Event Reports
How can new supporters be mobilised? How are election campaigns being evaluated? What are new PR trends? To answer these questions, the KAS Media Program South East Europe brought together party spokespersons from nine countries as well as PR experts from Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands. The workshop took place in Cadenabbia from 19th to 22nd October 2016.
Important political decisions are currently made in South East Europe. Croatia has a new prime minister; new presidents were elected in Bulgaria and Moldova. Furthermore, parliamentary elections are being held in Macedonia in December. In this context the KAS Media Program enhances political communication and provides a platform for exchange between spokespersons.
Christian Spahr, Head of the KAS Media Program, commented that the trust of citizens in political communication is low in the region. This was confirmed by opinion polls of the Media Program in Bulgaria and Romania. Spahr presented new findings of a survey on PR organisation and PR strategies done among representatives of political parties in South East Europe. The centre-right parties are mostly using TV and online media for their public relations. All party leaders have a Facebook account and three out of four use Twitter for spreading political messages. However, only every second party leader has a spokesperson who is giving official statements in his or her name. In many cases top politicians reserve TV interviews for themselves.
Effective mobilisation of party members and voters
Developing a political message and addressing it to different target groups is a challenge – not only in South East Europe, explained Ralf Güldenzopf, Head of Department of Political Communication of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. "Different target groups need to be distinguished and correctly addressed," said Güldenzopf. He shared his experiences with door-to-door election campaigns of the CDU in Germany. A good preparation and an active participation of volunteers are important. Güldenzopf emphasised that through personal communication trust among voters can be built and votes are being secured. "Use open registers and public databases to become familiar with the media habits of your target group," recommended Güldenzopf. A clear message regarding individual needs of the citizens should be part of every good political strategy.
More in the event report.