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Political Marketing and Democracy

Political marketing is a pervasive force in our lives; it influences the policies politicians pursue, the opportunities they give to people to be involved in campaigns and party organisations, the staff they employ, the way they communicate and the way they govern and lead. Given this, many scholars and media commentators have raised concerns that it influences democracy negatively; and political marketing does indeed raise many issues, but along with problems there is also the potential for it to strengthen the functioning of political systems and society. What makes the difference is how political marketing is practised. It is important that we are all aware of both the negative and positive implications political marketing can have so that those who practice political marketing make informed choices as to how they decide to use it. Political marketing can impact a range of political spheres: political leadership; citizenship; political participation; power and representation; policy; and principle and ethics.


General

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Websites

Despite millions spent on political marketing, few were influenced to switch their voteMarketing Week (May 2015) – Article highlighting the ineffectiveness of political marketing in the 2015 UK general election at convincing voters to change the way they vote.

Audio-visual

Problems of consumer choice - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXVVCT4Jcs8 [4m] Returning Brexit - it doesn't work as advertised Scientists for EU Published on Sep 23, 2016

Channel 4 News (2018). ‘Cambridge Analytica uncovered: Secret filming reveals election tricks’. Channel 4 News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=mpbeOCKZFfQ (accessed 1 September 2018)

Giving us what we want? - The Persuaders program - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/main.html?pkg=2303&seg=1&mod=1 [13 m] This explores the use of research in communication, through focusing on the US consultant Frank Luntz. Raises ethical issues about whether marketing really is about elites listening to voters, or in fact just another tool to sell their product to us.

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