The importance of creating a personal image in media channels for public relations of government officials in CIS

Abstract

In the 21st century social media platforms have become influential tools for reaching target audiences and shaping public opinion. This study focuses on the presence of political figures on social media and studies the state of political marketing in CIS countries. Four hypotheses were formulated and tested through a survey, interviews with political marketing experts and analysis of social media pages using the online platform. The research showed that political marketing in the CIS countries is still at its early stage, as evidenced by the lack of public awareness and negative perceptions. Social media platforms are considered very attractive for political advertising operations, with experts pointing to the successful marketing strategy used by politicians like Vladimir Zelenskiy. Also, the research has found that inactive and unmoderated social media pages have a negative impact on a politician's image and political influence. Conversely, statesmen who actively interact with social media platforms face less hostility. Moreover, the research shows that politicians adjust their image and communication to the preferences of their target audience, as evidenced by the correlation between respondents' demographic characteristics and their interest in specific public and political figures. To further enrich our understanding of political marketing in the region, future research will include additional interviews with experts, as they have proven to be an invaluable source of exclusive information in this area.