Political Marketing in Retrospective and Prospective

Political marketing coalesced as a subfield in the mid-1990s, and in 2002 the Journal of Political Marketing began publication. This anniversary collection reviews the existing theory, empirical evidence and practice of political marketing and explores emerging topics and lines of inquiry within the field. While political candidates and their campaigns are a major focus, it also considers the broader range of issue advocacy and lobbying. The selections expand beyond the U.S. context to offer a much needed comparative perspective. The volume includes material on the effects of new media and technology, posing questions about their direction and consequences for political actors and institutions, citizens and governmental systems. Collectively, the chapters illustrate the breadth and depth of a maturing field of inquiry, taking the reader through a retrospective and prospective examination of the intellectual grounding and scholarship that comprise political marketing.

This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of Political Marketing.

Christine B. Williams, Professor of Political Science, Bentley University, holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Indiana University. She is North American Managing Editor of the Journal of Political Marketing. Her research on new and emerging technologies for political communication and e-government has appeared in academic journals, trade publications, and news media outlets worldwide.

Bruce I. Newman, Professor of Marketing, DePaul University, holds M.B.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois-Urbana. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Political Marketing. His research on political marketing and consumer psychology has produced more than ten books and numerous scholarly articles.