UK political marketing: A question of leadership?

The UK is often considered to be an obvious arena for market-oriented political parties, exemplified by Tony Blair’s marketing-driven leadership of New Labour which not only saw great success in 1997, but has been emulated by Labour parties in other countries including Germany, New Zealand and more recently Australia with the election of Kevin Rudd in 2007. The political system, where two main parties dominate, facilitates the adoption of market-oriented strategies; it encourages focus on the median target market, and enables a successful party to dominate legislatures and pass legislation easily. However the overall pattern of political marketing is actually more varied when analyzed over a longer time period, both before and after Tony Blair’s victory in 1997. This chapter will explore the nature of the electoral market to provide context for consideration of the systemic effects on behaviour, the use of political marketing techniques, political marketing strategy including historical trends as well as fresh empirical analysis of behaviour 2001-2008, and reflections on the issues raised by political marketing in the UK.