5. The Evolution of Political Campaigning - with Professor Darren Lilleker

Ever wonder how political campaigns have transformed over the years?

Discover how political marketing has embraced corporate strategies, as we analyse the image management and PR tactics of iconic leaders like Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. Learn about how the introduction of television altered politicians' presentations and the roles played by public relations experts like Tim Bell in shaping campaigns.

Finally, we explore the professionalisation of modern political campaigns and ponder the future of this ever-changing landscape, including the greater use of voter profiling and data-driven campaigns.

For an overview of the air war:

Rosenbaum, M. (2016). From soapbox to soundbite: Party political campaigning in Britain since 1945. Springer.

Developments in the ground war in the later years are documented in:

Denver, D., & Hands, G. (2013). Modern constituency electioneering: Local campaigning in the 1992 general election. Routledge.

One of the best studies of the influences of marketing and public relations is:

Scammell, M. (2016). Designer politics: How elections are won. Springer.

For an overview of the psychology of campaigning see:

Lilleker, D. (2014). Political Communication and Cognition. Springer.

Finally,  a work on spin and New Labour from an ex-BBC journalist:

Jones, N. (2000). Sultans of spin: the media and the New Labour government Orion Books.