Proceedings: Conference on Corporate Communication 2012 Page 1
Proceedings: Conference on Corporate Communication 2012 Page 1
Proceedings: Conference on Corporate Communication 2012 Page 1
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The Dynamics of Political Communicati<strong>on</strong> in a Weak Democracy<br />
Lanre Issa-Onilu<br />
MMCC Group Limited, Nigeria<br />
l.issa<strong>on</strong>ilu@mmccgroup.com<br />
Purpose: In this paper, I propose to examine the challenges of the dilemma and unique<br />
communicati<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>straints of political communicati<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>sultants in a developing democracy,<br />
where ballot wholesaling and retailing, violence and coerci<strong>on</strong> rather than majority support most<br />
often determine electoral victory.<br />
Approach: This paper explores factors that create variati<strong>on</strong> between political communicati<strong>on</strong><br />
management methods and streetwise strategies with the purpose of advancing the scope of<br />
existing studies and practices as applicable in a weak democratic envir<strong>on</strong>ment.<br />
Findings: By examining the peculiar field experience from a practiti<strong>on</strong>er perspective, this paper<br />
shows the limitati<strong>on</strong>s of the c<strong>on</strong>cepts and theories of persuasi<strong>on</strong> and behavioral change as drivers<br />
of political communicati<strong>on</strong> and electi<strong>on</strong> victory.<br />
Research Implicati<strong>on</strong>s: The outcomes of this exploratory paper will open up new areas of<br />
studies in the field of political communicati<strong>on</strong> and enhance the capacity of communicati<strong>on</strong><br />
c<strong>on</strong>sultants in executing political campaigns, especially in developing democracies.<br />
Practical Applicati<strong>on</strong>s: Understanding the peculiarities practiti<strong>on</strong>ers must deal with in<br />
developing democracies will equip professi<strong>on</strong>als with the expertise required to successfully<br />
execute political campaigns.<br />
Keywords: Political communicati<strong>on</strong>, Ballot wholesaling and retailing, Persuasi<strong>on</strong>, Behavioral<br />
change.<br />
In this paper, I explore the peculiarities of the political envir<strong>on</strong>ment of developing democracies,<br />
using the author’s pers<strong>on</strong>al political campaign c<strong>on</strong>sulting experience in Nigeria to illustrate the<br />
c<strong>on</strong>straints communicati<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>sultants face in executing political campaigns. The paper<br />
dem<strong>on</strong>strates that votes winning, electi<strong>on</strong> winning, and majority support do not always have the<br />
same meaning. I posit that vote winning (vote purchase), electi<strong>on</strong> winning (coerci<strong>on</strong> and<br />
violence), and majority support (voters educati<strong>on</strong> and persuasi<strong>on</strong>), represent dynamics of political<br />
communicati<strong>on</strong> in a weak democracy. Staying true to ethical standards and achieving the<br />
objectives of candidate-client require bookwise and streetwise strategies.<br />
Abstracts of <str<strong>on</strong>g>C<strong>on</strong>ference</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Proceedings</str<strong>on</strong>g>: <str<strong>on</strong>g>C<strong>on</strong>ference</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> <strong>Corporate</strong> Communicati<strong>on</strong> <strong>2012</strong><br />
<strong>Page</strong> 55