Jennifer Lees-Marshment

Jennifer Lees-Marshment is a research-led but practice-oriented cross-disciplinary academic working in the areas of Political Marketing, Political Management and Political Leadership. She is author/editor of 15 books, a world expert in political marketing and A-rated in the NZ research assessment (PBRF 2018/2012). Jennifer was Academic Advisor to TVNZ’s Vote Compass (2014, 2017) and Kiwimeter (2015) initiatives, engaging over a million members of the public in discussing politics and policy and facilitating the University and TVNZ partnering to host the first ever 1 News Young Voters Debate in 2017. Jennifer won the International Association for Public Participation Research Award for Australasia and was appointed to Chair the NZ Magna Carta 800th anniversary committee in 2015. She currently leads the University's Community of Interest in Employability.

Research | Current

Jennifer is a world expert in Political Marketing, being author/lead editor of the textbook, Routledge Handbook, and Palgrave Book series in the field. She also completed an award-winning book The Ministry of Public Input on how public input can be integrated into political leadership. She has interviewed over 200 political practitioners including govenrment ministers and advisors to Prime Ministers and Presidents. Her most recent edited book Political marketing and management in the 2017 New Zealand Election (Palgrave) utilises Vote Compass survey data of 250,000 respondents. Currently Jennifer is writing a book Political Management: core principles and functions of managing government and politics to define the emerging field, covering: strategic planning, political HR, organisational behaviour, leadership and evaluation.

Nurturing research leadership is fundamental to her work, through event and network organisation, editorial work, and mentoring other scholars. She is also involved in engagement through media work and impact through applied research and advice on political strategy and engagement.

Postgraduate supervision

Dr Lees-Marshment can supervise graduate research in political marketing, political management, government management, political parties and elections, political communication, political leadership, government and public consultation, public administration, government marketing, policy marketing and nation branding. Current PhD students include:

Luna (Liang) Zhao, National and Labour Parties use of political marketing to target Chinese New Zealanders Bey Widodo, The Understanding and Overcoming Resistance to Change in Public Sector Reform: the Case of Indonesian Government Joyce Manyo, The Design and Delivery of the Political Brand promise in Ghana Salma Usman Malik, Online media and the political knowledge of the young in New Zealand Andrew Lim Political marketing and nation branding by NZ and Australian advocacy groups to support Israeli and Palestinian governmental public diplomacy Previous students have worked on topics such as market-oriented parties, market-oriented communication of leaders, political public relations, branding government departments, e-marketing, party participation, e-consultation, nation branding and tourism marketing. Research can explore a range of countries including the United States, New Zealand, UK, Australia, Canada, Ghana, Indonesia, Malaysia and China.

Jennifer also supports graduate students in running Political marketing and management network for current and former students, encouraging her graduates to be an active group and attend events such as campaign launches and TVNZ debates in elections.

Her Masters students often obtain jobs immediately after completing their thesis. Check out this video with MA student Tom James who developed a passion for working in market research whilst studying under Jennifer, and got a job with Colmar Brunton with his role including research for government.

• Editor, Political Marketing and Management book series
• Political marketing in the 2017 NZ election – and advice for parties for future practice
• Research on public input into government policy making The Ministry of Public Input, winner of the 2015 IAP2 Australasia Research Award
• Google Scholar Citation count 2376; h-index 20, i-10-index 31
• Scopus H index 9, Web of Science 6
• hg-index 30; in the 90th percentile for full marketing professors in AU, NZ, Canada, USA and UK
• Research matters video on the online engagement tool Vote Compass and how it and political marketing helps give voters a voice in elections
• Article Deliberative Political Leaders published in 2016
• Graduate study in political marketing: MA student video
• Co-editor special issue Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 2016
• Current research: Conceptualising Political Management