(in Polish) Marketing polityczny WSE-PO-MP2
The course presents political marketing as a distinct field of political practice, closely related to PR and propaganda. It begins with basic definitions and the differences between political marketing, public relations and propaganda, as well as the key elements of the political communication process. Students learn core concepts related to campaigns (strategy, narrative, electorate segmentation, negative campaigning, image crisis) and how to recognise them in real-life examples.
In the “Foundations and context” block, the course focuses on emotions, narratives and storytelling in politics, the image and personal brand of a politician (“the politician as a product”), as well as electorate segmentation and voter personas. Practical activities include creating a “product sheet: politician”, auditing politicians’ social media profiles and constructing short campaign narratives based on dominant emotions (hope, security, anger, pride, care).
The next block focuses on the tools and channels of political marketing: campaign planning (campaign phases, “message of the day”, message box), political advertising (language, image, sound), relations with traditional media and social media, negative campaigning and black PR, as well as micro-targeting and data use. Students analyse examples of advertisements, slogans, billboards, TV spots and viral content, and then design their own campaign materials (slogans, posters, posts).
The third block deals with practice and ethics: image crisis management (working in a “crisis headquarters”), participation in debates and public appearances, and the limits of manipulation and responsibility in political marketing. The course concludes with a group election campaign project covering strategy, visual identity and core message, media and activity plan, and a final presentation. The project is the main tool for assessing the learning outcomes.
Throughout the course, students develop skills in analysing political campaigns, planning communication strategies, choosing tools for specific target groups, working on projects in teams and critically reflecting on the ethics of influencing voters.
(in Polish) Dyscyplina naukowa, do której odnoszą się efekty uczenia się
(in Polish) Grupa przedmiotów ogólnouczenianych
Subject level
Learning outcome code/codes
Type of subject
Preliminary Requirements
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, the student:
Describes political marketing and distinguishes it from public relations and propaganda; knows the basic concepts related to political campaigns (strategy, narrative, electorate segmentation, negative campaigning, image crisis) – (ZP1_U06)
Identifies and describes the main elements of a campaign strategy (objective, target groups, key message, choice of communication channels) using examples of real election campaigns – (ZP1_U06)
Plans, as part of a team, a basic political campaign strategy for a fictional but realistic candidate or political party, taking into account the political context, target groups and communication objectives – (ZP1_U08)
Analyses campaign materials (TV spots, posters, social media profiles) in terms of emotions, narrative, image and choice of communication channels, and uses the results of this analysis when designing their own campaign materials – (ZP1_U16)
Works effectively in a team on a campaign project, shares tasks, co-decides on solutions and presents results together, demonstrating responsibility for the team’s outcome – (ZP1_K04)
Recognises ethical dilemmas related to political marketing (limits of manipulation, negative campaigning, fake news) and can justify choosing solutions consistent with responsible communication and respect for voters – (ZP1_K05)
Assessment criteria
Teaching methods
The course is delivered as a seminar and workshop. The following methods are used: short introductory lectures, case study analysis (election campaigns in Poland and abroad), group work on campaign elements (strategy, voter persona, materials), moderated discussions, presentations and debriefing of project outcomes.
Form of assessment
Graded course credit based primarily on a group political campaign project and ongoing in-class work. The course is taught on campus.
A maximum of 2 unexcused absences per semester is allowed; each additional unexcused absence lowers the final grade by 0.5. In the case of more absences, the student may be required to complete additional compensatory tasks.
Project work
The project is carried out in stages during the semester and consists in designing a comprehensive political campaign for a fictional candidate or party. It includes: campaign strategy and concept, visual identity and key message, media and activity plan, and a final presentation. The project is the main tool for verifying learning outcomes 1–6.
Project scoring (total of 100 points):
Consistency of strategy and narrative and alignment with target groups (outcomes 1–3) – 25 pts
Creativity and originality of the idea (outcomes 2–3) – 20 pts
Quality of materials (poster, posts, spot / reels) and their adequacy to the strategy (outcomes 3–4) – 20 pts
Realism of proposed actions and campaign simulation (outcomes 2–4) – 15 pts
Presentation and defence of the project (outcomes 3–5) – 10 pts
Teamwork, organisation and timely delivery (outcomes 5–6) – 10 pts
The minimum passing threshold for the project is 51 out of 100 points.
Practical placement
N/A
Bibliography
Primary literature:
A. Falkowski, W. Cwalina, Marketing polityczny. Perspektywa psychologiczna [Political Marketing. A Psychological Perspective], Gdańskie Wydawnictwo Psychologiczne, Gdańsk 2005 (or a more recent edition, in Polish).
M. Jeziński (ed.), Marketing polityczny w poszukiwaniu strategii wyborczego sukcesu [Political Marketing in Search of Electoral Success Strategies], Dom Wydawniczy Duet, Toruń 2014 (in Polish).
M. Jeziński, Marketing polityczny [Political Marketing] (and/or selected chapters from Marketing polityczny a procesy akulturacyjne. Przypadek III Rzeczypospolitej, in Polish).
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: