Election campaigning and direct marketing If direct marketing tools works for commercial purposes, why should they not be used in election campaigns? Why not gain people's votes by political statements tailor-cut to suite the attitudes and values of a voter? The Republican Party of Missouri, USA, has already tried it out. As the Washington Post reported on 10 October, 2000, the party purchased personal data from the data body company TransUnion and fed them into a computer programme capable of inferring political likes and dislikes from the kind of social, demographic and economic data warehoused by TransUnion. The software is offered by Map Applications, Inc. and has already been successfully used by the arms lobbying group National Rifle Association. The logic of customised reality of direct marketing is finally beginning to directly affect the democratic process, the consumer merges with the citizen.

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PR Firms and their Mission Looking at how public relations practitioners advertise their services, they do not primarily seem to be followers of the "social engineering" approach. Burson-Marsteller, the worlds leading PR agency, for example sells itself as a specialist in "... public affairs, government relations, crisis communication, investor relations, environmental issues and marketing communications ... experienced at orchestrating effective campaigns, which motivate the right behaviors.". Porter Novelli, third largest international PR company, somewhat more aggressive promises, that their marketing-based public relations "... penetrate the consumer psyche - where - your target audiences work, learn, play or shop, through everything they read, hear and see.". While Porter Novelli seems to be specialized in psychological warfare, Fleishman-Hillard highlights its know-how and experience in government relations programs. "We have handled some of the nation's most challenging public policy issues, including issues affecting the environment, from clean air to agricultural chemicals; aviation safety; regressive taxes; international trade; and human rights.". To handle those difficult tasks, Fleishman-Hillard maintains "... an effective, professional lobbying team that includes registered lobbyists recruited from the Senate and the House."

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Procter and Gamble Major American manufacturer with headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio. The modern Procter & Gamble markets products in several major areas: Laundry and cleaning products; personal-care products; food products; and such miscellaneous products as cellulose pulp, chemicals, and animal feed ingredients. The company has long been one of the leading American national advertisers.

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