A Critical Analysis of Influence of Micro Targeting in 2021 Assembly Election Campaigns in Chennai

Abstract

Targeting electorates in democracy elections is as old as democracy and indulging in corrupt practices to persuade such targeted electorates is also prohibited. There are two elements involved in this - targeting and corrupt practices. Targeting voters means which voters to be communicated with what messages it aims at the voters who are considered to be moderate and who could be swayed on either direction. It is a part of political marketing; it is the process of identifying specific group to promote political candidates and to appease their political needs and thus gain support for the candidate and their ideas. Consumer Marketing strategies as such applied in the Political Marketing. The concepts of selling, buying and product and services are similar in consumer and political marketing. The product and service are offered in exchange of money in consumer marketing it is the safe society and economic prosperity is offered in exchange of vote in the political marketing. The basic demography details, age, gender, education, race, religion, economics, ethnicity plays vital role to segment of voters broadly and to create targeted messages and advertisements. Geographic details, state, city, location etc. combined to such demographic details improves the contents and advertisements dearer to the voters of such locations and to make targeted messages more effective.