Political marketing and management lessons for research and practice from the 2024 UK election

The conclusive chapter summarises the research findings focusing on contributions to the body of academic research and potential recommendations for politicians and practitioners. Although an effort was made to highlight the case of all major parties in this election, the spotlight, as expected, was on the two parties competing for the office i.e. Labour & Conservatives. Starting with party approaches and leadership methods and then continuing with advertising and communication strategies accompanied by branding narratives, helped to identify strengths and weaknesses in the (under)utilisation of political marketing and management. The formulation of a realistically achievable alternative proposal (the political product offered) was never fully accomplished by the partisan campaigns, either at the delivery phase or even, in some cases, at the design phase. The associated decline of trust or hope by cynic voters in a volatile and crisis-prone setting gives room for the rise of populist narratives. Thus, further research is needed into how parties design and communicate their plans and promises, within a landscape prone to unethical practices and behaviours, which requires effective governance and crisis management skills. Democracy should not be seen as a framework of tradition but as the key to a political system that wants to serve society.