Brand Command: Canadian Politics and Democracy in the Age of Message Control by Alex Marland (UBC Press) was shortlisted on April 11, 2017 for the Donner Prize, which recognizes the best public policy book by a Canadian.
Earlier today, May 15, 2017, at a gala in Toronto, Alex Marland’s Brand Command was announced as the 2016/17 winner of the $50,000 Donner Prize.
From the official Donner Prize press release:
The pursuit of political power is strategic as never before. Brand Command demonstrates the power of branding and marketing in Canada’s democracy, arguing that political parties and governments are beholden to the same marketing principles used by the world’s largest corporations. Marland asserts that branding demands repetition of spoken, written and visual messages, predetermined by the leader’s inner circles. It has firmly penetrated parliamentary democracy in Canada.
“Marland’s authoritative, original and accessible treatise on the most significant development in modern democratic politics will captivate Canadians, especially those with an interest in policy and politics. The priority given to ‘brand’ in contemporary politics has led to ever tighter message control and consequently to increased centralization of power in the Prime Minister’s Office. While branding and message control have always been part of political image making, their strategic significance has increased markedly with the 24-hour news cycle and social media. The incentives to exercise brand control have therefore not diminished regardless of who is occupying the Prime Minister’s office. Alex Marland’s path-breaking analysis of ‘brand command’, although developed in the context of the Harper government, is of undiminished relevance looking forward.”– Donner Jury.
Alex Marland is a leading researcher of political communication and marketing in Canada, an Associate Professor of Political Science and Associate Dean of Arts at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Dr. Marland’s research and teaching focuses on political marketing, public policy, electioneering and the political elites in Canada. Before entering academia he worked in Ottawa and St. John’s in government, media relations and opinion research. He is the co-editor, with Thierry Giasson (Laval), of the upcoming UBC Press series Communication, Strategy, and Politics.
The awards gala was hosted by former Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan, who served as the Donner Prize Jury Chair from 2009 to 2016.