Political Marketing against the Background of Modern Marketing Theory

The analysis of publications concerning the problem of political marketing leads to the statement that despite the widespread use of the term, there is still lack of solid and recognized theoretical foundations of this phenomenon. Hence the necessity of referring to the achievement of marketing theory used on conventional markets. The author attempts to answer the questions about the essence of political marketing. The existing conceptions of political marketing were divided into two groups: the reductionist approach defining political marketing as a tool of persuasion used during the election campaign, and the complex approach recognizing the fulfilment of the needs of the addressees of the political offer as the essence of marketing actions. In the light of marketing theory and research carried out by the author it appears that the reductionist approach brings considerably less election effects than the proposed complex approach. In spite of this analysis of the subject literature indicates that the theory of political marketing is still in the stage of promoting orientation popular on conventional markets in the sixties.