The Effect of Political Marketing on the Electoral Behavior of Greek Voters

Abstract

The current paper is positioned primarily on the statement that the voter is influenced by political communication and political marketing, produced by the political system and the political markets in particular, and which is partly shaped by the political issues of society. Accordingly, the specific study is established on the fact that electoral behaviour is a practice of consumer behaviour and consequently, the voter is the prospective consumer of the political marketing mix, produced by the political system. In this respect, the paper gives a relevant theoretical background regarding voters’ behaviour and political marketing. More specifically, research involved a survey through the use of a structured questionnaire with closed questions and the use of a 5-point Linkert Scale, which allows the measuring of the impact of the factors that are forming the marketing mix of the Greek political market. The survey occurred electronically, with the use of a convenient sample, with 605 Greek citizens with electoral right. The answers were given between the 27th of June and the 11th of July 2023, just after the two subsequent electoral contests. The particular timing was preferred, in order to obtain the reflection of a clear electoral output and therefore, to attain the monitoring of a transparent impact of the political marketing. Beyond the favorable timing, another reason for which the Greek case was preferred, is the fact that there is a favorable ground for the particular field, and the specific research is likely to contribute to the existing research gap by focusing on the impact of political marketing produced by the Greek political market. In conclusion, the research demonstrates and measures the electorate impact of the various elements of the political marketing mix.