The pursuit of political power is strategic as never before. Ministers, MPs, and candidates parrot the same catchphrases. The public service has become politicized. And decision making is increasingly centralized in the Prime Minister’s Office. What is happening to our democracy? To get to the bottom of this, Alex Marland reviewed internal political party files, media reports, and documents obtained through access to information requests, and interviewed Ottawa insiders. He discovered that in the face of rapid changes in communication technology, the infusion of corporate marketing strategies has instilled a culture of centralized political control. At the core of the strategy is brand control; at stake is democracy as we know it. "The pursuit of political power is more strategic than ever and political parties and governments are using the same brand control as the world's largest corporations, which does not bode well for democracy, argues Alex Marland in his thought-provoking new book ... Mr. Marland, one of the country's leading experts on marketing and politics substantially investigates the branding strategy in government and politics today and looks at how it will create serious problems for parliamentary democracy."―Kate Malloy, The Hill Times "Modern Canadian politics has travelled a long way – from a reliance on dusty old books of rules and procedures to the practice of the modern arts of marketing and branding. Alex Marland has led Canadian research in interpreting this remarkable transition. His newest book – with important revelations and insights on virtually every page – is an eye-opener. We will all want to keep it on our desks to understand how politics and government really work today."―Susan Delacourt, author of Shopping for Votes: How Politicians Choose Us and We Choose Them "A detailed, insightful, and thought-provoking examination of government and political communications as conducted under the Harper Conservatives. More importantly, Brand Command explores whether anything will change, whether it can, and how it might be changed to better serve the public interest."―Scott Reid, Principal at Feschuk.Reid, CTV News political analyst, and director of communications for former prime minister Paul Martin An eye-opening look at how political parties and the government use branding strategies and the implications that this has for Canadian democracy. Alex Marland is professor of political science at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador and author or editor of several books, including Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada . Thierry Giasson is professor of political science and director of the Groupe de recherche en communication politique at Université Laval in Québec and also the author or editor of many books on Canadian politics.