From electoral ads to political marketing: the lowdown on 2019 elections in Asia Pacific

""In the absence of good data, my hunch is that the impact of online media (both the good and the bad) is often overstated," Fox says."

""Other traditional forms of media such as the national and regional press and even election posters likely still have a greater impact in these countries. Plus, door-to-door campaigning is still the primary means for candidates to mobilizing voters.""

""There is less at stake and the incumbent regime with the most means is already well-placed to do well in the mid-terms," he says, noting that the incumbent administration led by president Rodrigo Duarte, is well placed to maintain their large majority in the House of Representatives and to boost their majority in the Senate in the May mid-terms."

General elections and mid-terms across Asia Pacific, including India, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, are approaching. Social media played a major role in recent Western political events, but APAC exhibits diverse media habits that complicate assessment of online influence. Reliable, well-designed studies measuring social media effects in APAC are scarce, especially outside the West. Traditional national and regional press, election posters and face-to-face door-to-door campaigning retain substantial influence on voters. Philippine mid-term contests typically generate less social media-driven manipulation, and incumbents with resources are often well positioned to maintain or expand legislative majorities. Indonesia will hold both legislative and presidential elections.

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