1   Electoral  Campaigns  and  Marketing  Strategy  –  A  Case   Study  of  the  Karel  Schwarzenberg  Campaign   Authors:  Miloš  Gregor,  PhD  candidate,  Masaryk  University,   Anna  Matušková,  PhD,  Assistant  Professor,  Charles  University   MANUSCRIPT   Abstract   The  chief  focus  of  this  case  study  is  on  electoral  strategy  and  its  role  in  campaign  strategy.   Campaign   strategy   entails   a   highly   complex   process   comprising   various   interdependent   processes   such   as   market   analysis,   research,   polling,   segmentation,   strategic   communication,  opposition  research,  timing,  ongoing  analysis  of  the  political  environment   and,  of  course,  the  crucial  role  played  by  the  candidate  himself  or  herself.  Finally,  strategy   is  always  adapted  to  the  type  of  election  being  run  and  depends  upon  the  electoral  system.   Our  initial  step  is  to  define  what  strategy  is  and  how  it  is  understood  from  the  standpoint   of  political  consulting.  We  then  describe  a  specific  electoral  campaign,  using  it  to  explain   strategy   creation   and   the   role   played   by   consultants.   We   build   on   this   by   combining   a   theoretical   approach   with   knowledge   gained   from   practical   campaign   experience   and   insider  information.  The  campaign  chosen  for  description  is  that  of  presidential  candidate   Karel  Schwarzenberg.  This  article  contributes  to  evolving  research  into  political  marketing   and  the  field  of  electoral  studies  in  the  Czech  Republic1.     Political   consulting   is   an   evolving   industry   in   the   Czech   Republic   (Petrova,   Matušková   2009)  and  the  role  of  consultants  has  not  yet  been  widely  analysed.  The  analysis  presented   here  is  exploratory  in  nature  and  will  contribute  to  further  research.   Keywords:   Campaign,  Strategy,  Karel  Schwarzenberg,  Political  Consulting,  Czech  Republic                                                                                                                     1   Fragments   of   the   article   were   published   in   Gregor,   M.,   Matušková,   A.   2014.   The   Presidential   Election   in   the   Czech   Republic:   a   Case   Study   of   Karel   Schwarzenberg's   Campaign   Strategy.   In   Political   Marketing.   Principles   and   Applications.   Lees-­‐Marshment,   J.   (ed).   London,   New   York:   Routledge,   2nd   Edition.   The   previously   published   fragments   represents   less   than   30   per   cent   of  this  text.       2   1.Introduction   The   role   of   professional   political   consultants   in   campaigns   is   not   very   well   understood,  at  least  from  a  theoretical  perspective.  As  a  result,  we  know  very   little  about  how  campaign  strategy  is  developed.  This  article  attempts  to  think   about   what   strategies   may   be   used   to   support   candidates.   Strategy   is   the   cornerstone  of  the  electoral  campaign.  But  consensus  is  lacking  among  scholars   on  a  definition  for  the  term.  A  number  of  viewpoints  exist.  Some  scholars  view   strategies   in   terms   of   the   market   or   marketing   orientation   of   the   party   or   candidate   (e.g.,   Lees-­‐Marshment   2006,   Shama   1976,   Wring   1997);   others   see   parallels   with   military   strategy   (Marland   2003,   Smith   2006)   or   positioning   strategies   (Baines   and   Worcester   2006).   But   while   political   marketing   instruments   and   their   use   by   candidates   now   constitute   a   common   research   topic,  questions  to  do  with  marketing  strategy  and  the  strategic  framework  of   election   campaigns   have   been   neglected   (Ormrod  et  al  2013).   Many   of   the   studies  that  address  campaign  strategy  do  so  indirectly,  taking  an  organizational   perspective.  While  this  body  of  research  has  been  valuable  in  understanding  how   campaign   strategy   operations   function,   it   has   not   addressed   the   content   of   campaign  strategy  itself  (Medvic  2006).   Whatever  our  perception  of  a  strategy,  we  may  agree  that  having  one  is  essential   to   electoral   success   (Collins   and   Butler   2002,   Lynch,   et   al.   2006).   How   do   we   define  strategy  in  political  marketing?  As  mentioned  above,  there  are  plenty  of   definitions.   Let   us   at   least   note   the   minimal   definition   put   forward   by   Sigge   Nielsen,  who  sees  in  political  marketing  strategy  the  identification  of  the  purpose   of   a   political   entity   with   the   scheme   utilized   to   achieve   that   purpose   (Nielsen   2012).  This  minimal  definition  contains  three  basic  elements,  which  are  common   to  many  definitions:  a  political  entity,  purpose  and  scheme.  In  what  follows,  the   political   entity   will   be   identified   with   Karel   Schwarzenberg,   a   presidential   candidate   in   the   2013   elections.   The   purpose   was   to   attain   the   best   possible   election  outcome,  i.e.,  to  win  the  election.  The  empirical  portion  of  the  paper  will   focus  on  the  campaign  scheme,  its  mechanisms  and  procedures  for  achieving  the   stated  purpose.       3     2.  Case  Study  of  Karel  Schwarzenberg   This   study   offers   insight   into   the   2012-­‐2013   presidential   race   in   the   Czech   Republic.2  Prior  to  this  time,  there  was  an  almost  one-­‐hundred-­‐year-­‐old  tradition   of  indirect  presidential  elections  in  the  country.  The  Chamber  of  Deputies  and   Senate   had   always   elected   president.   In   2012,   the   very   first   direct   vote   was   scheduled  for  January  2013  (Musilová  and  Šedo  2013).  The  electoral  system  was   a  two-­‐round  majority  electoral  system  in  which  a  candidate  is  elected  if  he  or  she   obtains  an  absolute  majority  in  the  first  round  of  voting.  If  no  candidate  manages   to  do  so,  the  two  with  the  best  result  during  the  first  round  then  proceed  into  the   second  round,  held  two  weeks  later  (ibid.).     This  study  focuses  on  the  campaign  of  Karel  Schwarzenberg,  a  clear  underdog   who  successfully  made  it  to  the  second  round,  a  great  success  considering  his   support  in  the  polls  stood  at  around  6%.  The  winner  and  first  directly  elected   president   of   the   Czech   Republic   is   Miloš   Zeman,   former   Prime   Minister   and   a   highly   experienced   social   democratic   politician.   There   was   no   doubt   that   Mr.   Zeman  would  be  a  favourite  in  the  race.  But  his  opponent,  Mr.  Schwarzenberg,   was  a  rather  surprising  candidate.  He  was  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  and  leader   of  the  conservative  TOP  09  political  party.  While  in  government,  his  popularity   had  dropped  from  70%  to  20%  and  he  was  a  member  of  the  most  unpopular   government   in   history.   As   already   noted,   his   support   stood   at   6%   in   summer   polling  (Gregor  and  Hrbková  2013)  but  in  the  end  he  attained  23.4%  of  the  vote   in   the   first   round   and   45.2%   in   the   second   round.   At   75   years   old,   Schwarzenberg  was  also  the  oldest  candidate  in  the  race  and  his  campaign  was   considered  the  liveliest  and  most  modern,  even  to  the  point  of  being  shocking.  It   was  also  the  most  active  candidate  in  social  media,  including  Facebook  (Eibl  et  al   2013).   We   therefore   perceive   this   campaign   to   be   a   very   successful   example   of   grassroots  campaigning  and  the  successful  implementation  of  various  campaign                                                                                                                   2Both  authors  were  involved  in  the  campaign.  Anna  Matušková  worked  as  chief  strategist  and   Miloš  Gregor  was  involved  as  an  analyst.       4   strategies   normally   found   in   American   campaigns   (such   as   fundraising,   GOTV,   endorsements,   door-­‐to-­‐door   campaigning   and   direct   marketing,   including   e-­‐ mails  and  phone  calls).  Well  each  of  these  elements  is  important  in  developing  a   sound  strategy,  the  foundation  of  the  strategy  is  the  candidate.  According  to  most   existing  marketing  strategy  approaches,  a  sequence  of  analysis,  options,  choice,   and  implementation  is  regarded  as  appropriate  (Baines  and  Lynch  2005).  The   emphasis  on  strategy  shifts  the  focus  from  the  techniques  of  promotion  to  the   overall  strategic  objectives  of  the  candidate  (Scammell  1999).  This  was  indeed   the  case  with  the  presidential  campaign  of  Karel  Schwarzenberg.   3.The  Campaign  Strategy   From   a   marketing   point   of   view,   most   important   is   the   market   analysis.   The   Schwarzenberg   campaign   was   officially   launched   on   October   24.   But   Schwarzenberg   had   already   announced   his   candidacy   in   the   May   2012   party   gathering.  The  first  step  was  to  differentiate  him  as  a  candidate  from  his  party,   TOP   09,   since   the   party   was   a   member   of   the   highly   unpopular   centre-­‐right   government  coalition.     The   core   team   consisted   of   20   people   under   campaign   manager   Marek   Vocel.   Subteams  were  created,  including  a  strategic  team,  creative  team,  logistics  team,   scheduling   team,   events   team,   social   media   team   and   PR   team.   During   the   campaign,  the  team  totalled  40  members  in  concert  with  hundreds  of  volunteers.     The   teams   started   to   work   in   mid-­‐August   2012,   facing   many   obstacles.   The   electoral   law   came   with   a   few   obligations   including   that   candidates   be   nominated,  that  accounts  be  transparent,  that  an  electoral  committee  be  in  place,   etc.     The  nomination  process  for  party  candidates  whose  parties  were  represented  in   Parliament  differed  from  that  of  independent  candidates.  Schwarzenberg  was  a   party  candidate,  so  all  he  required  for  nomination  were  the  signatures  of  MPs  in   his  own  party.  Independent  candidates  had  to  collect  50,000  signatures  (Franko   et  al  2013).  Many  teams  had  thus  been  in  action  since  summer  2012,  gathering   the  necessary  number  of  signatures.  This  created  an  interesting  situation.  The       5   deadline   for   collecting   signatures   was   the   second   week   of   November   2012,   complicating  polling,  opposition  research  and  timing  because  of  the  uncertainty   as  to  who  would  run  and  who  the  chief  opponent  would  be.  It  is  clear  that  no   professional  campaign  should  develop  its  strategy  in  the  absence  of  polling.   The  campaign  was  divided  into  four  phases  (three  as  part  of  the  first  round  and   the   fourth   as   part   of   the   second   round).   The   first   phase   was   to   introduce   Schwarzenberg  as  a  solid,  genuine  candidate.  Polling  showed  that  the  media  and   the  public  did  not  consider  him  to  be  a  proper  candidate  –  he  was  perceived  to   be  too  old,  not  to  be  taking  his  candidacy  seriously  and  as  being  distant  from  the   electorate.   Schwarzenberg   hails   from   one   of   the   oldest   Czech-­‐Austrian   aristocratic  families.  His  family  had  been  forced  to  leave  the  country  in  1948,  so   he  had  spent  most  of  his  life  in  Austria.3  He  returned  to  the  Czech  Republic  in   1990   after   the   Velvet   Revolution,   serving   as   Chancellor   to   President   Václav   Havel.4  Havel  was  an  exceedingly  popular  politician  and  Schwarzenberg  was  his   close  friend.  Unfortunately,  Havel  died  in  November  2012  and  one  strategic  step   was  to  present  Schwarzenberg  as  Havel’s  logical  successor.   The   description   of   the   campaign   offered   is   based   upon   authors'   own   actual   experience.  Materials  cited  are  inside  campaign  sources.     3.1  First  Stage  –  Schwarzenberg:  A  Solid,  Genuine  Candidate   Throughout  the  campaign,  the  team  worked  with  various  polls,  surveys  and  data   sources.   Some   polls   were   provided   by   Schwarzenberg’s   party,   TOP   09,   in   the   form  of  standard  monthly  omnibus  surveys.  But  it  was  necessary  to  understand   why   Schwarzenberg   was   losing   popularity   and   was   not   considered   a   genuine   candidate.     First  off,  the  team  ran  a  benchmark  survey  with  the  Millward  Brown  agency.  The   results   were   very   interesting,   showing   Schwarzenberg   was   number   two   for   a   huge  section  of  society,  something  which  was  a  bit  frustrating  in  the  beginning   but   gave   the   candidate   a   huge   chance.   The   crucial   need   was   to   analyze   the                                                                                                                   3   By   family   tradition,   he   holds   both   Swiss   and   Czech   citizenship.   He   has   never   held   Austrian   citizenship,  but  in  spite  of  this  was  later  characterized  as  "an  Austrian"  and  a  foreigner.   4This  means  he  served  as  an  advisor  and  Chief  of  Staff  for  the  President.       6   country  both  politically  and  in  terms  of  values,  to  ask  who  should  be  president   and   what   values   he   should   represent,   then   to   cross-­‐reference   these   responses   with   the   candidate.   This   data   proved   exceptionally   important.   It   gave   Schwarzenberg  a  very  clear  picture  of  how  the  political  forces  were  divided,  as   well  as  the  general  mood  in  the  country.   Subsequently,   the   analytical   team   ran   a   series   of   focus   groups   in   large   Czech   cities  (Prague,  Brno,  Olomouc  and  Plzen).  The  results  were  once  again  crucial.   Generally   the   candidate   was   well   known,   but   people   could   not   associate   any   political  outcomes  with  him  (which  was  quite  frustrating  since  he  was  Minister   of   Foreign   Affairs);   secondly   they   criticized   his   participation   in   the   current   government.   On   the   other   hand,   they   had   a   positive   perception   of   his   wealth,   with  the  focus  groups  reasoning  that  he  would  therefore  not  steal  and  would  be   above  corruption.  Another  criticism  was  that  he  mumbled  in  speech,  making  it   difficult   to   understand   him;   in   fact,   he   suffers   from   a   speech   impediment.   Schwarzenberg   was   also   known   for   falling   asleep   in   Parliament5.   We   asked   questions  about  his  family,  his  wife,  Theresa  Schwarzenberg,  residing  in  Vienna   and   other   issues.   The   biggest   problems   for   voters   were   his   presence   in   the   government,  his  speaking  issue  and  the  fact  that  they  found  in  distant  from  the   common  people,  too  "high-­‐class".  Another  criticism  was  he  does  not  understand   the  life  of  ordinary  citizens.  Briefly  put,  the  results  were  devastating  and  implied   a   great   deal   of   work   ahead.   Marketing   strategy   lies   at   the   heart   of   electoral   success   because   it   forces   a   campaign   to   assemble   a   winning,   relatively   stable   coalition  of  diverse,  sometimes  irreconcilable  groups  in  a  very  short  timeframe   (Kotler  and  Kotler  1981).  So  the  optimal  time  to  fire  up  the  campaign  machine   had  come.   The   team's   first   step   was   to   publish   his   health   status   report   to   prove   he   was   healthy  and  fully  capable  of  focusing  on  his  duties.  This  fairly  revolutionary  step   for  the  Czech  Republic  was  received  quite  positively.  Schwarzenberg's  team  also   focused  intensively  on  explaining  why  the  candidate  was  running  and  he  himself   delivered  numerous  speeches  on  the  topic.  The  next  step  was  to  get  out  the  story                                                                                                                   5On  a  couple  of  occasions,  Schwarzenberg  was  caught  sleeping  or  dozing  during  parliamentary   sessions  or  governmental  negotiations.  He  himself  made  reference  to  this,  saying  "I  sleep  when   they  talk  nonsense."  The  statement  brought  a  positive  perception.       7   of   his   life.   Schwarzenberg   refused   to   talk   about   his   success   or   his   charitable   activities,  presenting  a  complication.  The  solution  was  to  have  other  people  talk   about  it.  YouTube  videos  with  his  supporters  were  put  up:  Schwarzenberg  had   the  largest  number  of  supporters  in  the  show  business  community,  as  well  as   academics  and  scientists.     3.2  Second  Stage  –  Why  He  Would  be  the  Best  President   The  second  phase  of  the  campaign  was  launched  in  October  2012.  It  was  focused   on   introducing   the   presidential   program.   In   essence,   marketing   strategy   represents  a  broad  general  set  of  principles  –  or,  in  Kotler’s  words,  a  ‘game  plan’   –  that  will  achieve  the  marketing  objectives  of  the  candidate  (Baines  and  Lynch   2005).  But  benefits  must  also  be  declared  to  the  voters  if  one  wishes  to  obtain   their   votes.   At   the   same   time,   a   new   website   was   launched,   a   social   media   strategy  implemented  and  intensive  efforts  devoted  to  a  door-­‐to-­‐door  strategy.   As  for  fundraising,  the  final  campaign  budget  came  in  at  CZK  30  million  (roughly   €1,250,000).  Two  million  was  donated  by  the  candidate  himself,  six  million  came   from  the  party  and  the  rest  came  from  large  donors  (fundraising  was  a  major   effort   of   the   campaign   manager).   Fundraising   is   very   uncommon   in   the   Czech   political  environment,  since  political  parties  are  essentially  financed  by  the  state.   Small   donors   donated   some   money   but   that   was   rather   unusual.   For   a   presidential  campaign  our  budget  was  rather  small.     The  candidate  insisted  on  a  program  which  referred  strictly  to  the  Constitution.   The   Czech   constitution   clearly   defines   the   rights   of   the   president.   Schwarzenberg’s   program   was   based   on  that.   All   the   while,   the   team   was   working  on  opposition  research,  analyzing  all  opposing  candidates.  Consultants   also  prepared  a  huge  data  set  containing  all  possible  media  attacks  and  a  list  of   possible   topics   the   candidate   might   face.   From   the   PR   point   of   view,   media   relations  went  smoothly  and  the  candidate  had  extensive  coverage  as  a  Minister   and  Member  of  Parliament.             8   3.3  Third  Stage  –  Vote  for  a  Change   The   third   phase   of   the   campaign   was   launched   in   mid-­‐November   2012.   By   November,  it  became  clear  who  was  in  the  race  and  who  was  not.  There  were   nine  official  candidates  –  independent  and  party-­‐based.  The  candidates,  in  order   of  popularity  in  the  polls,  were  Jan  Fischer  (an  independent  and  former  Prime   Minister),  Miloš  Zeman  (former  Prime  Minister,  founder  of  the  Social  Democratic   party),   Jiří   Dienstbier   (Social   Democrat),   Pavel   Franc   (independent   candidate,   professor   of   law   and   art,   with   whole-­‐body   tattoos),   Přemysl   Sobotka   (Centre   Right   Candidate   –   Civic   Democratic   Party),   Zuzana   Roithová   (Centre   Right   Candidate  -­‐  Christian  Party),  Jana  Bobošíková  (Sovereignty  Party  –  Populist)  and   Táňa   Fischerová   (independent   candidate).   The   candidate   pool   was   unclear   in   that   there   were   only   two   left-­‐wing   candidates,   Dienstbier   and   Zeman,   but   the   centre  and  centre-­‐right  of  the  spectrum  was  overcrowded.  This  presented  a  big   problem  for  Schwarzenberg.  The  team  needed  to  explain  to  people  that  only  a   single   candidate   really   had   a   chance.   They   needed   to   know   that   the   electoral   system  mandates  that  only  two  candidates  may  enter  the  second  round  –  people   have   to   make   a   clear   decision.   Basically,   Schwarzenberg   had   to   get   others   candidate  votes.  This  part  of  the  campaign  was  thus  less  about  Schwarzenberg's   human  qualities  as  a  candidate  and  more  about  the  values  he  represented  and  a   change  of  political  style.     Much  time  and  money  was  invested  in  a  door-­‐to-­‐door  campaign  entitled  "City-­‐to-­‐ City,  Village-­‐to-­‐Village".  More  than  three  hundred  volunteers  travelled  across  the   country   to   work   for   the   candidate.   That   number   may   look   small,   but   it   represented   the   largest   grassroots   campaign   in   the   history   of   the   country.   Another   project   was   launched   entitled   "Beer   with   Karel",   which   involved   the   candidate   travelling   across   the   country   to   visit   cities   and   drink   and   talk   with   local  people.  The  fact  that  many  musicians  and  actors  supported  Schwarzenberg   played  a  substantial  role.  As  an  example,  the  team  organized  a  "Clubbing  with   Karel"   night   in   which   popular   music   clubs   featured   bands   playing   to   support   Schwarzenberg.         9   Another   crucial   factor   was   that   of   television   debates.   Their   key   role   in   the   campaign  deserved  attention.  Thus  a  significant  chunk  of  time  was  organized  to   prepare   for   debates.   The   team   organized   media   training   sessions,   keeping   in   mind  a  simple  principle:  always  have  your  supporters  visible  on  screen.  More   than  ten  large  debates  were  held  in  the  last  week  of  the  first  round.     Another   big   change   in   the   country   was   the   fact   that   people   openly   supported   candidates.  Schwarzenberg  had  a  rather  unique  campaign  symbol  –  he  was  the   candidate  with  a  pink  Mohawk.  The  well-­‐known  Czech  artist  David  Černý,  a  close   friend  of  the  candidate  known  for  controversial  art,  did  the  image.  It  gradually   mutated  into  a  campaign  symbol  and  was  replicated  on  more  than  20,000  badges   and  5000  t-­‐shirts.  Of  course  the  campaign  also  had  a  more  classic,  conservative   look,  but  somehow  the  pink  and  yellow  image  became  the  symbol.  So  the  oldest   candidate  ended  up  with  a  visual  look  inspired  by  the  punk  group  the  Sex  Pistols.     The   first   round   of   campaigning   culminated   in   a   huge   concert   in   Prague.   Many   Czech   popular   musicians   played.   Also   rounding   things   out   was   a   television   debate   featuring   all   nine   candidates,   won   by   Schwarzenberg   although   each   candidate  ended  up  with  less  than  five  minutes  of  time.   24  hours  before  the  election,  four  out  of  five  major  newspapers  came  out  in  open   support  of  Schwarzenberg  and  his  campaign  flooded  the  country.  He  hit  200,000   fans  on  Facebook,  the  highest  number  of  any  candidate  (the  winning  candidate   had  less  than  50,000  fans).   The   first   round   was   successful   in   Schwarzenberg   came   in   second,   with   a   difference   of   only   200,000   votes.   Strategically,   it   was   a   huge   success.   From   having  been  an  underdog  candidate,  he  was  now  a  dark  horse.  But  the  second   round  proved  dramatically  different.     3.4  Second  Round  –  The  Real  Game  Has  Begun   The  second  round  lasted  only  two  weeks.  Shortly  after  the  election  result,  the   team  had  to  regroup  and  come  up  with  the  fourth  and  final  phase  in  its  strategy.   The  problem  was  that  almost  all  the  team's  energy  had  been  spent  on  the  first   round.   This   time,   the   strategy   was   to   show   that   Schwarzenberg   was   not   his       10   opponent,   Miloš   Zeman,   a   political   matador   who   had   been   involved   in   many   affairs  but  was  also  considered  to  be  one  of  the  most  successful  Czech  politicians.   The  strategy  was  to  continue  with  push  marketing,  using  volunteers  and  online   channels.  The  remaining  energy  was  dedicated  to  television  duels.  Zeman  is  an   exceedingly   good   speaker,   in   some   respects   stronger   than   Schwarzenberg.   As   already   noted,   the   dynamics   and   atmosphere   in   the   second   round   were   dramatically   different.   The   campaign   became   more   intense   and   attacks   got   tougher.  In  one  of  the  debates,  Schwarzenberg  broached  the  topic  of  the  Benes   Decrees6.  He  was  highly  critical  of  the  former  Czechoslovak  president,  drawing   the   ire   of   his   opponent.  This   probably   mobilized   a   certain   section   of   the   electorate.  Some  see  it  as  the  watershed  moment  in  the  campaign,  the  point  of  no   return.   Here  we  should  focus  on  the  opponent  –  current  president  Miloš  Zeman.  He  is  a   tireless  campaigner,  a  very  tough  opponent  and  perceived  as  a  "people's  man".   His   team   also   successfully   portrayed   Schwarzenberg   as   a   "foreigner"   and   "German"   who   would   not   look   out   for   Czech   interests.   Schwarzenberg   had   decided   to   run   a   clean   campaign   with   no   negative   elements,   leaving   the   team   unsure  how  to  respond  to  these  allegations.  The  team  was  also  too  slow  on  its   feet,  having  used  up  all  its  energy  in  the  first  round  of  the  elections.  A  day  before   the  election,  the  media  was  flooded  with  advertising  stating  that  Schwarzenberg   was   a   German   agent   who   would   support   German   interests   in   the   country.   Surprisingly,  then,  sixty-­‐year-­‐old  issues  were  resurrected  and  proved  crucial.   The   content   of   any   campaign   strategy   is   a   complicated   mix   of   emotional   and   cognitive  appeals.  Much  of  the  emotional  component  is  based  on  the  connection   the  candidate  makes  with  voters.  That  connection  may  be  based  on  a  variety  of   factors,  but  the  most  important  (and  most  obvious)  is  ‘likability’.  (Medvic  2006).   The  candidate  may  make  use  of  it  in  a  positive  way  to  promote  himself,  or  it  may   be   used   negatively   and   directed   toward   his   opponent.   And   as   was   mentioned   above,  Mr.  Zeman  is  a  skilled  campaigner  and  he  and  his  team  were  aware  that   these  negative  emotions  could  be  their  decisive  advantage.                                                                                                                   6  These  were  presidential  bills  known  as  Benes  Decrees.  One  legalized  the  process  of  expelling   Germans  from  former  Czechoslovakia  after  WWII.       11     4.  Judgement  Day  –  What  Is  the  Lesson  for  Campaign  Strategy?   And   so   it   happened:   Zeman   won   by   a   10-­‐point   margin.   If   anybody   had   told   Schwarzenberg   (and   his   team)   that   he   would   lose   the   second   row   by   10   percentage  points,  they  would  not  have  been  believed.  From  this  standpoint,  the   campaign   was   a   great   success   thanks   to   the   campaign   strategy   employed.   But   still,  the  candidate  didn't  win  and  the  emotions  reflected  that  result.  One  should   never  underestimate  the  mood  of  the  country  and  never  cease  analyzing  data  or   asking   for   feedback.   One   the   decisive   issue   was   that   Mr.   Schwarzenberg’s   opponent   framed   him   as   a   foreigner.   This   should   have   come   up   in   the   pre-­‐ campaign   analyses.   The   team   underestimated   the   importance   to   voters   of   the   fact  that  he  had  lived  outside  the  country  for  40  years.  Another  problem  lay  in   the  fact  that  the  candidate  could  reach  voters  in  large  cities,  leading  the  team  to   essentially   isolate   the   campaign   from   the   countryside.   The   campaign   was   trapped  in  the  bubble  of  being  the  most  successful  online  effort.   As  noted  at  the  start  of  this  paper,  campaign  strategy  is  a  crucial  part  of  election   success.  The  Schwarzenberg  campaign  had  a  plan,  was  divided  into  three  phases   and,  when  the  candidate  succeeded  in  the  first  round  of  the  elections,  initiated  a   fourth  phase.  Clearly  this  did  not  culminate  in  a  winning  strategy,  since  Zeman   won  the  elections.  But  still,  if  one  remembers  the  chance  Schwarzenberg  had  in   the  summer  of  2012  and  compares  that  to  the  election  result  of  January  2013,   the  strategy  was  successful.  If  there  is  a  take-­‐away  bit  of  advice  from  this  article,   it  would  be:  never  miss  partial  tools  or  aspects  of  campaigning,  but  rather  keep   the   overall   strategy   in   mind.   Know   who   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