Political Marketing SIG

The Political Marketing Special Interest Group was formed in 1997, in response to the increased application of marketing to political activity. Extant research at the time focused on political advertising and election campaigning. Since the seminal work of Lock and Harris (1996), however, which critically evaluated the application of marketing concepts to the political environment, the political marketing research agenda has expanded, taking in lobbying, propaganda, referendum campaigning, corporate political advertising, government communications, the marketing of terrorist groups and more.

Political marketing research is interdisciplinary and research in this area is broad, focusing on, for instance, how marketing may create value for the political consumer; how it can increase citizens’ engagement with the political process in democratic (and undemocratic) societies around the world; and how advances in marketing theory may have an impact on political communication and discourse.

Although the use of marketing tools such as marketing research have been utilised for many years, researchers examine marketing concepts such as segmentation, targeting and positioning; branding; the application of the marketing mix, politics as a service, the use of social media in political contexts, ethics, trust and voter satisfaction and experience. Others consider how advances in technology and the development of social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter can respond to the increasingly competitive political market place.

Some research takes a critical perspective on the impact of marketing upon the democratic process whilst others examine the methods of persuasion including propaganda. Overall the Political Marketing Special Interest Group is a vibrant hub for research in politics with an agenda to build a greater understanding of the applicability of marketing to politics.

To contact the SIG please email either the SIG Chair or Deputy Chair.
Chair – Prof Paul Baines, University of Leicester: [email protected]
Deputy Chair – Prof Dianne Dean, Sheffield Hallam University: [email protected]