Assessing Political Brand Relationship as Leverage for Voter Preference in Ghana
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.91.9852Keywords:
• Political Brand Relationship • Party Brand Image • Voter Preference • LeverageAbstract
This research is an empirical assessment of political brand relationship as leverage for voter preference and choice of candidates by voters in Ghana. The objective of the study is to ascertain the use of political brand relationships for leveraging the preference of voters. The study used a total sample size of 10 key party and labor union representatives. The research found out that voter identification and differentiation of a political party from one another, as a process, has positive effects on the voting motivations of respondents and their choice of candidates. The research established that the political brand of a party causes voters to accept and identify with a particular party. Finally, the research revealed that the desire to help voters, fulfilment of promises, the creation and sharing of wealth, and safety issues were of paramount concern to voters. The study also found out that, political brand relationship building has a positive impact on voter attraction/preference of the voter. Voters identified themselves with political brands on the basis of brand characteristics such as economic freedom, social status, safety, recognition, and personal achievement. The study further found out that political parties are liable to be neglected by voters when there is a failure to establish a brand relationship. The research recommends that in order to track or monitor changes in aspirations and needs, political parties should undertake regular marketing research with a view to obtaining current information regarding what voters want. The study further recommends that politicians should segment, target, and position their parties or candidates properly in the political market space if they are to be victorious in elections.
References
Aaker, J., Fournier, S., & Brasel, S. A. (2004). When good brands do bad. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(1), 1-16.
Ahmed, P. K., & Zairi, M. (1999). Bench marketing for brand innovation European. Journal of Innovation Management, 2(1) 36-48.
Bagozzi, R. P. (1995). Reflections on relationship marketing in consumer markets. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 23(4), 272-277.
Bannon, A. (2003). Journey to a Woman. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(1), 87-101.
Blackston, M. (1992). Observations: building brand equity by managing the brand’s relationships. Journal of Advertising Research, 32(3), 79-83.
Collins, A. M., & Loftus, E. F. (1975). A spreading-activation theory of semantic processing. Psychological Review, 82(6), 407.
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Editorial: Mapping the field of mixed methods research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5-33.
De Groot, A. M. (1989). Representational aspects of word image ability and word frequency as assessed throu5gh word association. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 15(5), 824.
Downs, A. (1957). An economic theory of democracy, New York: Harper
Duncan, T., & Moriarty, S. E. (1998). A communication-based marketing model for managing relationships. The Journal of Marketing, 1-13.
Eagar, T. (2009). Defining the Brand Hero: Explorations of the Impact of Brand Hero Credibility on a Brand Community. Association for Consumer Research, 488-493.
Escalas, J. E., & Bettman, J. R. (2005). Self‐construal, reference groups, and brand meaning. European Journal of Marketing, 44(3/4), 460-477.
Fournier, S. (1998). Consumers and their brands: Developing relationship theory in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 24(4), 343-353.
Franzen, G. (1999). Brands & advertising: How advertising effectiveness influences brand equity.
French, A., & Smith, G. (2010). Measuring political brand equity: a consumer oriented approach. European Journal of Marketing, 44(3/4), 460-477.
Hess, J., & Story, J. (2005). Trust-based commitment: multidimensional consumer-brand. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(2), 248-259.
Hinson, R. & E. Y. Tweneboah-Koduah. (2010). Political Marketing Strategies in Africa: Expert Opinions of Recent Political Elections in Ghana. Journal of African Business, 11(2), 201-218.
Kaltcheva, V., & Weitz, B. (1999). The effects of brand-consumer relationships upon consumers’ attributions and reactions. Advances in Consumer Research, 455-462.
Kapferer, B. (2004). Ritual dynamics and virtual practice: Beyond representation and meaning. Social Analysis, 35-54.
Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. The Journal of Marketing, 1-22.
Mensah, K. (2009). Segmentation and brand development: an African perspective in Political Marketing: Principles and Applications. Oxon and New York: Routledge.
Monga, A. B. (2002). Brand as a relationship partner: gender differences in perspectives. New York Academy of Sciences, 237(1), 129-136.
Needham, C. (2005). Brand leaders: Clinton, Blair and the limitations of the permanent campaign. Political Studies, 53(2), 343-361.
O’Cass, A., & Pecotich, A. (2005). The dynamics of voter behavior and influence processes. European Journal of Marketing, 4-10.
Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, London: Sage Publications.
Peterson, J. (1995). Decision‐making in the European Union: towards a framework for economic development.
Plummer, J. T. (2000). How personality makes a difference? Journal of Advertising Research, 40(6), 79-83.
Popkin, W. D. (1994). Effect of Representation in Non-adversary Proceedings-A Study of postgraduate students. Houndsmills: Macmillan research, 4(2), 161-178.
Scammell, M. (2007). The press. The British Election of 1997, 156-85.
Schmitt, B. (1999). Experiential marketing. Journal of Marketing Management, 15(1-3), 53.
Seetharaman, A. Nadzir, Z. A. V. M., & Gunalan, S. (2001). A conceptual study on brand évaluation. Journal of Product and Brand Management, 10 (4), 243-256.
Sirgy, M. J. (1982). Self-concept in consumer behavior: A critical review. Journal of Consumer Research, 287-300.
Smith, G., & Alan, F. (2009). The Political Brand: A Consumer Perspective. Marketing Theory, 9(2), 209-26.
Wyer, R. S., & Srull, T. K. (1989). Social intelligence and cognitive assessments of personality (Vol. 2). Psychology Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Stanley Nelvis Glate
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors wishing to include figures, tables, or text passages that have already been published elsewhere are required to obtain permission from the copyright owner(s) for both the print and online format and to include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their papers. Any material received without such evidence will be assumed to originate from the authors.
