Traditional and digital advertising in the election campaign of the candidates for mayor of Riobamba 2023

Context: Propaganda in electoral campaigns has changed its modality through the years, using conventional strategies, to mutate towards digital. Objective: This research aims to compare the effectiveness and impact of traditional and digital propaganda used by the candidates for mayor of Riobamba in the 2023 election campaign, specifically those who obtained the highest vote. Method: A qualitative methodology of descriptive and interpretative nature was used. For traditional propaganda, the technique of participant observation of billboards and posters in the main streets of the city was used, and for the analysis of digital propaganda, the technique of qualitative content analysis was used. Results: The candidates used traditional advertising tools, but focused their attention on the digital, creating an assertive image that could position them in the community. Conclusion: It is concluded that electoral propaganda is a necessary input for democracy and that, in the particular case of study, candidates still give a predominant place to traditional propaganda, but social networks have become the place to deepen the content, to publicize proposals and expose the work plan, using all the tools and formats available on the platforms in the right way.