Edited by Alex Marland, Thierry Giasson and Jennifer Lees-Marshment
UBC Press
‘The first serious scholarly analysis of a number of political marketing practices in Canada…the first serious look at a relatively recent, complex phenomenon that will only increase in importance in the future’ (Canadian Journal of Political Science 2015)
‘The authors of this collection have done a great service to political scientists and communications specialists by producing a readable and high-quality edited collection that will define the political marketing field in Canada for years to come.’ (Canadian Journal of Communication 2015)
Political marketing is used worldwide as politicians and their advisors draw upon business tools to connect with an increasingly critical electorate. It is changing the way political parties electioneer as they employ segmentation, market research and branding to create popular products and communicate delivery once in power.
This is the first book on political marketing in Canada. It considers the consequences of the practice of political marketing for leadership, policy, governance and the government-citizen relationship. It explores how voters act like consumers and evaluates how market research, strategy, market-orientation, communication and delivery management are used by political parties, governments and interest groups. Dynamic case studies include the resurrection of the Conservative Party’s use of political marketing, how the news media covers political marketing, online relationship marketing and Tim Hortons as a political brand.
Observers of party politics and elections will gain insights into how political marketing is operating in Canada and those interested in democracy will obtain fresh perspectives about the changing relationship between political elites and the public. Political Marketing in Canada offers new research into a global phenomenon and considers how Canadian politicians and their advisors have adapted international approaches to create a unique, Canadian form of political marketing.
Reviews:
‘A collection of sophisticated, learned research…this is politics catapulted out of the ivory tower and into the aisles of your favourite retail chain…The contributors to this book…have charted that trajectory of politics out of academia into the marketplace, and then bounced it back into the ivory tower for rigorous, researched analysis…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 as an essential reference.’ (The Literary Review of Canada June 2012)
‘A timely insight into how the modern political realm really works at a number of critical levels. No longer is federal or provincial politicking in this country simply a matter of projecting the right personal image or out-muscling one’s opponents on the issues in a run-up to an election. Nothing in this intensely competitive world is now left to chance as explained in this collection of well-written, research-based, highly-analytical essays…Politics is no longer about ideas on paper but concepts in action, and we, the voters, are now consumers who use them in our daily lives’ (www.amazon.ca April 2012)
Reader reports:
‘Publication is particularly desirable because the political-marketing approach has hardly been represented in the past literature of Canadian politics.’
‘This volume does not position itself as a text on political marketing (i.e. explaining the basic concepts to the reader), but rather as a political marketing analysis of Canadian politics.’
Endorsements:
“An important and innovative book, especially given that the political marketing approach has hardly been represented in the literature of Canadian politics. It will introduce Canadian political scientists to a valuable new perspective that will spark a new generation of research.” — Tom Flanagan, professor of political science at the University of Calgary, and author of Harper’s Team: Behind the Scenes in the Conservative Rise to Power
“The first significant account of the political marketing of Canadian political parties, this book is essential reading for those in political science, marketing, and communications. Accessibly written, it will also have a wider appeal — among journalists, politicians, policy makers, and those working in think tanks.” — Walter Wymer, professor of marketing at the University of Lethbridge, and author of Connected Causes: Internet Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations
Purchase
The book was published on the 25 January 2012 as hard cover and paperback 1 July 2012 from UBC press:
http://www.ubcpress.ca/search/title_book.asp?BookID=299173582
lees-marshment.org 