Lessons from Election Marketing During the Pandemic. The Case of Pro Romania Party

The article addresses the issue of electoral marketing communication in the context of the medical crises caused by SARS-COV-2 virus. The declaration of pandemic has led, in all countries, to the adoption of restrictive measures aimed at limiting the spread of the virus. These measures have affected all spheres of economic and political life, including the electoral field. In this context, the political parties had to adapt to the multiple constraints imposed on the election campaign, but also to the tense context generated by the expectations and dissatisfaction of voters. The paper presents the context (legislative, political, medical) in which the parliamentary elections in Romania took place in 2020 and analyzes in detail the situation of one of the parties which, although credited with safe chances of entering parliament, failed to obtain minimum threshold in elections. The research is based on the case study method and addresses the entire electoral process of the analyzed party, from the elaboration of the campaign strategy, to the concrete aspects of implementation. Particular attention is paid to the means of electoral communication used and which in this campaign, tipped the scale in favour of the online, indicating the trend towards which electoral communication is heading in the case of Romania as well.