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Brand Command: Canadian Politics and Democracy in the Age of Message Control
The pursuit of political power is strategic as never before. Ministers, MPs, and candidates parrot the same catchphrases. The public service has become politicized. And decision making is increasingly centralized in the Prime Minister’s Office. What is happening to our democracy? To get to the bottom of this, Alex Marland reviewed internal political party files, media reports, and documents obtained through access to information requests, and interviewed Ottawa insiders. He discovered that in the face of rapid changes in communication technology, the infusion of corporate marketing strategies has instilled a culture of centralized political control. At the core of the strategy is brand control; at stake is democracy as we know it.
- GenresPoliticsCanadaNonfiction
528 pages, Hardcover
Published March 5, 2016
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118 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 21, 2020
Marland chronicles the rise of message centralization Canadian politics and in the government, especially as it relates to the internet and social media, and the years of Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party.
Marland employs minimal but judicious communications theory to examine how political parties in Canada have increasing worked to create recognizable brands with visuals and rigorously consistent messaging. He also explores how the government of Canada (aka the public service) has worked to create a Canadian brand, and the tensions between the Prime Ministers office and the government as they balance Canadian branding with the branding of whichever party is in power at the time.
I appreciated the depth of Marland's research. It's clear he spoke to a multitude of political staffers, public servants and journalists, and some retired politicians to build and support his arguments. Though he is more critical of the Harper Conservatives than the other parties, this is mostly because they were in power for most of the time period that the book covers. I found all his criticisms justified, and he doesn't spare the other parties when they deserve it.
Marland's prose is very readable, and my only criticism is that I thought his examples were rather too exhaustive - an easy fault to forgive. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone but a scholar or someone with a more than casual interest in the area, but if you are interested, there's a lot to learn here.
Note: This book taught me that the average Canadian spends no more than 80 seconds a day thinking about government (and that most aspiring political candidates cannot clearly delineate the roles and responsibilities of municipal, provincial and federal governments). As someone who spends a lot of time thinking about thinking about public policy, this really bummed me out. But as my boss pointed out, maybe this is a good thing. People usually not thinking about government means it's mostly working as it should. Probably this is comforting. But I do wish we all spent a little more time thinking about how our country works.
Marland employs minimal but judicious communications theory to examine how political parties in Canada have increasing worked to create recognizable brands with visuals and rigorously consistent messaging. He also explores how the government of Canada (aka the public service) has worked to create a Canadian brand, and the tensions between the Prime Ministers office and the government as they balance Canadian branding with the branding of whichever party is in power at the time.
I appreciated the depth of Marland's research. It's clear he spoke to a multitude of political staffers, public servants and journalists, and some retired politicians to build and support his arguments. Though he is more critical of the Harper Conservatives than the other parties, this is mostly because they were in power for most of the time period that the book covers. I found all his criticisms justified, and he doesn't spare the other parties when they deserve it.
Marland's prose is very readable, and my only criticism is that I thought his examples were rather too exhaustive - an easy fault to forgive. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone but a scholar or someone with a more than casual interest in the area, but if you are interested, there's a lot to learn here.
Note: This book taught me that the average Canadian spends no more than 80 seconds a day thinking about government (and that most aspiring political candidates cannot clearly delineate the roles and responsibilities of municipal, provincial and federal governments). As someone who spends a lot of time thinking about thinking about public policy, this really bummed me out. But as my boss pointed out, maybe this is a good thing. People usually not thinking about government means it's mostly working as it should. Probably this is comforting. But I do wish we all spent a little more time thinking about how our country works.
March 31, 2018
What an amazing masterpiece . In the era of message control , political parties try their best to spin information , manipulate facts , and exercise message discipline in any way possible . Alex explains this and more in his masterpiece : Brand Command.
January 10, 2022
An interesting set of books for the shelf:
Political Marketing in Canada (2012)
Political Communication in Canada: Meet the Press and Tweet the Rest (2014)
Brand Command: Canadian Politics and Democracy in the Age of Message Control (2016)
Permanent Campaigning in Canada (2017)
Political Elites in Canada: Power and Influence in Instantaneous Times (2018)
Inside the Campaign: Managing Elections in Canada (2020)
Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada (2020)
Political Marketing in Canada (2012)
Political Communication in Canada: Meet the Press and Tweet the Rest (2014)
Brand Command: Canadian Politics and Democracy in the Age of Message Control (2016)
Permanent Campaigning in Canada (2017)
Political Elites in Canada: Power and Influence in Instantaneous Times (2018)
Inside the Campaign: Managing Elections in Canada (2020)
Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada (2020)
January 12, 2023
Brand New World
I found this an interesting read.
Alex did a good job at researching and writing the book.
I enjoyed it, quite a lot!
If you are interested in Canadian politics, check it out!
3.8/5
I found this an interesting read.
Alex did a good job at researching and writing the book.
I enjoyed it, quite a lot!
If you are interested in Canadian politics, check it out!
3.8/5
April 4, 2023
A very interesting book. It drags a bit from time to time, but lots of good information nevertheless. A must read for those interested in how the civil service and their political masters communicate, separately and in conjunction.
June 22, 2017
Really well worth the effort. Densely insighful and jam packed with recent historical examples. Unfortunately it does not make the electorite look much more than it is. Thank you Alex
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews