Modern politics has witnessed the anvil of the dual concepts of political branding and political marketing which have played crucial roles in such political events like elections, specifically, the campaigning aspect of it. Question is, how they differ from each other? The difference ought to be highlighted with regard to the practical implications arising out of the two and not merely the theoretical one.
It is same way the way ab established brand like BMW and Mercedes may need not to market their product for the brand name they have earned over a period of time, while as on the other hand a new car maker needs to run from pillar to post to promote his/her product. here the former is tried and tested brand while as the lateral has yet to earn that name and fame. In the same why political branding works, but the only difference between the two is, in politics the brand is an individual who holds the reins of the party and is able to restore faith in his country-men, given his/her tried and tested ability earned over a period of time.
Sigge Winther Nielsen (2016) defines the political brand as “Political representations situated in a pattern, which can be identified and differentiated from other political representations” (p. 71). Over time, the electorate attaches certain meanings to the names and electoral symbols of political parties, which allows them to differentiate and vote from one party to another in elections (Smith & French, 2009, p. 211).
The brand concept is a powerful and attractive tool for understanding political images. According to Margaret Scammell (2014), branding has the potential to unify the rational and emotional aspects of political behavior. The beauty of the brand (brand concept), says Scammell (2014) is “broad and inclusive; brings together the rational and the seemingly irrational, the hard and soft elements of voter choice, the important dimensions of political reputation and the seemingly trivial details of the appearance and tone of voice. In short, the brand concept is attractive because it has the potential to bring together perspectives from political science, economics-based approaches to political marketing and cultural analysis of modern politics”(p. 8). According to Gareth Smith and Alan French (2009), political brands can be understood as a complex with three distinct elements: “the party as a brand; the politician as his tangible characteristics; and politics as basic service offerings”(p. 212).
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