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'Air war' to change dramatically
Published in the Jamaica Gleaner: Sunday | August 26, 2007
The announcement late Friday that the new polling date for the general election will be September 3 means that the campaign will resume in earnest shortly; but the 'air war' that characterised the media campaign before it was shut down by Hurricane Dean is likely to change dramatically.
Strategists must decide how much of the old campaign to retain and how much new material to introduce in light of the new circumstances that now confront them.
Development strategies
Among the new developments strategists have to contend with are the changed and changing personal circumstances and psychological state of mind of important segments of the target audience; the availability of electricity in certain parts of the country and the effect this will have on the use of television for advertising; and, the allocation of party funds between advertising and other campaign activities.
There are also subjective and psychological questions about the state of mind of the voter: At what point will voters be willing and able to turn their minds away from the trauma of a hurricane to the democratic engagement of voting? Will voters react negatively to advertisements attacking rivals if they feel the country should be united around the relief and rehabilitation effort in a non-partisan effort?
JLP general secretary, Karl Samuda, speaking on Nationwide News Friday afternoon, said the party hierarchy would be meeting over the weekend to determine the new approaches.
"One thing we know is that the intensity that preceded the hurricane will not be there as we are mindful that some persons are still suffering from the adverse effects of the disaster and have to concentrate on their personal and family welfare," he said.
Samuda said the JLP would be "working on a one-on-one basis" with voters, meeting them in their homes and communities.
Also speaking on Nationwide, PNP vice-president Angela Brown-Burke noted that thegoverning party had pulled all its advertising once it became clear that the country would be impacted by the huge Category Four hurricane, stressing the need for national unity.
She warned Samuda that the JLPs "house-to-house" strategy should not be a cover to use hurricane relief for party political advantage or to "buy votes". Politics should not "influence the process" of distributing relief, she said.
In relation to media reach, it is significant that some of the most competitive seats in the country are in the areas most adversely affected by 'Dean', including the southern belt, from Clarendon through Manchester to St. Elizabeth, and the eastern parishes of Portland and St. Thomas.
Winsome Callam, manager of corporate communications at the Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd., was saying on Thursday that most of the country would have power by this weekend; St. Thomas, St. Mary and Portland by Friday (August 31); while Clarendon, Manchester and St. Elizabeth would be "some weeks away".
In these circumstances, the parties are unlikely to use television to reach voters in these areas and could very well concentrate on face-to-face communication led by the candidates rather than relying on direction from party headquarters.
In the days leading up to September 3, the JLP may be expected to tone down the personal attacks on the Prime minister but they would be looking to exploit any missteps she makes in managing the relief and recovery process, while presenting Golding as capable to lead the country out of the disaster.
Indeed, this approach has been signalled by a 'soft' JLP ad on radio that had numerous repetitions over the past week when direct advertising was suspended.
It takes the form of a statement by the JLP leader expressing sympathy to those who suffered loss and commending the security forces, health officials and other emergency workers.
'Confusion and bungling'
However, he said, he was "more than a little disappointed by the "confusion and bungling" in the government relief agencies, while seeking to score political points by stressing that this was a time requiring "strong leadership, effective coordination and it must come from the top".
The PNP campaign to date, on the other hand, has been less focused, the messages diffused, and the production values have been staid and conservative. At the outset, the party made the mistake of reacting to the JLP's 'change' campaign by insisting it would not change course.
However, just before Hurricane Dean blew the air war off the screen, the PNP campaign was beginning to develop a clearer message, presenting the achievements of the PNP; portraying Portia as a player on the world stage as well as a manager of the government process; and getting endorsements from young women who have benefited from education and business opportunities under the PNP.
We can expect to see 'emotional' and 'caring' ads in which both party leaders and other candidates are shown comforting and offering tangible assistance to hurricane victims.
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