Penelitian ini menggali bagaimana sepasang kandidat menggunakan pendekatan branding dalam kontestasi pilkada. Perumusan dan penerapan political branding Jokowi-Ahok, pemenang Pilkada DKI Jakarta 2012, menjadi sentral tulisan ini. Melalui wawancara mendalam dengan pihak yang terlibat dalam penerapan konsep ini, ditemukan bahwa kemampuan membaca konteks sosial, politik, historis menjadi dasar political branding Jokowi-Ahok, khususnya dalam menentukan positioning, political brand dan media komunikasi yang sesuai. Berdasarkan analisis tadi, merek politik pun dibuat bertumpu pada kekuatan figur pasangan guna meraih simpati publik, dibantu dengan wacana politik, cara kampanye, dan baju kotak-kotak. Hasil penelitian ini memperlihatkan bagaimana branding diterapkan pada konteks politik untuk menggalang partisipasi di tengah situasi politik yang semakin tersekularisasi.

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This research studies how a pair of candidates adopts branding approach to win a local election. Jokowi-Ahok’s political branding, the winning pair of the 2012 Jakarta Gubernatorial Election becomes the central of this paper. In depth interviews with their branding expertise were conducted, and it is found that the proficiency in understanding social, political, and historical context became the foundation of Jokowi-Ahok’s political branding, including positioning, political brand, and media used for communicating the brand. Their political brand was then made to rely most on their figures, yet political ideas, campaign maneuvers and checkers shirt also play a part. The result of this research shows how branding approach is applied in political context to gain political participation in the more secularized politics.