Gaius Julius Caesar, a Master of Political Marketing

Political promotion Then and Now

Abstract

In light of our understanding of contemporary political marketing and public relations skills, this article seeks to clarify the manner in which Gaius Julius Caesar influenced public opinion in the late Roman Republic. A brief historical survey on political promotion is given, as also an outline on fundamental promotional methods used today. Furthermore, a comparison is drawn between the main elements of contemporary promotional strategies and Caesar's political activities, as well as between promotional tools used by Caesar and those used today. The author thereby concludes that Caesar handled the promotional tools (they are eight in number) at his disposal very effectively, even by today's standards. Also, he was very effective in dealing with public relations issues in a way very similar to methods used today.