2k8-9 cult elecmarketing cielo 1steic

8/3/2019 2k8-9 Cult ElecMarketing Cielo 1stEIC

1/3

The Election Field GuideThe Origins and Evolution of the UP SC Candidate

By Bernardo Cielo II

Taking that first step into the University on the first day of elections

can be a daunting task for any UP student. The surge of studentswearing either red or blue shirts lined up along the pathway, eachreaching out their hands to shake yours. The piles of electionparaphernalia they give out to students, each with a name, face andposition they are running for. The various RTRs where candidatestalk so fast the only things you remember from them are theirnames that they reiterate three or four times before and after theirspeech. It is difficult for any UP student to efficiently filter throughmore than a dozen candidates and select the few they see fit torepresent them for the incoming year. For one to be able to gaugeeach candidate effectively, we must first trace how he or she cameforth as candidates and what processes transpired to make themwhat they are now.

Step 1: Establishing a Brand

The primary step a student takes to prepare for running in the studentcouncil elections is to establish a good brand. Branding is a very powerfultool during elections for establishing name and color recall is the mostbasic target of any candidate or political party. First, looking clean andfresh during the election period is necessary in establishing credibility.

This is why the election season is one of the few days of the year when

seeing students with their hair combed and their shirts pressed wouldntautomatically mean either he or she will be hosting in an event or this kidwill have to do an extemporaneous speech for his or her Comm3 class.People must also be able to recognize and remember them easily, hence,some of them will make use of funny and suggestive taglines, some wouldsing and dance in RTRs, and some would use popular icons and associatethemselves to it. Candidates make use of color associations to furtherpromote themselves. They will pick a color that they will use for the rest ofthe campaign period, sometimes even after, to subliminally implant colormemory into the voters. If students belong to political parties, they wouldnormally make use of just one color making the color memory more

potent. These initial strategies are sure-fire ways of getting attention,however, getting voters attention is not enough. One must be able toseparate the brand from the candidate, and assess if the candidatehimself or herself is of good quality.

Step 2: Knowing the electorate

Knowing the electorate is a decisive step in conducting an electoralcampaign. This is why candidates would seek out to know who thevoters are and what are they concerned about. They will try tounderstand what issues the voters find pertinent to address and

create their platforms, speeches and campaign slogans tailor fit toaddress and highlight these issues and concerns, and what they are


2/3

willing to do to solve them. We must be careful, however, becausemaking a promise is not necessarily meaning it. If a candidate aimssolely to please or impress the electorate, then they fail in theirresponsibility to the voters who believed them. Consequently, wemust be vigilant in assessing if the candidates are sincere in the

promises that they made during the campaign period and we musthold them accountable to it in the year to come in the event thatthey win.

Step 3: Positioning a candidate

Positioning is a key step in popularizing a candidate prior and duringthe elections. This is when the candidates position themselves insituations where the electorate can see them in a positive light.Theweeks leading to the elections are usually a time when aspirants forcouncil positions are the most active. To get an edge over the

competition, incumbents and political neophytes alike would rush projectsthe week or two weeks before the first day of campaign as students willbest remember events held nearest election day. They serve as the hosts,performers or event coordinators of these events and would sometimesgive themselves awards to boost their credentials for the elections tocome, all for the interest of broadening their connections and positioningthem in advantageous situations to promote themselves where votersgather. This, however, is not always an accurate measure if a candidate istruly concerned with his or her constituents. It will prove to be problematicif the voters would decide to vote for a candidate based on visibility alone.

Though there is nothing wrong with positioning in general, we must if

these candidates were consistent in serving their constituents prior theelections.

Step 4: Advertising

Advertising covers all the different forms of print materials, like posters,fliers and pins; videos and other media; and other promotional materials.For a student who was unable to meet the candidates in person, whetherby chance or because they were undertaking their practicums outside theuniversity, the advertising materials would be the sole basis for them tochoose their leaders. Aesthetics plays a role on how well a student mayperceive a future councilor or chairperson as voters are often captives to

their own visual pleasures. The beauty of the poster, its ability to presentcohesiveness and integrity, and its over-all aesthetic value will determinewhether or not it can capture the interest of the electorate. However,advertising itself is problematic. A candidate or political party would seekto only promote their positives, and disregard their negatives. Thecommon voter needs a greater pool of knowledge for to effectively decidewhom they will choose as their student council. Providing incompleteinformation is detrimental for the purposes of holding elections, and is justas iniquitous as shamelessly denying it all together. Election paraphernaliais a good source of information, but it is far from being a comprehensiveone.

Valuing what lies underneath the starch pressed shirt


3/3

Knowing that you have only one vote puts a lot of pressure on any voter.And the best way to address this situation is to be equipped with thenecessary knowledge to evaluate what these candidates are saying.Knowing the issues prevents stonewallers and bluffers from winning seatsin office. Preparing ones self from the barrage of false promises andhollow speeches prevents further casualties after the elections andensures that those who do end up winning would serve their purpose andpush through with what they have promised.

Let us be the people who believe in progress rather than people whobelieve in people who believe in progress. Take an active role in knowingthe candidates and evaluate for yourself, outside election gimmicks andpropaganda, who best embodies your and your universitys concerns. Wemust stand up past personality politics where one simply chooses acandidate based on aesthetics and stereotypes. Let us evaluate thecredentials to define which ones are pertinent for the positions that theyare running for, and read and compare the platforms that they offer.

If we understand enough about that which stand before us, we are morecapable of facing it head on. Studying the candidates will help us make awiser assessment on what it is we look for in a leader and not to be caughtup only on the strategies that they use, the promises that they make orthe emotions they espouse. There may very well be candidates, who donot follow these norms, nor do these norms necessarily say that thecandidates who use them are not worth the vote. It must, however, bestressed that we should go passed the image they are trying to build andtry to get to know exactly who they are as leaders and what do they offerus as their constituents. Is there a genuine willingness to serve? Is there acapability to perform well in the council? Is there a passion for the work

they are committed to accomplish? If so, then they are more thandeserving of our patronage.

2k8-9 cult elecmarketing cielo 1steic

Documents