Abstract: This article analyzes the experience of application of media relations by political parties in the course of elections. It is a process of interaction between the press services of political parties and mass media by providing information to journalists in form of press releases, organization of press conferences, briefings and press tours for the purpose of promulgation of the offered materials in mass media. The article reveals the role of media relations in the electoral marketing of political parties based on comparison with the political advertising. Characteristic is given to the use of contact and document forms of media relations by the press services of political parties at the time of elections. The scientific novelty of this article consists in determination of specificity of media relations used by the political parties in electoral process. It implies the following aspects: media relations of political parties have a smaller scale of application in comparison with the state; the use of media relations is aimed at “winning” of their electorate by the parties; the key characteristic of the activity of press services of the political parties that refer to the forms of media relations is the ideological orientation; one of the primary tasks of press services pertains to fulfilling the information needs of their leaders, voicing their stance and opinions, assessments and intentions; the functional interaction with mass media comes to the forefront in the activity of press services at the time of elections, as the information prepared by them must be comprehensible to the audience.

Keywords: electoral process, electoral marketing, media solutions, political advertising, political PR, press service, political party, press release, press conference, press tour

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