By the time you read this piece, the 14th Malaysian General Election will have been over and you will be back at work as usual or would have just finished enjoying a special two-day public holiday. As I can’t predict what the future is at the time of writing, I am going to stick to what has already happened. This GE witnessed the largest media investment ever on a public campaign in the country.
Thanks to Barisan Nasional.
And it is now left to be seen how this will show up on the adex radar soon. As evidenced on all platforms, the media blitzkrieg has been nothing short of total domination. From print and outdoor to online and social. From influencer marketing to recycled videos and fake news. Many pundits debated the wastage in placing messages alongside opposing stories or of negative publicity to the advertiser but fret not, brand safety flew out the window this time. As Trump’s political adviser Roger Stone says, “All publicity is good publicity.”
But then, he also said, “The general election is not an organizational exercise – it’s a mass media exercise.” My Roger Stone favourite is, “There is something urbane, stylish, and worldly about owning a cocktail shaker.”
Personally, I believe this is a “WhatsApp” election with the continuous barrage of messages, pix and videos bombarded through that platform.
We also asked Oliver Woods, Director of Red2 Digital and keen observer of the Malaysian elections for this thoughts: “Facebook Live and Instagram Stories drove the main social content strategies. Tun Mahathir and Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal individually, plus ‘Parti Oren’ (Amanah) and ‘Parti Bunga’ (Bersatu) have been leaders in pushing their content Live consistently.”
“UMNO leaders have also skilfully used Twitter: the timelines of Khairy Jamaluddin and Dato’ Abdul Rahman Dahlan can teach you a lot about how to approach the platform you may have thought was ‘dead’.”
“Facebook is the de facto blogging platform in Southeast Asia. The platform’s historic advice to keep posts short has been ignored, and leaders on both sides (Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, Datuk Eric See-To) have written blog-length posts that have been shared many thousands of times. Who says you can’t write long posts on FB anymore?”
I will leave you with one thought, breaking through the clutter of the election’s media blitz, one billboard along the highways stood out and should be given a special award for visibility….. have a Nexcious day.
By The Turbanned Stranger
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