Lessons from the tea party: What happens when you can't please everyone all the time

Lloyd, Jenny

Abstract

This paper explores the extent to which it is possible to achieve a ‘market orientation’ in the field of politics when the stakeholders that comprise those markets appear to have ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ that are not only diverse but sometimes also contradictory.
Using the US phenomenon of the Tea Party Movement as a case in point, this paper explores the implications for those attempting to achieve a political marketing orientation in such a difficult field and the resultant challenges posed for the formulation and delivery of the political ‘product’.
The paper concludes with some reflections upon the impact that a market orientation has upon voter expectations and its potential impact upon voter satisfaction with the political ‘market’ as a whole.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: IPSA XXII World Congress of Political Science
• Start Date: Jul 8, 2012
• End Date: Jul 12, 2012
• Publication Date: Jul 8, 2012
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 7, 2019
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: involvement, engagement, participation, political branding, tea party
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/945516
• Additional Information: Title of Conference or Conference Proceedings : IPSA XXII World Congress of Political Science, Madrid, Spain, 8-12th July 2012