Branding as a phenomenon has effected many a change in the contemporary world. There is hardly any aspect of modern society which is untouched by it. The varied manifestations of branding have found resonance in most aspects of day-to-day life. Politics is one such arena which has come under the influence of branding. In a democracy, elections necessitate making informed choices with regard to the political parties and leaders. In this regard, the branding angle associated with a political outfit or leader can make a difference, as to who gets our nod and who does not. This paper makes an attempt towards exploring the impact of branding in politics, and how politics and branding go together in collectively influencing the choices made by the electorate in selecting a particular party or leader over others.

According to Kotler and Armstrong (1989), marketing is an activity which results in transaction between an organization and its surrounding. This definition is quite broad and includes all activities in which any type of exchange process is involved between two parties or a party and the environment in which it functions. However, this broad definition needs to be narrowed down in specific contexts.

For the sake of the current study (i.e., examining the relationship between politics and branding, and subsequently exploring the concept of political branding in particular), the two aspects of marketing (and branding) which we considered are: tactic which is oriented towards the needs of the targeted segment; and the second is promotion, which deals with how well the product is communicated to the consumer, so that he is convinced about the offering. It is in the context of the latter that branding comes into picture. However, the latter can be effective only when the former has been executed well, i.e., the tactic or scheme of things which deal with providing what the customers want and meeting their expectations.

Brand Management Journal, Political Branding, Political Marketing, New-Age Mantra, Political Leaders, Parties.