THE VALUE OF A PERSONAL BRAND IN THE ELECTIONS. THE QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS FOR ELECTION LAWS APPLIED IN LOCAL ELECTIONS IN ROMANIA

摘要

This paper analyses the concepts of brand equity and brand value as found in the professional scientific literature and proposes an innovative research approach of the brand value of uninominal candidates running in the local elections in Romania in 2012 or of any other candidates that run in similar elections in terms of voting procedures. The originality of the paper consists in the fact that we have created a formula that will be used to measure the brand equity of these candidates depending on the results obtained by the party whose candidate is running in the elections, as compared to the other candidates and the other parties. This paper presents the methodology used to validate these formulae for measuring the theoretical score that should have been reached by a party's candidate whose brand equals zero. In order to identify the contribution of the candidate's brand to the respective result in our future research, we will make the difference and calculate the ratio between the real score and this theoretical score for a null personal brand. The present research, conducted from a positive perspective, resorts to a behavioural approach that allowsfor the measurement of the personal brand of candidates running for elections in certain electoral systems. This research is valuable for professionals as well as one can identify the candidates that are unsuitable for future elections, since a negative brand equity, accompanied by increased awareness (reached during the most recent elections, at the latest) can hardly be turned into a positive image. Moreover, this analysis can be used in the internal assessments conducted by each political party after elections.