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Editor's Note: Patricio Morelos is a political communication consultant. Political scientist from ITESM and specialist in Government Management from UCJC. He is currently a student of the Master in Political Communication and Strategic Governance at George Washington University. He is also a university professor of Political Marketing and Citizenship and Democracy at the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey. Twitter: @patomorelos
(CNN Spanish) - A few days ago I had to urgently return to Mexico after the government of the Dominican Republic decreed a state of emergency for the coronavirus. I was in the Caribbean country working on the municipal elections that, without a doubt, had an atypical closure.
The last week unfolded in the midst of the global covid-19 crisis. News came of the thousands of infections and deaths in Asia and Europe. The virus, which would spread to all regions of the world, would also have an impact on the electoral process.
The meetings had to be canceled. The work teams began to meet by video call. Campaign closings were also canceled, which in Latin America are regularly massive events that seek to demonstrate the “political muscle”.
Propaganda went from the streets to digital. Now, the campaign strategy was focused on generating good audiovisual products that would be disseminated through the payment of advertising on social networks.
And finally, the participation factor. That people, out of fear of contagion, did not go out to vote, directly impacting the efforts that had been made for months to win an election.
Our reality changed and the way of doing politics too. And this new reality forces governments, candidates and even consultants to seek new communication mechanisms to maintain relationships with citizens.
This year, unless the calendars are changed, electoral processes will take place in Latin American countries such as the Dominican Republic and Mexico. We also have to mention the elections in the United States, which in recent months have dominated the international media agenda.
How to campaign in times of coronavirus? How can we get closer to people if we cannot visit them in their homes?
Traditionally, political campaigns in Latin America have had a strong territorial component. They are done on the street, with people, waving, hugging and looking into each other's eyes.
Not for nothing is it constantly repeated that "a like is not a vote" but "a face-to-face message, yes". We can discuss the phrase, but what is a fact is that in the region we are used to large crowds, to direct contact and, of course, to mobilization.
So what do we do and what can we expect from political campaigns in the coming months?
1.- The digital: at this time, when work cannot be done in the territory, the digital world takes center stage. Social networks become the main channels of communication between the candidate and the voter. Now, posting a photo with a message is not fulfilling the communication objective. Social networks are intended to generate a digital community, so the most important thing is the interaction between the politician and the user.
2.- Value content: the citizen is facing a saturation of information. All the time we are receiving messages, especially negative ones, that provoke fear and paranoia. It will be important for audiovisual products to be generated that respond to people's problems (support for workers, SMEs, the health sector). People need hope, so they have to propose solutions to a future that seems uncertain.
3.- The importance of segmentation: messages are aimed at a specific audience, our target market. If our work is to focus on social media, it is important to identify where our voters are. The above so that our advertising guideline has the greatest possible impact.
4.- Technological tools: nothing we have talked about will be possible without the use of technological tools. Today, information is power, so its interpretation and use can define our success or failure. For example, the use of " big data " to identify and get to know our constituents, "call centers" and the massive sending of messages to promote an idea or a project or, of course, telephone surveys that allow us to measure sentiment from the people.
In addition, it is important to mention that it is time to consider the possibility of moving from manual to electronic voting in the region. A pandemic like the one we are experiencing can prevent an election from being made, putting the institutional stability of our countries at risk.
Of course, we must debate it, analyze it, and look for alternatives that facilitate remote voting, ensuring legality in the process, which is so lacking in the region.
Ricardo Amado Castillo, a professor at The George Washington University, comments that "voters are hungry for authentic leadership that does not have to be perfect, but that at least does not claim to be professional liars."
The current situation forces the politician to understand people's problems, to be close and empathetic. It forces him not to confuse personal with collective reality. To understand their privileges and not generalize.
Because as many people on social networks have responded to the campaign of governments and politicians called "stay at home": "you better stay in mine, with my problems and with my hunger."
Elections