Dian Ariffahmi – Political campaigning is being credited with a surge in advertising spending, with figures released on Tuesday showing that total advertising spending in the first quarter of 2009 jumped by 19 percent to Rp 10.36 trillion ($950.4 million) compared with the same period in 2008.
The increased advertising placement, however, did not always translate into success at the polls.
According to the Nielsen Media survey, the Golkar Party, headed by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, and its candidates placed the most advertisements – 15,285 – but still managed to see its popularity drop from more than 20 percent of the popular vote garnered during the 2004 general elections to less than 15 percent this time around.
By way of contrast, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party and its individual candidates purchased 11,055 ads and saw their support increase from 7.5 percent in 2004 to more than 20 percent in 2009.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, headed by former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, placed a total of 7,284 advertisements, but the party's popularity shrunk from 18 percent in 2004 to about 14 percent in 2009, according to the General Elections Commission's marathon vote count.
The Nielsen survey was calculated based on 102 newspaper titles, 163 magazine and tabloid titles and 19 television stations. Broadcasters had the highest media ad spending share with 60 percent followed by newspapers at 36 percent and magazine and tabloids at 4 percent. Radio stations were not included in the survey.
However, the Nielsen figures do not measure how much money different parties spent on different ads or the sophistication of their campaigns.
Known big spender, Prawbowo Subianto's startup Gerindra Party only came in seventh in terms of ad quantity at 3,864 ads, after the National Mandate Party, or PAN (5,564), the Prosperous Justice Party, or PKS (4,221), and Wiranto's Hanura Party (3,880). Gerindra won 5 percent of the vote this year, mostly based on its expensive prime-time TV ads.
Nielsen executive Maika Randini said on Tuesday that she expected political ad spending to continue to increase by up to 19 percent in the second quarter in the run up to the July presidential election.
"During the presidential campaign, political parties will still use advertising in both print and electronic media as their campaign tools to raise people's awareness and gain their sympathy," Maika said.