to
match the user¿s expectations.
The mind of an individual is not a clean slate. It is
bombarded day in and day out with various kinds of information pouring from all
directions. Hence, for a product or a person to find some space in the
perception of an individual¿s mind, it has to virtually fight for space among a
host of information around it. The Cognitive Dissonance Theory
postulates that people strive to justify their behavior by reducing the degree
to which their impressions and beliefs are inconsistent with reality
[dissonance].
In order to find how some popular leaders were
perceived by youngsters, a dipstick research study was conducted among students
of three universities in Delhi, viz., Jawaher lal Nehru University, Delhi
University, and Jamia Millia Islamia, besides, the Indian Institute of
technology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medical
Science. The respondents who numbered 585 were asked to place various leaders
in their perception on two major characteristics out of a list of 16 attributes
that defined their personality the best. The attributes included the following:
visionary,
Shrewd, experience, mass appeal, honest/upright, aggressive, abrasive,
incoherent, analytical, charismatic, dishonest, scheming, uninspiring,
un-charismatic, survivor, inexperienced. Based on the data, the
present researchers used Jean Noel Kapferer Brand Prism Identity Model (reproduced
as Graph 1 on page12) to work out the core values of various national leaders,
in order to indicate their brand positioning. This will also reflect the kind
of people who were likely to vote for the various leaders.
According to Kapferer brand identity is represented diagrammatically by a six
sided prism which include characteristics like physique- a combination
of independent characteristics, a kind of life style association;
personality- a brand has a personality, it may also acquire a character-
say of being arrogant, modest or kind. How it acquires depends on how it has
been positioned and the experience the consumer has with the brand; culture-
this facet relates to the basic principles