Looking for resources on political marketing, communication and strategy

October 21, 2019 12:11 PM

Help me BASH the FASH! 2020 is an election year in Brazil and I want to get involved in grassroots campaigning. Got a degree in advertising but want to learn more about political marketing, communication, strategy, speechwriting, media training etc. My idea is to help set up and run a campaign for a local municipal council candidate. Recent PSOL member (roughly equivalent to the DSA), so a leftist/socialist bent is welcome but not indispensable. Some stuff I've already found useful after the jump:

– "the Century of the Self" by Adam Curtis, especially the part about Bernays and rational messaging vs. unconsious desires
– Crystallizing Public Opinion by Bernays
– George Lakoff, especially "Don't Think of an Elephant" and "The Little Blue Book"

What else have you got?

posted by Tom-B to Law & Government (3 answers total)

Best answer: This book -- "Change of Heart: What Psychology Can Teach Us About Spreading Social Change".
posted by NotLost at 12:54 PM on October 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I think you might have some success in looking at books on social movement / community organizing / advocacy in addition to political organizing as topics of interest. There's a lot of the same need for strong messaging, compelling narratives, etc. The granddaddy of activist how-to books is Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky.
posted by spamandkimchi at 7:23 PM on October 21, 2019 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I realize you might not want more training, but you might want to check out Social Movement Technologies which is all about digital campaigning.

At the very least, check out the Great Reads section.
posted by brookeb at 9:07 PM on October 21, 2019 [1 favorite]