Twentieth International Conference on Knowledge, Culture, and Change in Organizations

Abstract

The 4Ps of Marketing refers to key determinants (i.e., product, price, place, and promotion) that a firm can use to influence consumers’ responses. A firm needs (a) to create a product or service based on consumer needs; (b) to place it for sale; (c) to price it at a level that fulfills consumer needs; and, (d) to make it visible to consumers (promotion). How about political marketing? How could a politician use the 4Ps to influence voters’ response? Several studies attempted to examine the marketing of a political product (i.e., an idea or an offering). These studies showed that a political product (or service) works similarly to a consumer product. However, political price, as a vital part of the political marketing mix (4Ps), remains unclear raising a crucial question: What does price represent in political marketing? The current study brings the traditional 4Ps of Marketing in the political arena. Further to product, place, and promotion that has been clearly defined by previous studies, the researcher aims to show that political price represents “credibility” (i.e., the quality of being trusted and believed in). Via correlation analysis, the study hypothesized that each one of the 4Ps positively relates to enhanced political performance. Data collected from 110 U.S. elected politicians. According to the preliminary results, “credibility” (price) has a statistical strong positive impact on enhanced political performance. The study provides several practical implications and academic guidance for future research.