“Political science” was defined by Aristotle as “the study of the state,” according to the Oxford Dictionary of Politics, whereas political communication is “the strategic use of communication to influence public knowledge, beliefs, and action on political matters,” as stated by David L. Swanson and Dan Nimmo. The political marketing and communications field combines traditional disciplines like communications and political science, but infuses them with a 21st century media perspective. Political marketing scholars and analysts attempt to understand the methods by which political marketing information spreads, and to what extent political campaigns and actions influence society.
Did you know that in November, 2012,12 percent of adults using the internet attest to getting their political news from Facebook, as compared to just 6 percent in January 2012? This is an example of a political marketing data point that online advertising companies and political campaign marketing groups study in order to comprehend the most effective ways of transmitting political messages to citizens. Approximately 20 percent of social media users say that they have followed or interacted with an elected politician or political candidate vis a vis a social networking site, indicating a trend in which social media is quickly becoming the ersatz town hall meeting of the new millennium. Political marketing firms can extract from this trend that Facebook and is the go to conclave catalyzing an ongoing dialogue between candidates and legislators.
The political marketing of today is markedly distinct from the political marketing that existed just a decade ago. This fact was highlighted during the first presidential campaign of Barak Obama, a politician who relied heavily upon social media to get his political marketing message across. In order to continue learning how to best communicate to constituents, political marketing researchers must remain abreast of the transformative political venue that social media sites have become. In so doing, political marketing researchers can better master the nuances of political messaging.