Political marketing may influence the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in 2004 more than it has in any past contest, according to DePaul University Marketing Professor Bruce I. Newman, founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of Political Marketing and co-author of the recently published book, “Communication of Politics” (Haworth Press, 2003).

“The current campaign is a volatile situation in which political marketing is more important than ever because of the tight race, shifting voter attitudes and the divisive campaign themes adopted by Bush and Kerry,” said Newman. “Attitudes could be swayed, and the election could turn, on the right or wrong commercial, statement or event. The challenge to both Bush and Kerry is to frame the debate in a way that spins favorably around the positions they have taken. These people are in the business of manufacturing images.”

Newman, who is currently writing a book about the political images manufactured for Republican President George W. Bush and his presumptive Democratic opponent, Sen. John Kerry, noted that their images were forged early in the campaign, but not without missteps. “Bush wants to frame the debate around the country being in a state of war. Every president up for reelection during a war has won. His position is that the security of the nation is our foremost concern and that we need to keep him in office to maintain our security. However, dismissing the scores of Americans and Iraqis killed in Iraq as ‘a bad week’ recently makes him seem out of touch on what matters.”

Kerry, on the other hand, is framing the debate around the cost and expense, both in dollars and people, of the war and how it affects the economy, Newman observed.

“Kerry is positioning himself as the best person to strengthen the economy, especially involving jobs. He is borrowing the strategy created by Howard Dean by trying to convince the American people to join a movement and take responsibility for changing the direction of the country. But so far, Kerry has failed to clearly identify the movement that Dean started, and he has been unable, consequently, to create the emotional connection with the voters that Dean had.”

“Overall, the core issues – terrorism, the war in Iraq and economy – are three disparate issues that need to be intertwined in a favorable light for a candidate to succeed. At the center of the three issues is leadership: Who do we believe? Who is the best communicator? Who can honestly convince us that his way is the best course for the country? Given the current environment, it’s a completely volatile situation.”

Newman founded the Journal of Political Marketing (www.haworthpressinc.com) three years ago. The quarterly publication features research and essays on political marketing written by international marketing and political science professors, as well as working political consultants and pollsters. It is the first journal solely devoted to the influence that marketing has on the political system.

Newman has penned eight books, including “The Mass Marketing of Politics: Democracy in the Age of Manufactured Images” (1999), “The Handbook of Political Marketing” (1999), and the “The Marketing of the President” (1994), all published by Sage Publishing. His most recent book, “Communication of Politics,” explores the merging worlds of public relations and political marketing.

Editor’s Note: Newman can be reached for interviews at 312/362-5186 or bnewman@depaul.edu .