Exploring political branding in the hybrid media system: the case of LREM candidates during the 2017 general elections in France

Political marketing is a major trend in politics, and election campaigns are no exception. This article analyzes the online political branding strategies of La République En Marche (LREM) candidates to the French legislative elections in 2017. News media has been quick to characterize these candidates as political outsiders determined to overturn traditional political codes. Considering this narrative toward their candidacy, this paper seeks to assess what influence this positioning has on their political branding behavior. Given the media hybrid system, we are particularly interested in their use of media news shared on their Facebook pages. How do they mobilize this content to build a personal brand? We show that LREM candidates are particularly inclined to relay content from the local press in order to make their personalities better known to voters. Our results point to an equalizing (or even catching-up) effect of this practice in the personal branding work between candidates.