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.
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 Marla
