Use of Political Marketing in Reinventing the Conservatives

The society has changed. Party identification and membership have declined dramatically. Instead, new political movements have emerged and electoral volatility has increased. Voters are acting as customers and politics is often seen as a product, which is evaluated on its merits. As a result, political parties have changed as well. They are embracing sophisticated marketing methods and techniques in order to achieve their goals: design the product, gain support, win election and ultimately stay in power. This book describes the rise of marketing in British politics at the beginning of the 90s and analyzes the use of political marketing by the Conservative Party. It follows the election defeat 1997 and the subsequent attempts to modernize the party as well as David Cameron's rebranding efforts up until September 2008. The book combines traditional marketing management science with the three level conceptual model by Lees- Marshment. The text should help shed some light on this new exciting phenomenon in both marketing and politics and should be useful for students and professionals hoping to gain a better understanding of political marketing.