Personal Branding of Prabowo Subianto Ahead of the 2024Presidential Election: Content Analysis of Instagram @PrabowoPhotos & Captions

Abstract

Contestations in general elections are often followed by personal branding carried out by political figures.
Not only through mass media but also through social media. It is interesting to study how political figures
try to create their personal branding through their personal social media. This research aims to analyze
Prabowo Subianto's personal branding on Instagram in the period from March 1 to August 31, 2023, which
covers an important time on the road to the 2024 Presidential Election. The research was conducted using
the quantitative content analysis method on 31 randomly selected photo and video posts from @prabowo's
Instagram account. The variables analyzed include personal branding themes and personal branding
strategies based on the uploaded text/caption and uploaded photos on the feeds. Themes and strategies are
then associated with the concept of personal branding according to Kotler and Armstrong using 5 personal
branding concepts. The results showed that Prabowo's personal branding theme was dominated by
indicators of sincerity and ability by emphasizing the image of a leader who is reliable and has an emotional
closeness to the people. This research is important to understand the use of Instagram by politicians in
branding themselves ahead of the five-year democratic party.