2027: Politicians must build brands early, embrace data-driven campaigns — Dada

Politicians preparing for the 2027 elections have been advised to begin building their public image early and adopt data-driven digital marketing strategies to effectively engage an increasingly young and discerning electorate.

The advice was given by the Managing Director of PRM Africa Marketing and Communications Limited, Mike Dada, who said technology, artificial intelligence and data analytics were fundamentally changing the way political campaigns are planned and executed.

Dada, a marketing and public relations expert and Founder and Executive Producer of the All Africa Music Awards, said the era of relying primarily on political rallies, posters, traditional media and established political structures to reach voters was gradually giving way to more targeted and measurable forms of communication.

According to him, digital marketing has moved from being a supplementary campaign tool to becoming a central component of modern electioneering.

“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.

Dada explained that digital platforms could enable campaigns to tailor messages to different demographic groups while maintaining a consistent 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 added.

He said political campaigns should therefore begin with detailed assessments of the electorate, including demographic and psychographic analysis, voter segmentation and targeted communication.

Dada also urged aspirants and political office seekers to regard their personal reputation, records, values and communication style as components of a political brand that must be developed over time.

He cautioned against waiting until the final months before an election before attempting to redefine a candidate’s public image.

“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.”

Dada, whose PRM Africa has managed 16 elections end-to-end, said candidates could no longer depend solely on repeatedly addressing the same audiences at rallies and expect to communicate effectively with the broader electorate.

He further identified data as a critical component of contemporary political marketing, saying campaign organisations could use digital tools to monitor voter sentiment, assess the performance of campaign messages and make adjustments based on evidence.

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

He said sentiment analysis, digital footprint tracking, periodic polling and campaign evaluation could help political organisations determine whether their messages were influencing public opinion among specific demographic and geographic groups.

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

However, Dada warned that digital campaigning should not be regarded as a replacement for grassroots mobilisation.

He said successful political campaigns would require a combination of digital communication and physical engagement 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.

Beyond election campaigns, Dada called on governments at all levels to engage communication and branding professionals in explaining their policies and programmes to citizens.

He argued that effective policy implementation could be undermined where governments failed to communicate adequately with the public.

“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, poor communication can create a disconnect between government performance and citizens’ perception of government activities.

“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 regard reputation, public perception, mutual understanding and trust as strategic assets, stressing that communicating policies effectively was an important component of securing public understanding and support.