Abstract

Changes in modern Western societies increase the demands on strategic political communication and require external service providers to meet new challenges. A survey of Swiss political communication consultants indicates three distinguishable service fields — campaigning, political public relations, and lobbying — as well as a state and capital bias among most clients. The needs of major corporations allow agencies to offer interpersonal and mass media–oriented strategies as integrated political communication services. This study provides a broader understanding of political communication that should prove indispensable for international and comparative research designs.