ABSTRACT
In modern American politics, much is written and discussed about political brands, selling candidates and issues, what techniques work to get people to turn out, and the latest innovations in organizing and mobilization, but rarely do such comments integrate understanding from academic marketing theory or provide a comprehensive analysis of the different activities involved in the marketing of US politics. We know that marketing is taking place in American politics and in practice the logic, analytical tools, and techniques of marketing have become ubiquitous. Yet, there is little holistic discussion of the marketing of US politics by journalists or academics; what there is tends to be piecemeal, ad hoc, and partial rather than situated in the context of the rich and diverse scholarly field of political marketing. This book aims to change that and begin a broad conversation about the role marketing plays in America’s political life. Political marketing techniques and strategies, as well as the popular discussion of them, have become omnipresent in modern American politics. They are used by politicians, parties, groups, movements, and governments to advance a range of political goals. These goals include winning elections, gaining donations, attracting volunteers, managing reputations, and supporting the existence and advancing the agendas of interest groups and think tanks or advancing a particular cause or policy position. Americans are most familiar with the use of political marketing in campaigns, but marketing is employed by a variety of entities to inform every aspect of politics. Government departments, policy groups, and incumbent political leaders utilize concepts and techniques from marketing to advance their agendas through government and build public support for policies. Indeed, as anyone who has ever spent time in the Washington, D.C., area knows, from the moment one lands at the airport to the time one is walking around the city to time spent watching TV in the evening, one is literally in the middle of a giant b-to-b (business-to-business) marketing effort in which political marketers try to explain to those who make and implement policy, especially those in Congress around budget time, why what they support is in the national interest. Political marketing exists at all levels of government: federal, state, county, and local. It is used by presidents, governors, senators, representatives, big city mayors and councilors.
