In the marketplace of elections, political parties vie to sell candidates, platforms, leaders, and ideas to voters. Since the mid-twentieth century, their strategies have evolved from basic persuasion to a data-driven approach. Marketing the Vote focuses on the dramatic 2025 federal election as a case study to explore what this marketing turn means for partisanship and electoral life in Canada.
While delving into established features of campaign design and implementation – fundraising, candidate recruitment, permanent campaigning – contributors consider such emerging themes as microtargeting, influencer engagement, political merchandising, authenticity, and disinformation. It's now possible to tailor messages to targeted audiences, but these methods invite questions about what is effective and what is honest. Contributors analyze how marketing tools operate, and how they influence electoral outcomes and accountability.
Marketing the Vote is a nuanced, research-based account that gives us a richer understanding of how commercial marketing techniques are transforming elections – and with them, democracy itself.
