From polis to agora - The marketing of political consultants

Political campaigns have borrowed from the latest in advertising, public re lations, and marketing, especially since the 1952 Eisenhower campaign. Ther e has been a tendency for those who have honed their expertise in the trenc hes of campaigning for elected office to offer their services on behalf of clients in the business world. Firms accustomed to working on campaigns now provide a range of services to businesses, including polling, television p roduction, and the buying of advertisement time. Consultants assist corpora tions in writing op-ed columns, scheduling television interviews with busin ess spokespeople, and placing advertisements in local markets to target the desired audience. This article addresses the shift in political consultant s' working with businesses and corporations, considers specific cases of th eir involvement with private clients, and offers some thoughts on the blurr ed distinctions between private businesses, corporations, public relations, the campaigns of elected officials, and political consultants.