ABSTRACT
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. 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. This chapter explores the positive and negative impact of political marketing on a range of areas: political leadership; political participation; power and representation; policy; and principle and ethics.
