PENERAPAN THE CIRCULAR MODEL OF SOME DALAM MENGELOLA CONTENT MARKETING POLITIK KAMPANYE PEMILIHAN WALIKOTA MALANG JAWA TIMUR 2024 (STUDI DESKRIPTIF TERHADAP AKUN INSTAGRAM @ALIMUTHOHIRIN)

This research is a qualitative study with a descriptive type, using a descriptive study method. The object of this research is the management strategy of Ali Muthohirin’s Instagram account in relation to political content marketing during the 2024 Malang mayoral election. The purpose of this study is to understand how the political content marketing strategy is implemented on Ali Muthohirin’s Instagram account.

This study applies The Circular Model of SOME theory proposed by Regina Luttrell to analyze the political content marketing strategy in managing Ali Muthohirin’s Instagram account. The Circular Model of SOME consists of four stages: Share, Optimize, Manage, and Engage—aimed at helping social media practitioners manage their platforms more effectively.

The data collection methods used in this study include interviews with Ali Muthohirin’s internal media team and documentation techniques through content uploaded to the Instagram account @alimuthohirin. Additionally, to enhance the validity of the data, the researcher employed source triangulation.

The findings of this study reveal that political marketing through Instagram was implemented to increase Ali Muthohirin’s relatively low popularity in Malang. The political content marketing strategy used by Ali Muthohirin’s media team to enhance his popularity applied all four aspects of the Circular Model of SOME. Although not all Instagram features were used in the Share stage, the team effectively utilized the Reels feature to achieve broader reach within Malang City.