THE IMPACT OF POLITICAL MARKETING PERCEPTION ON POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

Abstract

The leading objective of this study was to explore the impact of political marketing perception on political participation. For data collection, an online form was created through Google Forms and distributed to female voters living in Isparta who were over 18 years of age and eligible to vote in elections. Out of a total of 544 female participants who volunteered for the study and achieved the questionnaire in its wholeness, were contained in the analysis. Simple random sampling was engaged in this descriptive research model. Afterwards, the data were exposed to various statistical tests, including “Reliability,” “KMO test,” “Factor Analysis,” and “Regression Analysis,” using the SPSS 21 package program to specify the effect of political marketing perception on political participation in accord with the proposed research model. Seven factors were discovered in the dimensions of political participation among female voters, with each factor being labeled rooted in the items that built it. These factors were named as “Political Support,” “Preference Reason,” “Political Product,” “Media and Interest,” “Reward,” “Candidate,” and “Social Structure,” respectively. Additionally, three factors were identified in the dimensions of political marketing among female voters, and each factor was named based on the items that made up it. The factors were designated as “Marketing Communication,” “Advertisement,” and “Visibility,” accordingly. The study revealed that strong marketing communication could potentially deliver as a dynamic strategy to enhance a candidate’s performance and reputation in the opinion of voters. In this regard, political parties and candidates may take into consideration boosting their investment in marketing communication efforts to enact an improving connection with voters and manage a positive image.