Advertisers reaping cash windfall from Bahrain election battle

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Staff Reporter

Advertisement agencies and printing firms have emerged as indirect beneficiaries of the Kingdom’s upcoming parliamentary and municipal council elections. 

Many advertising and printing firms, otherwise struggling with sluggish businesses, are now even employing their staff in double shifts as they control the “image-building” processes for most of the candidates. 

Unlike previous elections, ‘The PR exercises’ from the part of candidates seem to be gaining momentum in an unprecedented manner and a majority of them are seeking “professional strategies and approaches while treading their path towards electoral victories”.

  Speaking to The Daily Tribune, a senior executive of a leading advertising and public relations firm in the Kingdom, said: “It’s really a boom time.

The upcoming elections are really serving fuel for an industry that almost died during the pandemic season.

We have a good business, which includes managing social media accounts of candidates, designing posters as well as contributing towards devising election-winning strategies.”

The senior executive said all candidates are considering the social media campaign as a critical tool towards positively convincing the voters on their candidature.

“We have assigned different social media teams for different candidates and their jobs include continuously posting their campaign agenda on all social media platforms.

The incumbents, meanwhile, are busy spreading messages on their achievements to the voters to guarantee their victories and they find social media as an essential channel.

“We also design posters for billboards as well as for Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms.”

Campaign  billboards  have popped up in every nook and corner of the country, welcoming the final phase of the grand electoral campaign season.  

Earlier, speaking to the newspaper, a campaign staff for one of the parliamentary candidates, said that social media will be a major decider in the upcoming elections.

“Almost all candidates this time have social media teams, which was not the case during last or previous elections.”

Another advertisement agency representative told The Daily Tribune that the “election business is definitely good” but there does exist a risk factor.

“Delayed payments is of course a matter of big worry.

For all the services that we do, payments are made in a later period.

And until we receive them the risk hovers over the business. 

“What if a candidate loses? It would be really difficult to obtain money from candidates who lose the polls.

Although we sign contracts we wouldn’t generally take the legal route as that would hurt the future businesses and company’s reputation in the electoral campaign market.”

A manager with a leading printing firm said the election time offers a bonanza to them.

“This business was desperately required for the industry to survive.

Our digital printing, screen printing and offset printing divisions have received a lot of oders ael Al Asoomi against the decision of the electoral supervisory committee, which had earlier dismissed his nomination. 

Mr Al Asoomi’s candidature was rejected by the electoral committee after accepting the claims in the complaint filed by his opposing candidate Murad Ali Murad regarding discrepancies over residency.

Many other appeals were as well rejectedmmittee earlier warned candidates against mudslinging and tarnishing each other’s personal image for the sake of electoral victory.

“Such activities will be seen as a grave violation and the candidates if proven guilty will face consequences,” the warning said. 

The last week was filled with many shocks and surprises as many Appeal rejected thehigh-profile candidates lost their electoral appeals filed before the judiciary.

The High Civ by the court.

The appellants were Dr Sharaf Al Mazal, former lawmaker Ali Shamout and lawyer Muhammad Al Othman.

Earlier, Dr Sharaf had filed nominations for contesting from the Fourth Electoral Constituency in the Northern Governorate while Mr Muhammed filed his papers for the poll battle from Fourth Electoral Constituency in Muharraq Governorate.

Mr Ali was a potential candidate from the Sixth Electoral Constituency in the Capital Governorate.

The Kingdom will head to the polls on November 12 with a run-off fixed on November 19.rnd we are almost completing them.

There can’t be any compromise on the perfection element as we are going to witness a tough contest between the candidates.” 

The electoral supervisory coil Court of  appeal filed by fourtime lawmaker Ad