Syllabus – BA Global Communication

CMM 254G

Branding Politics. Political Marketing in the 21st Century.

Number of ECTS credits: 6

CONTENT OVERVIEW

Syllabus Section Course Prerequisites and Course Description Course Learning Objectives Link between PLO & CLO Main Course Material

Workload Calculation for this Course

Course Assessment Description of Assignments & Exams Rubrics Course Policies Course Schedule

Course Prerequisites (if any)

None. . Course Description

Political marketing consultants and spin doctors often operate in the shadows of political campaigns, but this course puts them front and centre. The course has three goals. First, it introduces students to key concepts and theories underlying contemporary political marketing. In doing so, it links to more general approaches from political communication. Second, it seeks to develop students’ communicative skills in a campaign context by having students develop their own political marketing plan for a party or candidate of their choosing. Third, it addresses the normative and ethical implications of political marketing on politics, and democracy more broadly.

Course Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, students should have attained the following objectives: In terms of knowledge:

1. Students know and understand the key theories of political marketing; 2. Students have insight in techniques and methods used by political marketing

consultants; 3. Students understand the relation between shifts in political marketing and

broader trends in political communication; In terms of skills

4. Students can apply theories and techniques of political marketing to specific cases;

5. Students can develop a political marketing plan for a political actor (party or politician);

In terms of attitudes, students should develop in this course:

6. Students are aware of the ethical implications of political marketing and can take a position in debates on political marketing ethics.

Link between Major Objectives, Course Objectives, Teaching methods and assignments

Number of assignments used in this course: 3 Number of Feedback occasions in this course (either written or oral): 1 Number and Types of Teaching Methods: 3 (lectures, in-class exercises, in-class debates)

Programme Learning Objective

Course Learning Objectives

Methods used to Teach Course Objectives

Methods (and numbers/types of assignments) used to test these learning objectives

Type, Timing and Instances of Feedback given to Student

3. Describing and comparing theories, concepts, authors and paradigms of the domains within the communication science.

1-3 Lectures Final exam Marketing Plan

Feedback on Final Exam. Feedback on Draft Marketing Plan.

5. Contribute to the initiating, planning and executing basic and applied research around communicators, channels, messages or recipients, starting from a defined mission and report back to colleagues and laymen.

4, 5 Lectures, in-class exercises.

Marketing Plan Feedback on Draft Marketing Plan.

Apply and transfer of models, methods and theories from auxiliary

1-3 Lectures Final Exam Feedback on Final

Exam.

Programme Learning Objective

Course Learning Objectives

Methods used to Teach Course Objectives

Methods (and numbers/types of assignments) used to test these learning objectives

Type, Timing and Instances of Feedback given to Student

sciences.

Identify the ethical dimension of a comm. problem and to acknowledge different point of view.

6 Lectures, in-class exercises.

Final exam

In-class debate

In-class discussions on arguments.

Feedback on debate.

Main Course Materials:

The course material consists of powerpoint presentations, lecture notes, and the required readings. The readings comprise both bok chapters and published academic articles, which can be found through the VUB’s Web of Science. Powerpoint presentations will be made available after the respective classes have taken place. A week-by-week overview of the course readings can be found in the section below.

The syllabus, powerpoint presentations and important messages will be uploaded to the Vesalius portal ‘Pointcarre’. Students are expected to visit this site regularly to keep abreast of course evolutions.

Course material marked as ‘suggested readings’ and ‘additional sources’ is helpful for research and to gain an increased understanding, but is not mandatory. This material can be found online or will be made available upon individual request.

Recommended reference books (selected chapters will be discussed in the course):

- Lees-Marshment, Jennifer. 2009. Political Marketing. Principles and Applications. London and New York: Routledge.

- Strömbäck, Jesper, and Spiro Kiousis. 2011. Political Public Relations: Principles and Applications. Taylor & Francis.

- Johnson, Dennis W. 2008. Routledge Handbook of Political Management. Taylor & Francis.

- Newman, Bruce I. 1999. Handbook of Political Marketing. Sage Publications.

- Holtzhausen, Derina, and Ansgar Zerfass. 2014. The Routledge Handbook of Strategic Communication. Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY.

- Cwalina, Wojciech, Andrzej Falkowski, and Bruce I. Newman. 2011. Political Marketing: Theoretical and Strategic Foundations. 1 edition. Armonk, N.Y: Routledge.

- Lees-Marshment, Jennifer, Chris Rudd, and Jesper Stromback, eds. 2009. Global Political Marketing. 1 edition. London ; New York: Routledge.

Recommended academic journals:

- Journal of Political Marketing (https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wplm20)

- Party Politics (http://journals.sagepub.com/home/ppq)

- Electoral Studies (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02613794)

- Political Communication (http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/upcp20/current)

For a complete list of ranked communication journals: http://science.thomsonreuters.com/cgi-bin/jrnlst/jlresults.cgi

High-ranking journal publications tend to have greater impact, but not always. The amount of Web of Science citations is usually a better indicator of impact, if only because these studies have been influential in the field.

Work Load Calculation for this Course:

This course counts for 6 ECTS, which translates into 150 – 180 hours for the entire semester for this course. This means that you are expected to spend roughly 10 hours per week on this course. This includes 3 hours of lectures or seminars per week and 7 hours ‘out of class’ time spent on preparatory readings, studying time for exams as well as time spent on preparing your assignments. Please see below the estimated breakdown of your work-load for this course.

Activity Hours

Class & meetings (6 hours per week for 6 weeks) 36 Course readings 30 Assignment 1: Political Marketing Plan

- Writing assignment (5000 words, 120 words/hour)1 40 - Searching for relevant data & literature for the plan, group

meetings 25

Assignment 2: Debate (preparing outside of class) 5 Preparing for Final exam 15 Final Exam 3

Total 154

Course Assessment: Assignments Overview

Students’ overall course grade is calculated as follows:

• Final Exam (40%)

• Political Marketing Plan (50%)

• In-class Debate (10%)

1 This is a group assignment, so I compensate by having a larger amount of words/hour estimated.

Grading Scale of Vesalius College

Vesalius College grading policy follows the American system of letter grades, which correspond to a point scale from 0 – 100. All assignments (including exams) must be graded on the scale of 0-100. To comply with the Flemish Educational norms, professors should on request also provide the conversion of the grade on the Flemish scale of 0-20. The conversion table below outlines the grade equivalents.

Letter grade Scale of 100

(VeCo Grading Scale)

Scale of 20

(Flemish System)

A 85-100 17.0-20.0

A- 81-84 16.1-16.9

B+ 77-80 15.3-16.0

B 73-76 14.5-15.2

B- 69-72 13.7-14.4

C+ 66-68 13.1-13.6

C 62-65 12.3-13.0

C- 58-61 11.5-12.2

D+ 54-57 10.7-11.4

D 50-53 10.0-10.6

F 0-49 0-9.9

Description of Activities, Grading Criteria and Deadlines:

Final Exam (40%)

The exam will test your knowledge and understanding of the theories and concepts we discuss in class. The exams contain three types of questions:

• Type 1 – short open-ended question: These questions will ask you to describe a theory or concept in your own words.

• Type 2 – long open-ended question: These questions are different in that they ask you to either (1) not only describe either a theory or concept, but also apply it to a real-life example of your choosing, or (2) contrast and compare two theories from the course.

• Type 3 - mini-essay: the final exam contains a mini-essay question, which has you argue a normative statement related to political marketing (similar to those we use for the in-class debate). You are then asked to write a short essay, outlining your position and providing arguments substantiating your position.

Political Marketing Plan (50%)

Students work together in groups of 2-3 students to come up with a political marketing plan for a party or politician of their choosing. This can be an existing political party/candidate, or a new party/candidate altogether.

The plan departs from a strategic background, which describes the relevant characteristics of the context – e.g. the electoral system, the competing parties/candidates, the electorate’s preferences, and so on. Based on this strategic analysis, the plan develops a concrete plan, which outlines the communication strategy to reach the target objectives.

The plan needs to be submitted at the end of week 6. A draft version of the introduction and strategic background is due in week 4.

1. The marketing plan needs to contain the following elements:

o Title Page

▪ Title;

▪ Student name and number of all group members;

▪ Word count.

o Introduction to party and goal of the plan

▪ Name of the party/candidate;

▪ (New) Logo of the party;

▪ Slogan of the campaign;

▪ Mission statement.

o Strategic background

▪ System boundaries;

▪ Situation analysis of party (SWOT);

▪ Key objectives of the plan;

▪ Target market for the plan;

▪ (brief) description of finances.

o Communication Strategy

▪ Description of overall communication strategy;

▪ Outlines of content, and explanation of relation with objectives/target market;

▪ Media strategy for dissemination;

▪ Evaluation strategy.

2. Length & Formatting

o The overall length of the plan should be between 3000 and 5000 words, not including references and title page.

o Referencing style: APA, Chicago or Harvard. But must be consistent throughout the manuscript.

In-class debate (10%)

In week 6, we will have an in-class debate to discuss the ethical implications of political marketing. In the first class of week 6, we will discuss several texts relevant to this discussion. Students then form groups of 2-3, and are presented with a normative statement related to political marketing. Groups are then assigned to take opposing positions on the statement. In the second class of the week, we then have a debate on these statements.

Students will be rated based on:

- The quality of arguments presented by their team (50%);

- The team’s ability to rebuke arguments presented by the opposing team (30%);

- The individual performance of the student during the debate (20%).

Rubrics: Transparent Grading Criteria For Each Assignment

The following rubrics detail the criteria that will be used to grade your exam questions and assignments. Review them carefully prior to submitting any assignment, as not meeting the criteria outlined here will unavoidably affect your grade negatively! Grading Rubric Exam Question – Type 1 (short open-ended question)

Criterion Insufficient

(0.0-9.9) Adequate (10.0-14.9)

Good (15.0-17.5)

Excellent (17.6-20.0)

Accuracy (80%)

The answer incorrectly reflects the concept or theory as discussed in

class or readings.

The answer correctly reflects the basic tenets of the concept or theory as discussed in class or

readings.

Requirement for Adequate + The answer completely covers the concept or theory, and

contains no major errors.

Requirement for Good, but the answer contains no errors whatsoever.

Comparisons of multiple

sources, conceptualizations and

interpretations of theories result in a higher grade.

Structure / Language (20%)

The structure is confusing and makes it hard to

make out the key points made.

Use of language is poor,

and contains several errors.

Overall structure is clear, with maximum two unclear sentences.

Use of language is ok,

with maximum two errors.

Structure is clear throughout, with no unclear sentences.

Good use of language,

with no errors.

Requirement for Good, plus the structure and use

of language are exceptionally clear.

Grading Rubric Exam Question – Type 2 (long open-ended question)

Criterion Insufficient

(0.0-9.9) Adequate (10.0-14.9)

Good (15.0-17.5)

Excellent (17.6-20.0)

Accuracy (30%)

The answer incorrectly reflects the concepts or theories as discussed in

class or readings.

The answer correctly reflects the basic tenets

of the concepts or theories as discussed in

class or readings.

Requirement for Adequate + The answer completely covers the

concepts or theories, and contains no major errors.

Requirement for Good, but the answer contains no errors whatsoever.

Comparison & Application (50%)

Real world example question: The answer

does not contain a specific example, or the example is not linked to

the concept / theory.

Theory comparison question: The answer

does not explicitly compare the two theories.

Real world example question: The answer

contains a specific example, that is weakly

linked to theory.

Theory comparison question: The answer

contains a basic comparison of the two

theories.

Requirement for Adequate +

Real world example question: example is

clearly linked to theory.

Theory comparison question: The answer’s comparison tackles the major aspects of both

theories.

Requirement for Good +

Real world example question: answer contains clear links to theory, and either example or links are exceptionally creative. Theory comparison question: The answer’s comparison is exhaustive and contains original comparisons between the theories.

Structure / Language (20%)

The structure is confusing and makes it hard to

make out the key points made.

Use of language is poor,

and contains several errors.

Overall structure is clear, with maximum two unclear sentences.

Use of language is ok,

with maximum two errors.

Structure is clear throughout, with no unclear sentences.

Good use of language,

with no errors.

Requirement for Good, plus the structure and use

of language are exceptionally clear.

Grading Rubric Exam Question – Type 3 (mini essay)

Criterion Insufficient

(0.0-9.9) Adequate (10.0-14.9)

Good (15.0-17.5)

Excellent (17.6-20.0)

Introduction (15%)

No clear / relevant / evaluative statement. No clear position. No specific example. No discussion of relevance.

Introduction mentions - Statement; - Position of author; - Specific example

related to statement; - Relevance.

Requirement for adequate, but either relevance or example are compelling & creative.

Requirement for adequate, but both relevance and example are compelling and creative.

Argumentation (50%)

Fewer than two well-argued arguments. Clear logical gaps are present.

At least 2 well-argued arguments are present. No clear logical gaps or misrepresentations present.

Requirement for adequate + At least one convincing counter argument (that is refuted).

Requirement for good + More than three copnvincing arguments + multiple counter arguments (that are refuted);

Conclusion (15%)

Conclusion does not mention statement, position or a short recap of the key arguments.

Conclusion mentions statement, position and briefly describes the key arguments.

Requirement for adequate + Conclusion briefly addresses relevance of statement.

Requirement for adequate, but relevance and recap of arguments are compelling.

References (10%)

Answer does not refer to any explicit sources.

Answer mentions sources (author names) to back up some of the key claims made.

Answer mentions sources (author names) to back up most of the key claims made

Answer mentions sources (author names) to back up all key claims made.

Structure / Writing (10%)

More than three spelling mistakes / More than one half finished sentence /

Structure is unclear.

Structure is clear (intro / arguments / conclusion). Less than three spelling mistakes. No half-finished sentences.

Requirement for Adequate + Maximum one spelling mistake or exceptionally clear structure.

Requirement for Good + Maximum one spelling mistake and exceptionally clear structure.

Grading Rubric Marketing Plan (50%) Section Insufficient (0-9.9) Moderate (10.0-14.9) Good/Very good (15.0-20.0) Party Intro (10%)

Marketing plan does not include … - party name - party logo - central slogan - mission statement

Marketing plan includes… - party name - party logo - central slogan - mission statement

All of the criteria for moderate score are met AND one or more of the following apply

- name, logo is clear - mission statement / slogan is creative

and compelling - intro in general is creative and

compelling

Strategic background (25%)

Marketing plan does not include / does not adequately discuss …

- situation analysis of the party, - including possible

challenges, trends, and changes

- outline of key objectives - system boundaries - description of target market - description of finance matters

Marketing plan adequately addresses …

- situation analysis of the party, - including possible challenges,

trends, and changes - outline of key objectives - system boundaries - description of target market - description of finance matters

All of the criteria for moderate score are met AND one or more of the following apply

- Various parts are consistent (e.g. the objectives are logically consistent with the current situation and the target market).

- Each component is well explained & to the point.

- Strategic background is presented in an especially creative fashion.

- Marketing plan backs up background with actual data throughout.

Communication Strategy (40%)

Marketing plan does not include / does not adequately discuss …

- Overall description of communication strategy

- Outline of contents (style, substance)

- Media strategy for dissemination

- Description of evaluation strategy

Marketing plan adequately addresses …

- Overall description of communication strategy

- Outline of contents (style, substance)

- Media strategy for dissemination

- Description of evaluation strategy

All of the criteria for moderate score are met AND one or more of the following apply

- The plan makes clear links - between the communication strategy

and the strategic background. - Discussion and/or presentation - of communication strategy are

especially creative.

Use of Literature (20%)

No or very few parts of the marketing plan use scientific literature to substantiate the decisions made.

Literature is used to substantiate most of the key decisions that are made in the marketing plan.

Literature is used to substantiate the key decisions that are discussed in the marketing plan. Use of non-course literature and creative use of literature results in higher grades.

Structure / Writing (5%)

Structure of the marketing plan makes it hard to follow. Multiple typos/errors in the plan. Grammatical errors throughout the plan. More than 5000 words.

Structure of the marketing plan is generally clear; Minor number of typos; Only a few grammatical errors; Language flow is adequate, but not excellent.

Structure of the marketing plan is very clear, with clear transitions between paragraphs and sections; Almost no typos or grammatical errors; Language adds to the persuasiveness of the marketing plan.

Vesalius College Attendance Policy As the College is committed to providing students with high-quality classes and ample opportunity for teacher-student interaction, it is imperative that students regularly attend class. As such, Vesalius College has a strict attendance policy. Participation in class meetings is mandatory, except in case of a medical emergency (e.g. sickness). Students will need to provide evidence for missing class (doctor’s note). If evidence is provided, the missed class is considered as an excused class. If no evidence is provided immediately before or after the class, the missed class is counted as an absence. For students that are absent for 2 sessions, the advisor of the student will be alerted. Participation implies that students are on time: as a general rule, the College advises that students should be punctual in this regard, but it is up to the professor to decide whether to count late arrivals as absences, or not. Additional Course Policies

Because all deadlines are communicated to students beforehand, and because this is a 300 level course, it is students’ responsibility to make sure they are able to finish the assignments on time. Therefore, assignments that are not handed in on time are subject to the following penalties. These penalties are deducted after calculating the overall grade of the assignment.

- 1 day late (0-24 hours): 10% reduction of original grade;

- 2 days late (24-48 hours): 20% reduction of original grade;

- 3 days late (48-72 hours): 30% reduction of original grade;

- 4 days late (72-96 hours): 40% reduction of original grade;

- 5 days late (96-120 hours): 50% reduction of original grade.

- After five days, the assignment is no longer accepted, resulting in an automatic grade of F.

Academic Honesty Statement

Academic dishonesty is NOT tolerated in this course.

Academic honesty is not only an ethical issue but also the foundation of scholarship. Cheating and plagiarism are therefore serious breaches of academic integrity.

Following the College policy, cheating and plagiarism cases will be communicated in writing to the Associate Dean and submitted to the Student Conduct Committee for disciplinary action.

If you refer to someone else’s work, appropriate references and citations must be provided. Grammar, spelling and punctuation count, so use the tools necessary to correct before handing in assignments.

Please consult the Section “Avoiding Plagiarism” in the College Catalogue for further guidance. Turnitin

All written assignments that graded and count for more than 10% towards the final course grade need to be submitted via the anti-plagiarism software Turnitin. You will receive from your professor a unique password and access code for your Class.

Course Schedule (Overview)

Week 1 Introduction: What is Political Marketing? In the first week, we start out by discussing the syllabus, and then dive into the topic of political marketing itself, and how it brings together different fields of practice. Required readings:

- Lees-Marshment, J. (2001). The marriage of politics and marketing. Political Studies, 49, 692-713.

- Lees-Marshment, J. (2009). What is political marketing? Chapter 2 from: Political Marketing: Principles and Applications (pp. 22-39). London: Routledge. Copy will be available on Pointcarré.

- Strömbäck, J., & Kiousis, S. (2011). Political Public Relations. Defining and Mapping an Emergent Field. Chapter 1 from J. Strömbäck & S. Kiousis (Eds.), Political Public Relations: Principles and Applications (pp. 1–32). Taylor & Francis. Copy will be available on Blackboard.

Week 2 Marketing politics in a changed media landscape In week two, we discuss how the media landscape has evolved in the past two decades, and how this has affected the strategies used by political marketeers. Required Readings:

- Negrine, R. M. (2007). The Professionalization of Political Communication in Europe. Chapter 2 of R. M. Negrine, P. Mancini, C. Holtz-Bacha, & S. Papathanassopoulos (Eds.), The Professionalisation of Political Communication. Intellect Books. Copy will be available on Blackboard.

- Plasser, F. (2000). American campaign techniques worldwide. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 5, 33-54.

- Anstead, Nick. 2017. “Data-Driven Campaigning in the 2015 United Kingdom General Election.” The International Journal of Press/Politics 22(3): 294–313.

Refresher reading (read this if you have not read it in a previous course):

- Bennett, W. L., & Iyengar, S. (2008). A new era of minimal effects? The changing foundations of political communication. Journal of Communication, 58, 707-731.

Week 3 Managing the Media Political campaigns reach their audiences through paid media, such as advertising, but earned media – e.g. coverage by the mass media – are an integral part of the marketing strategy of any campaign. This week, we discuss the role of mass media in political marketing, and how political consultants deal with the media.

Required readings: - Savigny, H., & Temple, M. (2010). Political Marketing Models: The

Curious Incident of the Dog that Doesn’t Bark. Political Studies, 58(5), 1049–1064. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9248.2010.00830.x

- Lilleker, Darren G. 2016. “Strategic Media Management.” In Political Marketing and the 2015 UK General Election, ed. Darren G. Lilleker. London: Palgrave MacMillan UK, 85–98.

- Serazio, M. (2014). The New Media Designs of Political Consultants: Campaign Production in a Fragmented Era. Journal of Communication, 64(4), 743–763. doi:10.1111/jcom.12078

- Burton, Michael, and Daniel Shae. 2010. “Chapter 9: Earned Media.” In Campaign Craft: The Strategies, Tactics, and Art of Political Campaign Management, Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger, 177–90.

Reading questions:

- Compare the articles in the extent to which they use the empirical data that emerges from the content analysis to back up their claims.

- Do you think these studies could have also used quantitative content analysis? Why (not)?

Draft of Introduction & Strategic Background due Friday 23:59

Week 4 Methods of Political Marketing In week 4, we discuss the data & resources that political marketeers use to make strategic and tactical decisions prior and during the campaign. These techniques range from focus groups, over surveys, to big data. Although a wide variety of techniques are used, a few key principles underlie all methods. Required readings:

- Lees-Marshment, J. (2009). Understanding the Market. Chapter 4 from: Political Marketing: Principles and Applications (pp. 22-39). London: Routledge. Copy will be available on Blackboard.

- Cwalina, Wojciech, Andrzej Falkowski, and Bruce I. Newman. 2011. “Chapter 3. The Campaign Message Development: Segmentation and Positioning on the Voting Market.” In Political Marketing: Theoretical and Strategic Foundations, Armonk, N.Y: Routledge, 81–120.

- Smith, G. (2009). Conceptualizing and testing brand personality in British politics. Journal of Political Marketing, 8, 209-232.

- Burton, Michael, and Daniel Shae. 2010. “Chapter 5: Campaign Polling.” In Campaign Craft: The Strategies, Tactics, and Art of Political Campaign Management, Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger, 177–90.

Week 5 New Media & Political Marketing Required readings:

- Margolin, Drew B., Aniko Hannak, and Ingmar Weber. 2018. “Political

Fact-Checking on Twitter: When Do Corrections Have an Effect?” Political Communication 35(2): 196–219.

- Muñoz, Caroline Lego, and Terri L. Towner. 2017. “The Image Is the Message: Instagram Marketing and the 2016 Presidential Primary Season.” Journal of Political Marketing 16(3–4): 290–318.

- Trilling, Damian, Petro Tolochko, and Björn Burscher. 2017. “From Newsworthiness to Shareworthiness: How to Predict News Sharing Based on Article Characteristics.” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 94(1): 38–60.

Week 6 The Ethics of Political Marketing This week, we reflect on the ethical implications of political marketing: is the use of such techniques good or bad for democracy? Does it lead to a better-informed electorate? And how does it change the behavior of political elites? This week, we also have the in-class debates. Required readings:

- Marsh, D., & Fawcett, P. (2011). Branding, politics and democracy. Policy Studies, 32(5), 515–530. doi:10.1080/01442872.2011.586498

- Lilleker, D. G. (2005). The Impact of Political Marketing on Internal Party Democracy. Parliamentary Affairs, 58(3), 570–584. doi:10.1093/pa/gsi052

- Borgesius, Frederik J. Zuiderveen et al. 2018. “Online Political Microtargeting: Promises and Threats for Democracy.” Utrecht Law Review 14(1). http://www.utrechtlawreview.org/articles/abstract/10.18352/ulr.420/ (April 23, 2018).

Political Marketing Plan Due Friday of Week 6, 23:59

Week 7

Final Exam – No Class