個案資料

The elections for India’s 294-seat West Bengal (Bengal) Legislative Assembly were due to be held sometime in April–May 2021. The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), which had been in power in the state since 2011, faced a tough challenge from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had been in power in the Central Government of India since 2014. The TMC and its political rivals in Bengal faced unprecedented social and political divisions among voters in 2021. To add to the TMC’s problems, at least half a dozen TMC stalwarts and many more local leaders had shifted to the BJP in the previous three months. In the run-up to the election, politicians across party lines used emotive issues such as religion, gender, and language to woo undecided voters. The TMC needed to devise a marketing strategy to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. Winning the maximum possible number of votes was the only item on the agenda.

This case study may be used effectively in postgraduate marketing and marketing management courses to cover marketing strategy formulation. It can also be used in introductory classes on marketing strategy to discuss the 3Cs framework while accounting for changes in the campaign environment arising from competitive actions. It demonstrates the application of marketing concepts to election campaigns. While election campaigns are different from a business setting, the marketing concepts remain relevant and applicable; students can hone their application skills by transferring their academic business understanding to an alternative context. The case has a rich source of quantitative and qualitative data to help students achieve the following:<ul><li>Use the available data to develop segments and select target markets and appropriate design positioning in the context of political parties facing a heterogeneous mix of voters.</li><li>Describe the trade-offs in selecting a target market and identify that lower conversion rates are typical for large segments while higher conversions are expected for narrowly defined segments.</li><li>Appreciate that the choice of a particular strategy narrows the available tactics to be deployed, develop tactics that are consistent with the overall strategy and address the specific needs of the chosen sub-segments.</li><li>Explain why the choice of strategy must be different for each competitor while still addressing the same market and working toward the same goals.</li><li>Use the 3Cs strategy formulation model (company, customers, and competitors) and consideration of the tactics that can be deployed to execute the strategy.

• election strategy
• voter sentiments
• segmentation
• targeting
• positioning
• marketing strategy
• competition