This article proposes that political marketing and lobbying have much to learn from each other. Both are essentially persuasive forms of communication; both have some basis in more general marketing theory; both involve exchanges, networks, and relationships. However, while much lobbying practice is underpinned or informed by (political) marketing theories, this connection is only rarely made explicit in the literature of either field. Most political marketing writing relates marketing solely to the arena of party political electoral competition, ignoring how it could be developed further into the area of interest groups generally and, more specifically, into an examination of how organizations attempt to influence public policy. This paper looks briefly at lobbying activities, such as grassroots lobbying and lobbying coalitions, and suggests how political marketing can extend its research focus to a wider range of lobbying practices. It seeks to identify the conceptual basis for the beginnings of a marketing perspective on lobbying. Lobbyists can learn from it how to put marketing principles to practice, and academics will gain an understanding of how this analysis can be applied and further developed.

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