Labour Party, Britain

In terms of its use of communication, the Labour Party's evolution can be traced through three stages of propaganda, media, and marketing campaigning. The initial phase involved experimentation with advertising, public relations, and market research techniques. Strategist Sidney Webb's devising of “stratified electioneering” in 1922 was an early attempt to segment and target voters, and this and other methods helped Labour bypass a hostile print media and limited radio service. This experimentation culminated with London party leader Herbert Morrison's successful reelection in a 1937 local campaign devised by marketing experts and focused on persuading less committed supporters. Those involved were influenced by Graham Wallas's contention that mass democracy meant politics would be increasingly about imagery and symbolism. This conflicted with party traditionalists' belief in “making” ...