Internet seen as new medium for political campaigns

MANILA, Philippines - General manager Jojo Añonuevo of Yahoo! Philippines expects the Internet to be the new medium for local politicians to present their platforms and programs in the 2010 elections.

Añonuevo said many candidates have begun tapping into the different Internet portals to get more media mileage and present their political platforms.

He said politicians are hoping that they would be able to establish the same rapport with Internet audiences as the campaign of United States President Barack Obama did.

“Obama’s leverage in the Internet was better than any other candidate. I think there would be extreme interest (in the Internet) for the 2010 elections. I believe that some of them are thinking of it now,” Añonuevo said.

He, however, declined to say if politicians have already approached him to discuss posting advertisements on the Internet.

“I think (the platforms of candidates) are already in the planning stages. We have been asked about the target demographics of those who go on the Internet,” he added.

In the Philippines, the youth vote is regarded as critical for any candidate. Commission on Elections (Comelec) records showed nine million first-time registrants that are 18 years old.

Jay Bautista, Nielsen Media Research executive director, recalled that Yehey conducted an online polling system in the last elections and got 11 out of the 12 winning senators right.

Another factor in favor of Yahoo! is that compared to other forms of media it is less expensive. A 30-second ad on television would cost about P300,000, while a display ad in Yahoo! will only cost $5,000 (P245,000).

Another reason why the Internet is a viable medium is that it is recession proof. At a time when one has to think twice before investing money, Bautista said that these computer-based network portals would be able to withstand the global economic crisis. Staying at home or spending P15 to P20 per hour in an Internet café is a cheap alternative to expensive nights out.

Yahoo! Philippines and Nielsen released the first ever Internet Habits Study for the Philippines. The “Net Index” gives marketers insights into online media habits of consumers and provides guidelines to advertisers.

They estimated that there are now 20 million Internet users in the country.

The survey was conducted from October to November last year in 22 major cities including Metro Manila and involved 1,200 respondents.

It appeared that 28 percent of Filipinos in national urban areas have accessed the Internet in the past month.

Bautista said that this was already an improvement considering that five years ago only five percent of Filipinos have access to the Internet.

Internet use is more popular with younger people, with 50 percent of those below 20 having access to the Internet in the past month.

Bautista said that last year television networks, radio stations and print media earned a total of P160 billion in advertisements. About 70 percent went to television, 17 percent to radio and 13 percent to print. He believes television and radio are also recession proof since the public could turn to these mediums for cheaper entertainment.

University of the Philippines professor Benjamin Diokno said the economic crisis would prevent candidates in the 2010 elections from spending as much as they did in better times.

Diokno told the Serye Café news forum in Quezon City that the financial crisis has hurt the rich more than the poor, and since the rich includes politicians, people should not expect them to maintain the same level of spending they did in the past.

“They will try to hold on to their money. As for contributions, candidates should expect to receive smaller amounts than before,” he said.- With Jess Diaz