Abstract:
The research aims to answer 2 questions: First, what factors influenced the election campaigns of the Pheu Thai and the Democrat parties. Second how the two parties applied the political marketing concept during the election campaign process. This qualitative research is expected to study and understand the strategies that the Pheu Thai and the Democrat parties used in the election campaigns by using the concept and theory of political marketing and political communication as a framework. The data was collected by in-depth interviews and documentary research. The study found that the major factors that affected the election campaigns of the Pheu Thai and the Democrat parties in the general election on July 3, 2011 were the political conflicts from 2005 to 2011, the structure shifts and the advancement of communication technology. However, since the two parties had different concepts and directions, the election campaign strategy, thus, was performed under political marketing framework that generated different presentation patterns and operating methods. The Pheu Thai party chose to promote past concrete policies successfully implemented under the Thai Rak Thai government as the mainstay to generate confidence in the partys product. The Democrat party, meanwhile, chose to promote personal trust in Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva to gain the major support for the partys product.