Political Marketing Canadian Style? The Conservative Party and the 2006 Federal Election

This study investigates the change in Conservative Party behaviour during the 18 months between the 2004 and 2006 Canadian federal elections. It asks: How did the Conservative Party strategy influence the shift in voter preference during the 2006 Canadian federal election? The approach taken to address this question is rooted in the emerging field of Political Marketing. Using the Lees-Marshment taxonomy of party behaviour as a framework for analyzing the election outcome, this paper demonstrates how market intelligence was incorporated into the Conservative Party’s strategy to influence voter perceptions.