"The government's policies are like cornflakes - if they are not marketed, they will not sell", said Lord Young in the 1980s, when commenting on the shift in the extent and nature of the politicians' 'packaging' of policy.
             Although Lord Young adopted a rather sceptical view towards this, the idea of political marketing has existed since the start of the 20th century, when the first Press Officers and Press Bureau were introduced by the Conservative government in 1911 to revolutionise party propaganda (Wring 1996). Since then, the government's eagerness to effectively communicate their policies through the media and for the public has risen dramatically over time in conjunction with new methods of marketing.
             Margaret Thatcher's election in 1975 proved to be significant in the way in which politics would be marketed, with the establishment of a working relationship with advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi and the introduction of a marketing department to distil the party message into a few readily understandable appeals (Wring 1996). Thatcher and her marketing team also began to implement campaigns to belittle and undermine the Labour government, a tactic that seems to have become a favourite of today's political parties.
             But is the 'packaging' of policies still a technique employed by the government?
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             This essay will discuss the methods with which the New Labour government 'package' and market their policies, and how they have become enthusiastic and indeed adept at using the mass media.
            
             ADVERTISING
            
             Harold Wilson said in the 1960s that "most of politics is presentation", and it is this observation that can be easily applied to the New Labour government of today. Political marketing is not a new concept - it dates back to the ages of propaganda - but with the significant developments in media and technology, the New Labour government seems ge...