The application of marketing to British politics

Abstract

This article looks at some very basic questions concerning Marketing's application to British politics. Firstly it identifies the degree of influence which marketing has in this area. Secondly it discusses the efficacy of marketing activity in politics to date and in the future. Next it links voting behaviour with buyer behaviour and market segmentation to highlight areas where gaps exist and marketing expertise could be usefully transferred. A practical example is then provided as Cluster Analysis is used on relevant attitudinal data to produce a novel way of segmenting the electorate. From this some of the implications for political parties are discussed and the future research possibilities considered.