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During the first week, we will overview the contents and key themes of the module. Furthemore, we will define political marketing and public relations as a field of research, identify its key concepts and discuss why they are essential for our understanding of the interrelationship between marketing and politics in the contemporary world. Literature for this session: Module Study Guide Ormrod, P., Henneberg, S. and O’Shaughnessy, N. (2013) ‘Defining Political Marketing’, in Political Marketing: Theory and Concepts. Los Angeles: Sage, pp. 9–21.

During this week we will identify and explore the existing main theories of political marketing. We will discuss the characteristics of modern political markating management and, more specifically, distinguish between wide and narrow interpretations of the field. Furthermore, we will identify several key themes in political marketing theories. Literature for this session: Cwalina, W., Falkowski, A. and Newman, B. (2015) ‘An Advanced Theory of Political Marketing: What Is Missing?’ in Political Marketing: Theoretical and Strategic Foundations. London: Routledge, pp. 30–80. Lees-Marshment, J. (2001) ‘The Marriage of Politics and Marketing’, Political Studies, 49(4), pp. 692–713.

The third week will be devoted to theories of communication and their political implications. We will discuss the role of mass communications in contemporary culture. The students will be introduced some of the most influential theories of communication. Literature for this session: Paxson, P. (2010) ‘Mass Communications and Contemporary Culture’, in Mass Communications and Media Studies: An Introduction. New York: Continuum, pp. 1–17. Fiske, J. (1990) ‘Communication Theory’, in Introduction to Communication Studies. London: Routledge, pp. 6–23.

During week four, we will discuss the relationship between political marketing, news media and theories of democracy. The students will be introduced various schools of thought in political marketing and asked to identify which ones are most common in each political system. We will also discuss whether political marketing should be linked to specific political theories. Literature for this session: Tilly, C. (2007) ‘What is Democracy?’, in Democracy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 1–24. Graber, D. (2017) ‘Freedom of the Press: Theories and Realities’, in Kenski, K. and Jamieson, K. (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Political Communication. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 237–248. Schudson, M. (2017) ‘How to Think Normatively about News and Democracy’, in Kenski, K. and Jamieson, K. (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Political Communication. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 95–108.

This week will be devoted to discussing the ethics of political marketing. We will explore different ethical perspectives adopted by political actors and the general ethics of political advertising from various points of view. Literature for this session: O'Shaughnessy, N. (2002) ‘Toward an Ethical Framework for Political Marketing’, Psychology & Marketing, 19(12), pp. 1079–1094. Banker, S. (1992) ‘The Ethics of Political Marketing Practices, the Rhetorical Perspective’, Journal of Business Ethics, 11(11), 843–848. Sanghvi, M. (2018) ‘Gender and Intersectionality in Political Marketing’, in Gender and Political Marketing in the United States and the 2016 Presidential Election: An Analysis of Why She Lost. New York, NY: Palgrave-MacMillian, pp. 61–100.

During week 6, the main focus will be on the various strategies of political marketing and PR. The discussion will be focused especially on such issues as political rhetoric, spin, and strategic development in political marketing. Literature for this session: Condor, S., Tileagă, C. and Billig, M. (2013) ‘Political Rhetoric’, in Huddy, L., Sears, D. and Levy, J. (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Political Psychology. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 262–297. Lees-Marshment, J. (2011) ‘Strategic Development’, in The Political Marketing Game. London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 46–78. Lilleker, D. (2006) ‘Spin/Spin-doctor’, in Key Concepts in Political Communication. London: SAGE Publications, pp. 194–197.

During this week, we will shift from theoretical discussion to more practical issues. We will explore what practical roles PR and Political Marketing play in modern democracies: How do the politicians (and their PR people) interact with news media, voters and special interest groups? How does the political elite respond to the desires of the voters? How do the politicians market their “product” to the electorate? Literature for this session: Wilcox, D., Cameron, G. and Reber, B. (2015) ‘Public Relations in Government’, in Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics. 11th Edition. Harlow: Pearson Eduction, pp. 519–543. Lloyd, J. and Toogood, L. (2015) ‘Political Communications’, in Journalism and PR: News Media and Public Relations in the Digital Age. London: I.B. Tauris, pp. 49–86.

The main focus of week 8 will be on political branding, one of the key themes in political marketing. We will discuss different strategies and techniques of political branding and its role in political campaigns and public relations in the modern world. Literature for this session: Smith, G. and French, A. (2009) ‘The Political Brand: a Consumer Perspective’, Marketing Theory, 9(2): 209–226. Cosgrove, K. (2012) ‘Political Branding in the Modern Age: Effective Strategies, Tools and Techniques’, in Lees-Marshment, J. (ed.), Routledge Handbook of Political Marketing. New York: Routledge, pp. 107–123.

This week will continue the practical focus of the previous week. We will discuss the “craft” of public relations writing and media management. This week is specifically devoted to prepare the students for the two main assessments (Press Release and Press Conference). Literature for this session: Wilcox, D. and Reber, B. (2014) ‘Writing the News Release’, in Public Relations: Writing and Media Techniques. 7th Edition. Harlow: Pearson Education, pp. 121–146. Seitel, F. (2017) ‘Public Relations Writing’, in The Practice of Public Relations. 13th Edition. Harlow: Pearson Education, pp. 339–363.

During week 10, we will discuss political marketing and public relations in the era of digital media. What possibilities do social media and digital communications offer for political advertising and PR? What are the new challenges? How have digital communications changed the entire world of politics? Literature for this session: Trottier, D. and Fuchs, C. (2015) ‘Theorising Social Media, Politics and the State: An Introduction’, in Social Media, Politics and the State: Protests, Revolutions, Riots, Crime and Policing in the Age of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. New York: Routledge, pp. 3–38. Owen, D. (2017) ‘New Media and Political Campaigns’, in Kenski, K. and Jamieson, K. (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Political Communication. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 823–836.

During week 11, we will discuss the process of researching political marketing and advertising from various perspectives. The students will be introduced to the established methodologies of the discipline as well as the dominant themes of the existing research. We will also discuss some possible themes and avenues for future research. Literature for this session: Johnston, A. (2006) ‘Methodologies for the Study of Political Advertising’, in Kaid, L. and Holtz-Bacha, C., (eds.) The Sage Handbook of Political Advertising. Thousand Oaks: Sage, pp. 15–34. Henneberg, S. and O’Shaughnessy, N. (2009) ‘Political Relationship Marketing: Some Macro/Micro Thoughts’, Journal of Marketing Management, 25 (1 / 2): 5–29.

Drawing on the concepts and theories we have learned during the semester, we will now switch to discussing specific case studies. During this week, our focus is on the two leading democracies of the English-speaking world. We will discuss the political marketing strategies of Bernie Sanders (in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections) and the “new” Labour party under Tony Blair in the UK. Literature for this session: Gillies, J. (2018) ‘“Feel the Bern”: Marketing Bernie Sanders and Democratic Socialism to Primary Voters’, in Political Marketing in the 2016 U.S.Presidential Election. London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 97–112. Ingram, P. and Lees‐Marshment, J. (2002) ‘The Anglicisation of Political Marketing: How Blair “Out-marketed” Clinton’, Journal of Public Affairs, 2(2), pp.44–56.

During week 13, we will continue with case studies, but now the focus will be on political marketing, PR, and election campaigns in non-Western countries. The two main examples come from Taiwan and South Africa. Literature for this session: Fell, D. and Cheng, I. (2010) ‘Testing the Market-Oriented Model of Political Parties in a Non-Western Context: the Case of Taiwan’ in Lees-Marshment, J., Strömbäck, J. and Rudd, C. (eds.), Global Political Marketing. London: Routledge, 175–188. Fourie, L. and Plessis, N. (2011) ‘The Function of Electoral Communication in a Developing Democracy: the Case of South Africa’, Journal of Public Affairs, 11(4), pp. 255–264.

During the last week of the module, we will review the key themes of the semester. Furthermore, much of the week will be devoted to the Press Conferences (Assessment 2).