Political campaign

A political campaign is an organized effort to influence decision-making within a specific group. In democratic systems, these efforts are often called electoral campaigns. These campaigns help citizens choose representatives or decide on specific referendums. The most high-profile campaigns usually focus on general elections. These elections are for heads of state or heads of government, such as a president or a prime minister.

The core of any campaign is the campaign message. This message contains the specific ideas a candidate wants to share with voters. Candidates use several talking points about policy issues to summarize their main ideas. They repeat these points frequently to create a lasting impression. Most campaigns prefer a broad message to attract many different types of voters. A message that is too narrow can alienate people or require too much detail to explain. For example, in 2008, John McCain shifted his message from "Country First" to "The Original Maverick." In contrast, Barack Obama used the consistent, simple message of "change" throughout his run.

Modern campaigns function like large, complex businesses. They use a coherent structure of personnel known as a campaign machine. This machine consists of both paid employees and unpaid volunteers. Campaign managers lead the organization to ensure marketing objectives are met. They oversee fundraising, advertising, polling, and voter turnout. Political consultants provide expert advice on research and field strategy. They focus heavily on mass media and controlling the candidate's public image. Activists act as the "foot soldiers" of the campaign. These volunteers may perform tasks like canvassing door-to-door or making phone calls.

Raising money is a vital part of the campaign process. Candidates use various fundraising techniques to gather necessary funds. They may meet with large donors or send direct mail to small donors. Interest groups may also contribute millions of dollars if the election affects their interests. In the United States, funds can flow through Political Action Committees, or PACs. This practice was allowed by the Supreme Court in the 2010 case Citizens United v. FEC.

Campaigns also rely on complex strategies to reach different groups of people. Political scientist Joel Bradshaw suggests that an electorate can be divided into three groups. These are the candidate's base, the opponent's base, and the undecided voters. Successful campaigns use past election data and survey research to identify these groups. They do not try to win over every single person. Instead, they direct their money, time, and messages toward key groups of potential voters.

Communication is divided into two main categories: paid media and earned media. Paid media includes advertisements in newspapers, radio, or television. These are controlled by the campaign, allowing them to tailor their message. Campaigns often increase spending in contested regions as the election approaches. They may end with a "closing argument ad" to summarize their vision. Earned media is free coverage from news stories or social media. This is not paid for by the campaign and is often uncontrolled. While paid media is planned, earned media can result from scandals or mistakes. For example, much of the 2016 coverage for Hillary Clinton focused on her email issues.

In the modern era, the internet has become a core element of political campaigning. Technologies like email, websites, and podcasts allow for faster communication and easier organizing. Social media is used for both marketing and direct dialogue with voters. In Norway, politicians use Facebook for marketing and Twitter for continuous dialogue. Barack Obama's 2008 campaign was a major example of using new media. He used social media, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and websites to reach younger populations.