Politics as Commodity From Eisenhower to Bush Jr.

Half a Century of Commercial Communication and Election Campaigns in the United States.

Abstract

The increasing role played by the so-called "political consultants" and "campaigns strategists," applying marketing techniques to promote candidates in current elections, points to a serious gap in the historical literature of U.S. political culture. Surprisingly understudied remains the historical background of this recent development, which is rooted in the evolution of commercial communication over the second half of the twentieth century. The long-term perspective adopted in the present article shows how, and with what effects on public discourse, admen, PR, and "political consultants" came to dominate presidential campaigning and made effective inroads into governance as well.