Smoke and mirrors: is that the way it is? Themes in political marketing

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Abstract
Political marketing has become popularly associated with the triumph of style over substance, not to say the worst excesses of the spin doctor’s art. Analysis of professional and academic literature allows us to estimate to what extent professional practitioners recommend actions that fit with this preconception. There is general agreement that recent changes in political life - especially the decline of party affiliation and the increased importance of the mass media - have led to the changes associated with political marketing. The article debates the question by examining themes in professional literature that variously support and oppose the proposition that political marketing is all style and no substance. It uses a range of examples from recent American and European politics and concludes that despite a central focus on commercial-sector derived communication techniques, political marketers place substantial stress on the substance of policy development and delivery.

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