Kantar Reveals the Most Effective Campaign Touchpoints in the Senatorial Elections

Kantar, one of the world’s largest research agencies with experts in over 90 countries, recently launched their Touchpoint Evaluation Study of the Senatorial Elections, a quantitative program about the dynamics of voter preference formation from recent candidate experience.

The study focused on currently registered voters, males and females, 18 years old and above, from Class ABCDE homes who would likely vote in the May 2019 elections. Interviews were conducted from March 30, 2019 to April 6, 2019 in NCR, North Central Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Among the topics discussed during the interviews with 1,500 respondents were awareness of senatorial candidates, voting preference, candidate association with attributes and experience with campaign touchpoints.

Senator Grace Poe secures the top spot in the 2019 senatorial race. Only two in five voters have a complete line-up for the elections

After more than two months of campaigning, the Kantar study lists probable winners in the May elections. They are mostly incumbents running for re-election and former senators eyeing a return as Philippine legislators.

Senator Grace Poe takes the lead with Senator Cynthia Villar following next. Completing the list of potential winners are former Senator Lito Lapid, former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Chief Ronald Dela Rosa, former Senator Ramon Revilla, Jr., former special assistant to the President Christopher Go, Taguig Representative Pia Cayetano, Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino, former Senator Jinggoy Estrada, Senator Nancy Binay, former Interior Secretary and Senator Mar Roxas, Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito, Senator Sonny Angara, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III and Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos.

Moreover, only two in five voters have a complete line-up for the senatorial race, according to Kantar. Having a complete slate is particularly highest in South Luzon and Visayas, and lowest in NCR and North Central Luzon.

The formation of voter preference from recent candidate experience is heavily driven by TV and posters

Throughout the campaign, candidates employ various means to get their names and messages across to the electorate. These touchpoints include campaign rallies, endorsements, TV ads and news reports, digital placements mainly through social media channels like Facebook and YouTube, Twitter feeds, posters and billboards, and many more.

The Kantar survey measured the effectiveness of 30 campaign touchpoints to building candidate memorability and voter preference. Only three contributed to nearly 50% of lasting candidate memorability, proving that not all touchpoints are equal. According to Jose Villabroza, Kantar Philippines Chief Solutions Officer, “the key to navigating the electorate landscape successfully lies in identifying and focusing on the touchpoints that have the biggest impact”.

As the Philippines enters the homestretch of the senatorial campaign, political strategists are taking stock of the gains made in the two months past. Also, Kantar notes the importance of making the most of the last week to election day and the most impactful way for candidates to invest what remains of their campaign resources.

Kantar’s Connect solution identifies TV ads, news, debates as well as posters, radio and word of mouth as the most hardworking touchpoints for the Senatorial election campaigns. Digital assets like blogs/vlogs, Instagram, online forum, candidate website, among others, are less impactful campaign touchpoints based on data gathered for this study

Villabroza adds that “candidates are leveraged differently across touchpoints”. Connect identifies the most effective touchpoints, so that strategists can extend their candidate’s message more impactfully and optimize the return on spend. It is based on the latest behavioral economics thinking and uses individual level analysis to determine candidate performance across touchpoints and identify ways to improve messaging. Connect shows how much of recent candidate experience is helping in the formation of voter preference. It isolates stock equity or pre-campaign attitudinal franchise enjoyed by a candidate.