Distributed for University of British Columbia Press
Political Marketing in Canada
Political parties worldwide are using marketing tools such as targeting and segmentation to win elections. Are these strategies making politicians and governments more responsive to voters’ needs, or do they pose a threat to democracy? Through case studies that range from the resurrection of the Conservative Party to Tim Hortons as a political brand, this volume shows that the consequences of political marketing in Canada have been profound. Citizens are now viewed as consumers, and platforms and promises have been repackaged as products. Whether this trend is positive or negative depends on how politicians and governments carry out political marketing – and its promises – in practice.
Table of Contents
Part 1: The Marketplace
1 Introducing Political Marketing / Thierry Giasson, Jennifer Lees-Marshment, and Alex Marland
2 The Canadian Political Market and the Rules of the Game / Yannick Dufresne and Alex Marland
3 The Diversity of the Canadian Political Marketplace / Elisabeth Gidengil
Part 2: Political Parties and Institutions
4 Amateurs versus Professionals: The 1993 and 2006 Canadian Federal Elections / Alex Marland
5 Under New Management: Market Intelligence and the Conservative Party’s Resurrection / André Turcotte
6 The Impact of Market Research on Political Decisions and Leadership: Practitioners’ Perspectives / Jennifer Lees-Marshment
7 “Buyer” Beware: Pushing the Boundaries of Marketing Communications in Government / Kirsten Kozolanka
8 Market Orientation in a Minority Government: The Challenges of Product Delivery / Anna Esselment
9 Does Public Opinion Research Matter? The Marketing of Health Policy / Lisa Birch
10 Selling a Cause: Political Marketing and Interest Groups / Émilie Foster and Patrick Lemieux
Part 3: The Media and Citizens
11 As (Not) Seen on TV: News Coverage of Political Marketing in Canadian Federal Elections / Thierry Giasson
12 Are We Friends Yet? Online Relationship Marketing by Political Parties / Tamara A. Small
13 Double-Double: Branding, Tim Hortons, and the Public Sphere / Patricia Cormack
14 Marketing and Efficacy: Does Political Marketing Empower Canadians? / Royce Koop
Part 4: Conclusion
15 Challenges for Democracy / Thierry Giasson, Jennifer Lees-Marshment, and Alex Marland
Glossary
References
Index