2027: Politicians Must Build Brands Early, Embrace Digital Marketing, Says Dada

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Politicians seeking elective office in the 2027 general election have been advised to begin building their public image early and embrace data-driven digital marketing to connect effectively with Nigeria’s increasingly young and discerning electorate.

Managing Director of PRM Africa Marketing and Communications Limited, Mike Dada, gave the advice while speaking on the future of political marketing, saying technology, artificial intelligence and data analytics were rapidly changing the way political campaigns were conceived and executed.

Dada, who is also the Founder and Executive Producer of the All Africa Music Awards, said the era when politicians depended mainly on rallies, posters, traditional media and political structures to reach voters was gradually fading.

“Digital marketing is no longer an ‘alternative’ channel; it is the primary battlefield. In a world of evolving tech, digital marketing allows for micro-targeting, precision, and measurement,” he said.

According to him, campaigns could now tailor messages to different categories of voters while retaining a candidate’s central political identity.

“We can send one message to a farmer in the North and a different, tailored message to a tech enthusiast in Lagos, while maintaining the core brand essence. It provides the feedback loop that traditional media lacks. It is not the future; it is now,” he said.

Dada said political campaigns should be based on proper assessment of the electorate, demographic and psychographic analysis, voter segmentation and targeted communication.

He urged politicians to regard their personal brand, records, values and communication as critical components of their political identity, rather than attempting to reinvent themselves only months before an election.

He said political branding went beyond attractive posters, television commercials and social media content, stressing that candidates must establish what they represented and build credibility over time.

“Branding is not a coat of paint you slap on two months before an election. It is a reputation built over time,” he said. “Define your ‘Brand Essence’ early. What do you stand for? If you wait until 2027 to tell us who you are, the opposition will tell us who you are first,” he stressed.

Dada, whose company he said had managed 16 elections end-to-end, also identified data as a critical component of modern political campaigns.

He said digital tools could enable campaign organisations to track voter sentiment, measure the effectiveness of messages and determine when their strategies needed to change.

“We no longer guess. We need to count the numbers for it to count. In any case, democracy is a game of numbers,” he said.

He explained that sentiment analysis, digital footprint tracking, evaluation and periodic polling could help campaigns measure their effectiveness across different demographic and geopolitical groups.

“If your marketing isn’t moving the needle in the polls or social sentiment, you know you need to pivot,” he said.

Dada, however, cautioned politicians against assuming that digital campaigns could replace grassroots mobilisation, stressing that online engagement must be combined with physical interaction with voters.

“It is important I point out that political marketing needs to be married with push strategy, OTG — on-the-ground work — for success or for the campaign objective to be achieved,” he said.

He also urged governments at all levels to engage professionals in communicating their policies and programmes, arguing that even effective policies could fail to win public confidence if citizens were not properly informed about them.

“Governments often treat public affairs communication as ‘propaganda’ rather than ‘engagement’. They use unqualified civil servants or ‘information officers’ to do the job of brand specialists,” he said.

According to him, the failure to communicate effectively could create a disconnect between government performance and public perception.

“The result is a disconnect and miscommunication you see everywhere in Africa: a government is performing, but citizens feel neglected and distant,” Dada said.

He urged governments to recognise communication as an integral part of governance, arguing that building reputation, trust and mutual understanding was essential for securing legitimacy and public support for government policies.