Practice/community-oriented Roles

  • Lead academic Advisor to TVNZ’s Vote Compass and Kiwimeter initiatives, engaging over a million members of the public
    • Led the formation of the academic advisory team for Vote Compass
    • Role involves working closely with the media partner, advising on issues, survey questions, adjudicating on party coding, analysing the data and suggesting stories, and appearing in the news to report on the data as it comes in during the campaign.
    • Vote Compass 2014  engaged over 330,000 New Zealanders (out of a 4.5 million population) and increased voting enrolment – see https://youtu.be/80UyWEbnd2M;
    • TVNZ’s Kiwimeter about national identity and the flag referendum in 2016 engaged over 220,000
    • Vote Compass 2017 engaged over 469,000
    • In 2017, facilitated the University hosting a TVNZ live-streamed event the Young Voters Debate, which had 60,000+ viewers on livestream and 154,000 on TV channel Duke
    • We ran Vote Compass again in 2020 which engaged over 400,000 and held the young voters debate again at the university.
  • Chair of the Magna Carta 800th Committee for New Zealand, 2014-5
  • Member of the New Zealand Online Engagement Community, 2014 -2015
  • Member of the Auckland branch/committee of IAP2 (International Association for Public Participation), 2012-2014

Practice-oriented training, teaching and events

  • Organiser of practitioner panels at the 2014 NZPSA Conference
  • Creation of a map of NZ government staff working on improving public input into government and policy making and disseminated it, creating new connections within and outside government, November 2014
  • Co-organiser of ‘Connecting communication, engagement and policy staff in government: a discussion to collate ideas about improving public input and policy making in government’ with Michael Macaulay at Victoria University, Wellington, November 7 2014.
  • Political Management in Government for Auckland University students, 2014 onwards
  • Organiser of an Academic-Practitioner workshop ‘Integrating Public Input into Political Leadership and Government’ with IAP2 Auckland Branch, The University of Auckland, 7 February 2013 which attracted over 60 consultation staff working at central and local government, market researchers, local council politicians, and central government politicians.
  • Training on the Practice of Political Marketing delivered to Carleton University political management graduate students, October 2013
  • Practice of Politics course for Auckland University students discussing the jobs, skills, pressures and ethics of working in government and politics, 2013 onwards
  • Training day on Political Marketing delivered to Auckland University Labour students, New Zealand, 11 July 2013
  • Invited trainer for the Government of Macedonia’s Training for Young Leaders, to teach Political Marketing and Leadership, August 2012, part funded by the British Embassy
  • Training day on political marketing, University of Suffolk/Moakely Institute, Boston, USA March 28-6 April 2011
  • Political Marketing – Managing Public Perception, Victoria University, New Zealand, 2010

Practice-oriented research, presentations and advice

  • Advised a ministerial advisor in the Ministry for the Environment about designing public input, January 2017
  • Reviewed the pilot Human Rights Education online course for the NZ Human Rights Commission, June 2017​
  • Lees-Marshment, Jennifer (2016) (Ed) Magna Carta NZ: Power, People, Politics and Progress, an open-access e-book, May, The University of Auckland https://magnacartanz.wordpress.com/e-book-magna-carta-nz-power-people-politics-and-progress/
  • Submitted input to State Services Commission on New Zealand’s second National Action Plan for Open Government through a workshop and online processes, 2016.
  • Ministry of public input research disseminated via meetings with government including SSC Open Government Partnership staff, Auckland Policy Office Exec. Director and SSC State Sector Reform Dep. Commissioner, 2014-5 and used in Australian Parliamentary Briefing by ANU colleague Carolyn Hendriks, 2016
  • Presentation for the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, Victoria University, practitioner and academic seminar ‘Improving public input in government: Ministers’ Perspectives and Recommendations for Future Practice’, 21 August 2014
  • Presentation for The Ministry of Transport, ‘Principles for collecting and processing public input for staff working within a ministry, 2014
  • Presentation to politicians in the NZ House of Representatives, ‘Using public input to create space for political leadership in government: recommendations for politicians’, 2014
  • Presentation for International Association for Public Participation, Wellington ‘The Minister’s perspective on public input and recommendations for the future’, August 21  2014
  • Presentation for the IAP2 Auckland network ‘The Minister’s Perspective on Public Input in Government and Recommendations for Future Practice’ August 15 2014
  • Presentation to the International Association for Public Participation, Auckland branch, ‘The Minister’s Perspective on Public Input in Government and recommendations for future practice’ August 2014
  • Report The Ministry of Public Input: Report and Recommendations for Practice disseminated August 2014
  • Presentation to Princes Street Labour, Auckland University, ‘Playing the Political Marketing Game: to what extent did Labour play it well in 2011 and what can it do better for 2014?’ 7 August 2013
  • Consulted by the Korean trade commission on managing the new female president and gender/first lady(gentleman) issues, August 2013
  • Advice given to 23 million (the23million.com.au), an organisation campaigning for a review of the political system along deliberative lines in Australia, on the options for integrating public input into government, June 2013
  • Advised Young Nats about improving their Facebook site in relation to e-marketing principles, New Zealand, June 2013
  • Delivery of a political marketing advisory report for the Indian Government, ‘Developing an effective communications strategy for the 12th 5 year plan’ requested by the Indian Government’s Planning Commission, June 2012
  • Applied research for the New Zealand Act Party. This included a report and Keynote address, at the 2009 ACT Conference entitled ‘Political Marketing Plan for Act 2009-2011′ and applied international theory to data conducted and provided by Act including focus groups with voters and interviews with MPs and candidates. An ACT staffer noted in an email in 2012 that they ‘still refer to the material that was presented to the ACT conference in 2009.’
  • Applied research for the New Zealand National Party: discussions with Professor Steve Bridges about applying political marketing lessons to the membership provision and a presentation ‘Regional political marketing’ to the National Party Northern Region Conference October 2007
  • Presentation to the Northern Club ‘What John Key and Helen Clark can learn from Tony Blair about how to do (or not do) political marketing?’ October 2007
  • Invited/paid lecturer on political marketing and the 2005 election to the Chartered Institute of Marketing Specialist sub-group of senior management, Warwick University, 2005
  • Talk to PRIA (Public Relations Institute of Australia), at the Canberra Press Club, on political marketing, 2003
  • Formal meeting with the Malaysian Prime Minister to discuss political marketing, at his request, Wednesday 22 July 2009
  • Informal meetings with New Zealand National Party leader John Key to discuss political marketing 2007-8
  • Lees-Marshment, J and J. Roberts, ‘Why it didn’t work for Labour’, paper published by the UK Chartered Institute of Marketing, 2005

 Involvement of practitioners in academic events

  • 2014 Co-organiser of workshop for government staff ‘Connecting communication, engagement and policy staff in government’ with Michael Macaulay at Victoria University
  • 2014 NZPSA Conference election plenary and special panels which included practitioners from the National, Labour and Green parties, TVNZ and the Electoral Commission
  • 2013 Organiser of academic-practitioner workshop ‘Integrating Public Input into Political Leadership and Government’ with IAP2 Auckland Branch, The University of Auckland
  • The 2010 APSA political marketing short course Political marketing: the myths, value and ethics included a practitioner keynote and debates featuring advisors such as Anita Dunn, Obama’s first White House Communications Director; Sara Taylor President George W Bush advisor; Patrick Muttart Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper advisor; Peter Fenn advisor to President Bill Clinton.
  • The UK PSA workshop Political marketing: hindering or helping the relationship between government and citizen? Edinburgh 30 March-1 April 2010 involved the pollsters Roger Mortimore (Ipsos Mori) and Mark Gill (Woodnewton Associates)
  • Organiser of a roundtable Political marketing, public opinion and leadership in New Zealand at the 2009 NZPSA conference which included former Labour minister Steve Maharey,
  • Organised Academic-Practitioner seminar ‘Marketing New Zealand Politics: following or leading the rest of the world? on political marketing and New Zealand politics at Auckland University in 2006 including practitioners Mike Williams (President, Labour Party) and Steven Joyce (General manager National Party 2002-5)
  • Co-organiser of the Political marketing group 2005 conference which attracted 50% practitioner delegates to the e.g. Electoral Commission, Hansard Society, The BBC Politics Show, Political Editor for ITV News, Head of Labour’s Political Strategy, Deputy Director of the Conservative Research Department and Marketing Director for the Tories
  • Organiser of the Political Marketing Conference, University of Aberdeen, September 2002 which included practitioners in panels and debates such as Scottish Conservative leader David McLetchie and SNP leader (later First Minister of Scotland) Alex Salmond
  • Director, Centre for Political Marketing. University of Keele, 2004-5, for which I organised a seminar series which included practitioner speakers alongside academics such as Will Harris, former Director of Marketing for the UK Conservative Party

Involvement of practitioners in academic publications

  • Lees-Marshment, J (2009) Political Marketing: principles and applications Routledge – includes case studies by practitioners such as Gavin Middleton, NZ Act party staff
  • Lees-Marshment, J, J Stromback and C Rudd (eds) (2010) Global political marketing Routledge – includes a chapter by Roger Mortimore and Mark Gill, UK pollsters
  • Lees-Marshment, Jennifer (ed) The Routledge Handbook of political marketing includes a chapter by Alex Braun, from PSB (Penn Schoen Berland), and Roy Langmaid, co-creation researcher and former advisor to Tony Blair

 Practitioner reviews/citations of academic research

  • 2015 Winner of the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Australasia Research Award for The Ministry of Public Input. The award acknowledges important contributions to the body of public participation knowledge. The Judges’ comments included ‘a really interesting methodology, using appreciative inquiry approach with practitioners and politicians. It has moved this research from theoretical findings to a very practical solution based model…Anecdotes from the politicians highlighted the alignments in thinking between the research and practice…The researcher has done an outstanding job of sharing the research findings and proposal widely (including internationally), ensuring the research doesn’t remain a book on the shelf but a proposal with merit and worthy of debate and consideration.’
  • 2014 Chartered Institute of Public Relations said of the book Political Marketing in the United States: ‘If I was running a political campaign, the authors’ political marketing matrix would be the ongoing basis for my ‘to do’ list and the blueprint for structuring my organisation.’
  • 2014 David Farrar, NZ National Party pollster and blogger commented on the report from the book The Ministry of Public Input that ‘the idea of a Ministry of Public Input, to work across Government, is worth considering.’
  • 2014 Tom Flanagan, former national campaign manager, Conservative Party of Canada endorsed Political Marketing: Principles and Applications 2nd edition with ‘indispensable textbook of political campaigning, based on the most recent international evidence about what does and doesn’t work.’
  • 2012 The Literary Review of Canada said of Political Marketing in Canada ‘all those who claim to understand modern political strategy, all those pundits and government-relations experts we see on TV, should keep this volume at hand.’
  • 2012 The Hill Times – Canada’s politics and government newsweekly read by politicians and advisors in the capitol Ottawa – listed Political Marketing in Canada as one of the top 100 best political, government public policy and Canadian history books.
  • 2011 Progress UK magazine run by independent UK Labour Party said of The Political Marketing Game ’Lees-Marshment combines 100 interviews (over 5 years of research, across 5 western liberal democracies) of heavy weight political marketing practitioners with her keen understanding of the wealth of existing academic literature on the subject. Undoubtedly, the highlights of the book are the musings of communication directors, political representatives, pollsters and strategists including (amongst many others) Alastair Campbell, Iain Duncan Smith and Philip Gould, on their various electoral battles…This is a hugely informative study on an important field that is changing and developing at an extraordinary rate’ http://www.progressonline.org.uk/articles/article.asp?a=7839
  • Citation and application of model in ‘Leading from the top’, by Roy Langmaid from Promise who advised UK Labour government
  • Citation and discussion in Marketing the ALP by Dave Peebles, advisor to Federal Opposition