Prabowo Subianto, former military leader and Minister of Defense of Indonesia, was able to succeed in the 2024 presidential election by changing his image to that of a beloved grandfather. This campaign presented him as a warm and kind character, while his military past was widely discussed.
The link between charm and political action
Recent research indicates that this electoral outcome is not particularly surprising. Specifically, there are clear connections between a certain type of charm, innocence, and conservatism that have important implications for political persuasion and communication. Charm is considered a common phenomenon in today's society, with the presence of cute pets, bears, and babies in advertisements for everything from sports to political products.
In this research, charm refers to baby-like features such as big eyes, chubby cheeks, and round bodies that evoke caregiving responses in individuals. Marketers, recognizing and exploiting this fact, have been able to achieve significant successes. For example, the famous brand "Hello Kitty" has generated billions of dollars in retail sales.
Meaningful differences in charm
However, the effects of charm are not uniformly distributed among groups and individuals. Some individuals are more attracted to charm. Research published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Sciences shows that conservatives, on average, have a greater interest in baby-like charming products. These findings suggest that moral values can influence everyday consumer decisions, even without explicit awareness of this influence.
In this study, observations were collected from 3,648 participants in the United States, the United Kingdom, and India, consistently showing that conservatives, on average, prefer baby-like charming products such as mugs, keychains, and water bottles more than liberals. Additionally, the number of searches for charming products is higher in Republican states than in Democratic states in the United States.
This research indicates that moral value systems can influence consumer choices, and designing messages and packaging in a way that aligns with consumer value systems can be one way to attract consumers.
Overall, this research shows that baby-like charm is more appealing to conservative audiences, as this charm depicts innocence and purity. These findings are significant not only for political strategists but also for consumers who encounter political messages. Remember that an attractive sender or mask should not replace careful scrutiny of the message itself, especially in important decision-making situations like voting.
