YouTube elections: parodies win, rallies lose
According to a study by the University of Navarra, comedy spots (42.3%) have had during this election campaign a weight almost ten times higher than that of the videos of the candidates' rallies (4.4%).
What role has YouTube played in the electoral campaign, have the parties known how to take advantage of this platform, which are the most viewed videos, which messages have been better accepted? To answer these questions, the Center for Media, Reputation and Intangibles of the University of Navarra has monitored more than 330 videos referring to the candidates of the two major parties, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba and Mariano Rajoy, since November 3.
The report highlights how parodies and comic montages have been the most popular genre on YouTube during the election campaign. "With 42.3% of the total, their weight is almost ten times higher than that of videos about rallies and candidate statements (4.4%)," says Francesc Pujol, co-author of the study. The table is completed by the ads created by the parties (25.9%), the pieces related to the discussion of November 7 (13%) and television news (14%).
According to the study, political videos have exceeded 1.5 million visits. Of these, 30.2% come from official videos generated by PSOE and PP, while 70% of the political impact on YouTube comes from sources outside the parties themselves.
Regarding the two candidates, the analysis of the videos of the official channels of the PP and PSOE, as well as other productions with more than 500 views, shows that the spots about Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba are more popular, with 57%, than those of Mariano Rajoy (50.4%). The most successful creation is the music video "Alfredo no te creo", which represents 20% of all the contents considered; its different versions add up to more visits than all the official spots of the PP and PSOE together".
The parties have not been able to adapt to the new media
The data about the use of YouTube as an electoral tool is a preview of the report being prepared by Francesc Pujol, professor at School of Economics and Business Sciences at the University of Navarra, and Ernesto Oyarbide. In their opinion, the results reveal that the major parties have used traditional political communication tools to publicize their proposals and have applied them directly to the new medium without taking into account its nature.
Analysis of YouTube users' behavior sample that they are not interested in videos of talking busts: rally spots have received 650 views from average, for a average of 8,700 views for videos of political parodies. "It is surprising that the parties have not explored better communication alternatives adapted to the logic of network. For example, there are no videos on the comments and reactions of supporters attending the rallies, instead of insisting on showing the lucky phrase of the candidate, which they have already seen on television or read in the written press", points out Francesc Pujol.