The Continuing Education Unit at the College of Mass Communication held a specialized workshop titled “Elections and Political Marketing: Concepts, Tools, and Ethics,” delivered by Assistant Lecturer Ahmed Mahmoud Ouda.
The workshop aimed to explain the mechanisms of the electoral process and highlight the role of political marketing in shaping public opinion. The lecturer discussed elections as a peaceful mechanism for selecting representatives and transferring power, outlining their key functions in granting legitimacy, choosing representatives, promoting political participation, and ensuring accountability.
Ouda also reviewed the stages of the electoral process, from voter registration and candidate nominations to election campaigns, voting, and the announcement of results. He noted that “the election campaign is the stage at which political marketing takes place.”
The lecturer explained the key differences between commercial marketing, which seeks profit, and political marketing, which aims to gain votes, support, and public trust.
The workshop also examined the political marketing mix—product, cost, distribution, and promotion—and how to build a candidate’s public image through media presence, engagement with the public, competence, and credibility.
