The mediating role of viral communication in the effect of political marketing on political consent: a cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17162/au.v14i1.1481Keywords:
Polítical marketing, Viral communication, Political consent, Generation Z, Voter behaviorAbstract
Political communication is one of the important areas affected by technological developments today. As a matter of fact, it is observed that political parties commonly use viral marketing, a type of word-of-mouth marketing, in their campaigns conducted within the scope of political marketing. This study aims to investigate the impact of political marketing on both viral communication and political consent. Additionally, it seeks to analyze the relationship between viral communication and political consent to determine if there is a noteworthy influence. Generation Z constitutes the universe of the research in this study. In the context of this study, an examination of the data gathered from 511 participants through online research was undertaken to explore and analyze the interconnections between various variables. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed, utilizing statistical package programs for data analysis. The findings revealed that there was no statistically significant impact of political marketing on both viral communication and political consent. Conversely, it was established that there exists a statistically significant and extremely strong influence of viral communication on political consent. Based on these results, it can be said that viral communication activities can make a significant contribution to the implementation of marketing strategies.Downloads
References
Abid, A., Roy, S. K., Lees-Marshment, J., Dey, B. L., Muhammad, S. S., & Kumar, S. (2023). Political social media marketing: a systematic literature review and agenda for future research. Electronic Commerce Research, 1-36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-022-09636-7
Akar, E. (2009). İnternetle değişen siyaset pazarlaması: Dünyadan örneklerle yeni trendler. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 23: 2-9.
Aktepe, H. S., & Durukan, T. (2022). A Descriptive Study to Determine the Effect of Use of New Social Media Channels in Political Marketing Communications on Generation Z: The Example of Youtube and Twitch. Journal of Applied & Theoretical Social Sciences, 4. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0017-8426
Arbuckle, J.L. (2013). IBM SPSS Amos 22 User's Guide. Amos Development Corporation, SPSS Inc.
Arklan, Ü. (2006). Siyasal liderlikte karizma olgusu: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan örneğinde teorik ve uygulamalı bir çalışma. Selçuk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 16: 45-65.
Ayyıldız, H. & Cengiz, A.G.E. (2006). Pazarlama modellerinin testinde kullanılabilecek yapısal eşitlik modeli (YEM) üzerine kavramsal bir inceleme. Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 11(2): 63-84.
Baines, P.R., Brennan, R. & Egan, J. (2003). "Market" classification and political campaigning. Journal of Political Marketing, 2(2): 47-66. https://doi.org/10.1300/J199v02n02_04
Baumgartner, J.C. & Morris, J.S. (2010). Who wants to be my friend? Obama, youth and social networks in the 2008 campaign. J.A. Hendricks, R.E. Denton (ed.), Communicator-in-Chief: How Barack Obama Used New Media Technology to Win the White House: 51-66. Lexington Books.
Baykal, A. (2019). A Comparative Analysis on Voting Behavior of Generations X, Y and Z: Ankara Case (Doctoral dissertation, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Institute of Social Sciences).
Bene, M., Petrekanics, M., & Bene, M. (2023). Facebook as a Political Marketing Tool in an Illiberal Context. Mapping Political Advertising Activity on Facebook during the 2019 Hungarian European Parliament and Local Election Campaigns. Journal of Political Marketing, 22(3-4), 248-266. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377857.2023.2221935
Bigi, A. (2013). Viral political communication and readability: An analysis of an Italian Political Blog. Journal of Public Affairs, 13(2): 209-217. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1476
Borah, P. (2016). Political Facebook use: Campaign strategies used in 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 13(4): 326-338. https://doi.org/10.1080/19331681.2016.1163519
Buccoliero, L., Bellio, E., Crestini G. & Arkoudas A. (2018). Twitter and politics: Evidence from the US Presidential Elections 2016. Journal of Marketing Communications, 26(1): 88-114. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2018.1504228
Bossetta, M., & Schmøkel, R. (2023). Cross-platform emotions and audience engagement in social media political campaigning: Comparing candidates’ Facebook and Instagram images in the 2020 US election. Political Communication, 40(1), 48-68. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2022.2128949
Carufel, R. (2020). PR pulse: Gen Z, Millennial voting behavior is based on issues, not candidates. https://www.agilitypr.com/pr-news/public-relations/pr-pulse-gen-z-millennial-voting-behavior-is-based-onissues-not-candidates/
Ceylan, F., İspir, N. & Özpolat, A.R. (2019). Siyasal rıza ölçeği. Atatürk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 23(2): 605-629.
Chen, Y., & Wang, L. (2022). Misleading political advertising fuels incivility online: A social network analysis of 2020 US presidential election campaign video comments on YouTube. Computers in Human Behavior, 131, 107202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107202
Cruz, D. & Fill, C. (2008). Evaluating viral marketing: Isolating the key criteria. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 26(7): 743-758. https://doi.org/10.1108/02634500810916690
Cwalina, W., Falkowski, A. & Newman, B.I. (2011). Political marketing: Theoretical and strategic foundations. ME Sharpe.
Çakırkaya, M. (2022). Siyasal Pazarlamanın Seçmen Davranışlarına Etkisinde Sosyal Medya, Referans Grupları ve Politik İlgilenimin Aracılık Rolleri: Z Kuşağı Üzerine Bir Araştırma. Eğitim Yayınevi.
Divenyi, M. 2020). Political Marketing in the Digital World: the Case of Cyber Propaganda. Master Thesis, International Business School.
Dasari, S. & Anandakrishnan, B. (2010). Viral marketing of retail products: A study on the influence of attributes of web portals and incentives offered on user registrations. IUP Journal of Marketing Management, 9(1): 99-111.
Dobele, A., Toleman, D. & Beverland, M. (2005). Controlled infection! Spreading the brand message through viral marketing. Business Horizons, 48(2): 143-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2004.10.011
Edelson, L., Sakhuja, S., Dey, R., & McCoy, D. (2019). An analysis of united states online political advertising transparency. arXiv preprint arXiv:1902.04385. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1902.04385
Emruli, S., Zejneli T. & Agai, F. (2011). YouTube and political communication macedonian case. IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, 8(4): 460-466.
Enli, G.S. & Skogerbø, E. (2013). Personalized campaigns in party-centred politics: Twitter and Facebook as arenas for political communication. Information, Communication & Society, 16(5): 757-774. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2013.782330
Erdoğdu, M., & Koçyiğit, M. (2021). The correlation between social media use and cyber victimization: A research on generation Z in Turkey. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences, (61), 101-125. https://doi.org/10.26650/CONNECTIST2021-817567
Fowler, E. F., Franz, M. M., Martin, G. J., Peskowitz, Z., & Ridout, T. N. (2021). Political advertising online and offline. American Political Science Review, 115(1), 130-149. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055420000696
Freedman, D.H. (2021). Exclusive: Chris Evans Was Captain America. Now He Wants to Help Gen Z Reshape US Politics. https://www.newsweek.com/2021/06/25/exclusive-chris-evans-was-captain-americanow-he-wants-help-gen-z-reshape-us-politics-1598792.html
Garay, J. P. P., Flores, J. L. E., Uribe-Hernández, Y. C., & Castagnola-Sánchez, C. G. (2021). Political marketing through facebook and its influence on the attitudes of the artesanos electors of Lima Metropolitana. Revista Turismo Estudos e Práticas-RTEP/UERN, (01), 1-19.
Goldstein, J. (2007). The role of digital networked technologies in the Ukrainian Orange Revolution. Berkman Center Research Publication, 2007(14). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1077686
Grace, M.M. (2020). Voices on Voting: Getting Gen Z to the Polls. https://www.meghanmgrace.com/blog/getting-gen-z-to-the-polls
Grusell, M., & Nord, L. (2023). Not so intimate Instagram: Images of Swedish political party leaders in the 2018 national election campaign. Journal of Political Marketing, 22(2), 92-107. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377857.2020.1841709
Gülsünler, M.E. (2014). Siyasal iletişimde viral pazarlama: Kuramsal bir çerçeve. Selçuk İletişim, 8(3): 76-91.
Gürel, E. & Eyüboğlu, E. (2023). Political Communication in Digital Media and Online Political Participation of Generation Z. The Turkish Online Journal of Design Art and Communication, 13 (4), 980-994. https://doi.org/10.7456/tojdac.1321756
Harder, D. (2020). New voters, new platforms: How first-time Generation Z voters used social media in the 2019 Canadian federal election. https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-5cm5-ag47
Harris P. (2000). To spin or not to spin, that is the question: The emergence of modern political marketing. The Marketing Review, 2(1): 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1362/1469347012569436
Hendricks, J.A. & Frye, J.K. (2012). Social media and the millennial generation in the 2010 midterm election. H.S.N. Al-Deen, J.A. Hendricks (ed.), Social Media Usage and Impact: 183-199, Lexington Books.
Henneberg, S.C. (2006). Leading or following? A theoretical analysis of political marketing postures. Journal of Political Marketing, 5(3): 29-46. https://doi.org/10.1300/J199v05n03_02
Hughes, A. & Dann, S. (2009). Political marketing and stakeholder engagement. Marketing Theory, 9(2): 243-256. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593109103070
İnce, M.E. (2012). Politik pazarlamanın geleneksek pazarlama karmasıyla ilişkilendirilmesi ve Ak Parti örneği, Konya Ticaret Odası Etüd-Araştırma Servisi Yayınları: 1-8.
Jöreskog, K.G. & Sörbom, D. (1993). LISREL 8: Structural equation modeling with the SIMPLIS command language. Scientific Software International.
Jungherr, A. (2016). Twitter use in election campaigns: A systematic literature review. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 13(1): 72-91. https://doi.org/10.1080/19331681.2015.1132401
Kaplan, E. B. (2020). The millennial/gen Z leftists are emerging: are sociologists ready for them?. Sociological Perspectives, 63(3), 408-427. https://doi.org/10.1177/0731121420915868
Kotler, P. (1975). Overview of political candidate marketing, in NA - Advances in Consumer Research, 02: 761-770.
Kotler, P. & Armstrong, G. (2008). Principles of marketing. 12. Painos. Person Education Inc.
Kutlu, Ö. & Altuntaş, A. (2019). Gençlerin kamu politikaları süreçlerine sosyal medya üzerinden katılımı. 2019 SPMS, V. Stratejik Kamu Yönetimi, Sempozyumu Bildiri Kitabı (39-66), İstanbul.
Leppäniemi, M., Karjaluoto, H., Lehto H. & Goman A. (2010). Targeting young voters in a political campaign: Empirical insights into an interactive digital marketing campaign in the 2007 finnish general election. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 22(1): 14-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/10495140903190374
Miller, F.G. & Wertheimer, A. (2010). The ethics of consent: Theory and practice. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335149.001.0001
Mohr, I. (2007). Buzz marketing for movies. Business Horizons, 50(5): 395-403. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2007.04.001
Newman, B.I. (2001). An assessment of the 2000 US presidential election: a set of political marketing guidelines. Journal of Public Affairs: An International Journal, 1(3): 210-216. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.67
Niffenegger, P.B. (1988). Strategies for success from the political marketers. Journal of Services Marketing, 2(3): 15-21. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb024729
O'cass, A. (2002). Political advertising believability and information source value during elections. Journal of Advertising, 31(1), 63-74. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2002.10673661
O'Cass, A. & Pecotich, A. (2005). The dynamics of voter behavior and influence processes in electoral markets: A consumer behavior perspective. Journal of Business Research, 58(4): 406-413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2003.08.003
Ogbidi, J., Basil, G. & Bassey, A.E. (2016). Marketing communication strategies and voters behaviour in electioneering process in Cross River State, Nigeria. Global Journal of Management and Business Research, 16(11): 51-62.
Parmelee, J.H., Perkins, S.C. & Beasley, B. (2023) Personalization of politicians on Instagram: what Generation Z wants to see in political posts, Information, Communication & Society, 26:9, 1773-1788, https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2022.2027500
Perloff, R. M. (2021). The dynamics of political communication: Media and politics in a digital age. Routledge.
Phelps, J.E., Lewis, R., Mobilio, L., Perry, D. & Raman, N. (2004). Viral marketing or electronic word-of-mouth advertising: Examining consumer responses and motivations to pass along email. Journal of Advertising Research, 44(4): 333-348. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021849904040371
Poon, D.Ck., Lam, S.Sk. (2020). Viral Marketing in Political Communication: Case Study of John Tsang’s Campaign in the 2017 Hong Kong Chief Executive Election. In: Ho, A. (eds) Advances in Human Factors in Communication of Design. AHFE 2019. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 974. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20500-3_16
Richey, S. (2008). The autoregressive influence of social network political knowledge on voting behaviour. British Journal of Political Science, 38(3): 527-542. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123408000264
Rinaudo, B. (2023). The new teacher of ideas: A study on social media, political influencers, and Generation Z". Honors Theses. 3002.
Ross, K. & Bürger, T. (2014). Face to Face (book) social media, political campaigning and the unbearable lightness of being there. Political Science, 66(1): 46-62. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032318714534106
Skoric, M., Poor, N., Achananuparp, P., Lim, E. P. & Jiang, J. (2012). Tweets and votes: A study of the 2011 Singapore General Election. In 2012 45th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (2583-2591). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2012.607
Smith, M. (1914). The consent of the governed. Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science in the City of New York, 5(1): 82-88. https://doi.org/10.2307/1193335
Smith, M. (2010). Political campaigns in the Twenty-First Century: Implications of New Media Technology. J.A. Hendricks, R.E. Denton (ed.), Communicator-in-Chief: How Barack Obama Used New Media Technology to Win the White House: 139-155. Lexington Books.
Snow, N. (2010). My fellow blogging Americans: Weblogs and the race for the White House. J.A. Hendricks, R.E. Denton (ed.), Communicator-In-Chief: How Barack Obama Used New Media Technology to Win the White House: 67-82. Lexington Books.
Takaragawa, S. & Carty V. (2012). The 2008 US presidential election and new digital technologies: Political campaigns as social movements and the significance of collective identity. Tamara: Journal for Critical Organization Inquiry, 10(4): 73-89.
TUIK, (2020). Adrese Dayalı Nüfus Kayıt Sistemi Sonuçları, 2019. https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Adrese-Dayali-Nufus-Kayit-Sistemi-Sonuclari-2019-33705
Van Dijck, J. (2013). The culture of connectivity: A critical history of social media. Oxford University Press.
Waite, B.C. (2010). E-mail and electoral fortunes: Obama's Campaign internet insurgency. J.A. Hendricks, R.E. Denton (ed.), Communicator-In-Chief: How Barack Obama used New Media Technology to Win the White House: 105-121. Lexington Books.
Wattal, S., Schuff, D., Mandviwalla, M. & Williams C.B. (2010). Web 2.0 and politics: The 2008 US Presidential Election and an e-politics research agenda. MIS Quarterly, 34(4): 669-688. https://doi.org/10.2307/25750700
Williams, A.P. & Trammell, K.D. (2005). Candidate campaign e-mail messages in the Presidential Election 2004. American Behavioral Scientist, 49(4): 560-574. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764205279438
Wring, D. (1997). Reconciling marketing with political science: Theories of political marketing. Journal of Marketing Management, 13(7): 651-663. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.1997.9964502
Zernigah, K. I. & Sohail, K. (2012). Consumers' attitude towards viral marketing in Pakistan. Management & Marketing, 7(4): 645-662.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Murat Çakırkaya, Murat Koçyiğit
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- The authors retain their copyright but assign to the journal the right of the first publication, with the work registered under the Creative Commons attribution license, which allows third parties to use the published information as long as they mention the authorship of the work and that it was first published in this journal.
- Authors may make other independent or additional contractual arrangements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the article published in this journal (eg, include it in an institutional repository or publish it in a book) as long as it clearly indicates that the work was first published in this journal.
- Authors are encouraged and advised to publish their work on the Internet (for example, on institutional or personal pages) before and during the review and publication process, as it can lead to productive exchanges and a greater and faster dissemination of the published work (see The Effect of Open Access).
