Political Marketing: Managing Public Perceptions
Overview:
Delivered by an internationally renowned researcher in the field, this one-day course will help you to develop skills that no elected official or political organisation can afford to be without.
During the course, you will learn about the marketing strategies available to politicians, parties and government, and discover which ones work most effectively in managing the public. You will also learn about the pitfalls of some marketing tools.
The course is structured to encourage debate on how change and leadership can be achieved while responsiveness to public opinion is maintained.
You will leave the course with an understanding of the current approaches to political marketing and a plan for how best to use them to achieve a range of political goals.
^ Top of page
Who should attend:
The course will benefit elected politicians, staff working in and for political parties, government staff and advisors, council staff and councillors, staff from non-governmental organisations, and candidates who want to understand how to use marketing to achieve their goals.
^ Top of page
Learning Objectives:
- Appreciate the potential and drawbacks of different marketing tools and adapt them to suit your situation and goals
- Understand how politicians and political organisations can listen to their market and identify target groups
- Build a winning strategy that combines leadership with responsiveness
- Build your own brand that appeals to the public but is also true to you and your ideals
- Manage members and supporters to help them feel included and help you make progress
- Manage delivery dilemmas in power and maintain responsiveness, thereby gaining credibility and trust
- Develop an action plan to put political marketing tools into practice
^ Top of page
Course Outline:
Understanding your public: Accessing and capturing the views of your public, using research, consultation, segmentation and targeting.
Planning your approach: Being responsive to the right people; building your strategy, when to follow and when to lead.
Building your brand: Develop a brand that works for you and for the public, and is therefore popular as well as authentic.
Internal marketing: Managing volunteers, members and supporters to help them feel included and work with you.
After the election: Dealing with dilemmas, delivering on promises, maintaining responsiveness, credibility and trust.
^ Top of page
Course Format:
The course will be delivered through a mix of lectures, group work and discussion. Research findings and case studies will be used throughout the day, and opportunities provided for questions and support for individual situations.
The course is for a maximum of 16 participants.
^ Top of page
Presenter:
Dr Jennifer Lees-Marshment is Senior Lecturer in political studies at The University of Auckland and is an international academic expert in political marketing. She is the author of seven books including Political Marketing: Principles and Applications (Routledge 2009), the first textbook in political marketing. Dr Lees-Marshment has interviewed 100 practitioners in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand including advisors to world leaders Kevin Rudd, Helen Clark, Tony Blair, George W Bush and Stephen Harper. Her vast experience in this field will be used to inform you of the most current practices in political marketing (see www.lees-marshment.org)
^ Top of page