Brand Command

Alex Marland is a leading researcher of political communication and marketing in Canada and an associate professor of political science and an associate dean of arts at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He has worked in the communications division of a federal government department, held a public opinion analysis position with a major polling firm, and been employed as a research manager with public relations and advertising agencies. He later held director of communications positions with several departments in the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador public service. He is the co-editor of the UBC Press series “Communication, Strategy, and Politics” (with Thierry Giasson) and was the lead editor of Political Marketing in Canada (2012) and Political Communication in Canada: Meet the Press and Tweet the Rest (2014), and of the open access project Canadian Election Analysis 2015: Communication, Strategy, and Democracy (2015).

Preface: Branding, Message Control, and Sunny Ways

Identifies what went wrong for Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party in the 2015 election campaign, which sets up a provocative summary of communications practices in the early days of the new Liberal government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

1 The Centralization of Communications in Government and Politics

Sets the scene by establishing that communications practices are contributing to centralized power in the centre of parliamentary government. A hypothesis is introduced that everything political passes through a branding “lens.”

2 Marketing and Branding in Politics

Summarizes the advent of political marketing and branding, and identifies party discipline and central agencies as enablers.

3 The Tumultuous Digital Media Environment

Establishes that politics, government and the parliamentary press gallery have been transformed by digital media. Discusses concepts such as media logic, agenda setting, framing, information subsidies, celebritization, pseudo-scandal, and political advertising.

4 Public Sector Brands

Continues to lay a theoretical foundation by conceptualizing types of brands in the political marketplace. Features a case study that treats Justin Trudeau as a brand line extension of his father Pierre, the transformative Canadian prime minister.

5 Communications Simplicity and Political Marketing

Argues that research is informing the simplification and precision of communications messaging in politics. Presents evidence of ways that political marketing is practiced.

6 Brand Discipline and Debranding

Advances an argument that political elites are responding to changing communications technology with intensified media management that requires message consistency. This includes a penchant for negativity, as strategists attempt to damage an opponent’s brand.

7 Central Government Agencies and Communications

Documents ways that the cabinet, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and supporting agencies impose message control through spin and other forms of media management.

8 Branding in Canadian Public Administration

Explores the variety of ways that the Government of Canada practices message control and branding within the public service itself, bringing together formerly disparate units.

9 Politicization of Government Communications

Illustrates ways that political personnel impose their partisan values on the public service, through such mechanisms as a “whole of government” approach to marketing.

10 The Fusion of Party and Government Brands

Shows how the governing party attempts to fuse its brand with the government’s and strives to eviscerate select reminders of past administrations. Features a case study of the Economic Action Plan branding campaign after the 2008-09 global economic crisis.

11 Public Sector Branding: Good or Bad for Democracy?

Presents arguments in favour of public sector branding and warns of a number of concerns, before presenting recommendations for policy change.

Appendices

Glossary

Notes

References

Interviews

Index