The use of market technologies in political party management is nothing new. Strategies like micro-targeting, market research, social media campaigns, and advertising are commonly used. Among these, one lesser-known but emerging tactic is political franchising.
What is political franchising?
Lucas Febraro, Director Of Communications at Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25), describes political parties as increasingly resembling companies. The reason behind it, as per Febraro, is that the basis of marketing—both in business and politics—is communication. Concepts such as narrative development, storytelling, positioning and converting your ideas to sales/votes are all equally applicable in politics and business. According to political scientist Petro Oleshcuk, political franchising is a strategy akin to business franchising. It aims to expand a party’s reach and win more votes in local, national and European elections through decentralised governance while maintaining a central brand.
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