Political Marketing: Structure and Process

Abstract

Suggests that political campaigners are faced with marketing problemsand opportunities. Acknowledges the increasing professional marketingactivity in political campaigns. Examines the similarities anddifferences between elections and other marketplaces. In consideringmarketing in the political/electoral context, upholds the convention ofexamining the distinctive marketing features of the “industry”, anddrawing out the management implications of these. Presents a model ofpolitical marketing in terms of structural and process characteristics.Structural characteristics include the nature of the product, theorganization and the market; outlines the marketing managementimplications of these. Process characteristics are concerned with theprocedures and systems which govern marketing activity and theirimplications; briefly proposes appropriate strategic responses for each.