Universally Attractive Target Groups in the Political Market
Universally Attractive Target Groups in the Political Market

Summary/Abstract: This study examines universally attractive segments for political parties and candidates, including loyal and undecided voters, and their strategic use in political campaigns. Drawing on the analysis of existing academic literature, a set of universally attractive target groups can be identified that, although consisting of different individuals depending on the party, represent recurring categories of strategic importance. Analysis of social media advertising during the 2023 Polish parliamentary election has revealed that Polish parties primarily prioritized their loyal base, while strategies targeting undecided voters varied: the Civic Coalition and the Third Way actively pursued new segments, including the undecided voters, whereas the Law and Justice focused on consolidating core support. Gender-based targeting tended to reinforce existing support, whereas age-based targeting facilitated outreach to new voter segments. The timing of social media ad publications further highlighted the distinction between maintenance and expansion strategies. These findings suggest that parties frequently employ a combination of both approaches but do not consistently prioritize undecided voters, aligning with previous research on the allocation of campaign resources.

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