The University of Louisiana Monroe's Marketing Program, Political Science Program, and Marketing Club collaborated to produce The Campaign Playbook: Where Politics Meets Marketing, on Monday, October 19, at The Hangar on ULM's campus.
This event brought together ULM students, faculty, and political and marketing professionals for a discussion of the strategies, messaging, and voter outreach techniques that shape modern political campaigns.
The panel featured three professionals with experience in political consulting, strategic communications, and marketing: Liz Pyle, founder and managing partner of Undercurrent – The Firm; Carrie Griffin Monica, co-owner and partner of La Confidante, LLC; and Jordan Van, founder of Executive Strategies Group, LLC.
The event was organized by Dr. Leigh Hersey, Associate Professor of Political Science, MPA Program Coordinator, and Deanie Baker Endowed Professor of Distinction; Dr. Jennifer Dumas, Assistant Professor of Political Science; and Mrs. Melissa Kiper Baldwin, ULM Instructor of Marketing and John and Tasha Gardner Endowed Professor in Marketing Analytics, who also serves as faculty advisor to the ULM Marketing Club.
The group discussed a range of topics including political branding, voter targeting, campaign budgeting, negative advertising, social media, artificial intelligence, and the use of data analytics to shape campaign strategies.
The discussion also examined how campaigns navigate the challenges of reaching voters in a fragmented media environment, balance candidate identities with political party brands, and measure the effectiveness of their communications.
Political Science student James Burks commented, “The event was very informative and provided key insights into the current dynamics of how the landscape for political campaigning and marketing is becoming more fluid as AI takes center stage.”
