Resource-Rich Regionalism and Candidate Branding: Political Marketing in the 2024 East Kalimantan Gubernatorial Election

Abstract

The 2024 East Kalimantan gubernatorial election provided a setting for examining candidate branding and political marketing within a multiparty coalition in a resource-rich province. This study examined how Golkar and Gerindra, within the broader coalition supporting Rudy Mas’ud–Seno Aji, organized political marketing and identified conditions that enabled or constrained its implementation. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, the study drew on retrospective interviews conducted in 2026 and campaign-related documentary materials. Eight informants were identified, comprising six campaign participants, one political observer, and one voter, although the findings relied predominantly on campaign-side accounts. The analysis employed the political marketing mix of product, promotion, price, and place. Findings showed that the coalition combined Gratispol and Jospol program branding and a youthful-leadership image with direct outreach, media communication, territorial mapping, and party networks. Campaign participants also reported uneven field implementation and coordination challenges, while the ticket lost in Samarinda despite its provincial victory. The study highlighted the distinction between extensive coalition resources and their consistent implementation, contributing an organizational perspective to political marketing research. Its retrospective evidence did not establish causal effects on individual voting decisions.