Political Leaders & Parties as Brands:A Theoretical Perspective

Universally, there doesn't exist a predominant perception as to whether political parties or political leaders could be treated as brands on lines with commodities. This paper attempts to theoretically establish a relationship between these two terms, namely brand and political parties or leaders. Further it details the various bases on which consumer-citizens develop an understanding about political brands. It builds upon this to talk about the formation of political brand images in the eyes of consumer-citizens which results from the interactions between the leaders, their parties and the ideologies or policies. Following this, the paper talks about the tentative benefits for the consumer-citizen which might result because of the political branding phenomenon. The consumer-citizen, swayed by the benefits arising out of political brands, gets motivated to know more about it, getting in touch in the process and eventually makes the decision with regard to the same. The modern consumer is at the focal point of this research paper and the choices which s/he has with regard to vouching for a particular political party or leader makes for a compelling case for them being considered on lines with a brand.