Class Political Marketing and Communication Strategy

The course unit Political Marketing and Communication Strategy aims to provide students with skills in political marketing and communication strategy through the study of key theories and concepts, the analysis of political actors, and the examination of concrete case studies.

Not applicable

1: Meaning and Origins What is political marketing: market, product, and consumers Liberal roots: the citizen as consumer 20th Century – Mass democracy, print press, radio, and television Market studies and electoral behaviour 2: The Actors Governments Parties and candidates Social movements Lobbies Think Tanks 3: Strategies Defining product and target market Electoral marketing: positioning and strategies of affirmation and differentiation Communication of results Virtualisation of politics and social media: revolution or continuity? 4: Case Studies Political communication: Ronald Reagan, the “Great Communicator” The campaign of Fernando Henrique Cardoso The advent of the internet: “Yes We Can” – David Plouffe and Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign The return of politics: “Make America Great Again” – Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign The MeToo Movement and digital activism The European Union and the Covid-19 pandemic

The course unit is based on the following teaching methodologies: reading and debate; analysis and construction of case studies; and the development of a group project on a political communication campaign. The theory-oriented teaching methods aim to ensure that students become familiar with the most relevant literature in the field, understand the historical origins of political marketing and communication, and grasp the factors that determine the design and implementation of these strategies and campaigns. In the final module, students are expected to apply the concepts learned by analysing case studies and constructing a political communication campaign.

Aaker, J. and Chang, V. (2009). Obama and the Power of Social Media and Technology. Stanford Graduate School of Business. https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/case-studies/obama-power-social-media-technology. Kruschinki, Simon and Bene, Márton (2022). In varietate concordia?! Political parties’ digital political marketing in the 2019 European Parliament election campaign. In European Union Politics 23(1): 43-65. Lazarsfeld, Paul F., Berelson, Bernard and Gaudet, Hazel (1944). The People's Choice: How the Voter Makes Up His Mind in a Presidential Campaign. Columbia University Press. Lees-Marshment, Jennifer et al. (2019), Political Marketing, Principles and Applications (3rd Edition). London: Routledge.