Paradigmas e tensões de campanhas eleitorais : relação entre candidatos e profissionais do marketing

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand and discuss an aspect related to the convergence of advertising and politics based on a specific cutout: the relationships established between political marketing practitioners and the candidates they assist during an electoral campaign or even outside such a period. The professionalization of TV and radio campaigns aired during the Free Political Campaign Hour (HGPE, in Portuguese) has cemented the importance of these characters who devise the strategies used to convince the voters. Today, marketing executives are key figures in a time when politics has become increasingly more media-intensive and there is the need to capture the spectators'/voters' audience while accessibly conveying the candidate's message. Based on a review of the literature, an account of the researcher's experience, and testimonials by some of these practitioners, this study is going to analyze how marketing executives operate, their options for the advertising strategy used, and above all, their close relationships with candidates. A sort of internal power play that may even influence an election's results.