Political Marketing and Opinion Leadership: Comparative Perspectives and Findings

Abstract

Political marketing is an essential aspect of modern politics in established democracies, with politicians utilizing a range of marketing tools and strategies to help them understand and respond to voter concerns. This raises the concern that continual attention to public opinion can cause politicians to simply pander to it. However, this chapter proposes a new model of political leadership for the twenty-first century, reflective leadership, which suggests that politicians can use market research to identify a range of possible responses to public opinion, which not only helps them maintain public support but achieve change. Globally, in established democracies there is a trend towards a public that wants to feel a sense of involvement in political decision-making but also desires strong, principled leadership; a reflective political leader is better positioned to meet these contradictory demands.