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scope of political marketing and professionalisation, as political parties and politicians
try to find more effective or alternative ways to communicate with the voters. Political
parties, on the other hand, despite using and adapting to new media techniques,
communication and marketing practices – particularly during the election
campaigning period – have remained strong since so-called ‘kommatikokratia’
(partytocracy) (Mouzelis, 1996), especially after the restoration of the Parliament, and
‘clientelism’ has continued strongly in the Greek political system. In the following pages
I will try to describe this newly established situation, which I refer to as the ‘Greek
paradox’: political parties have become more professional in the way they manage their
public communication, while at the same time this has not much affected their
organisation,which remains leader-oriented.

INCREASING USE OF POLITICAL MARKETING
The changes noted above have brought about a new kind of relationship between the
media and politics in Greece. In effect, the media have moved centre stage in election
campaigning, and they have also gradually assumed a central role in the day-to-day
practice of the government and the political parties.There are many features of modern
day election campaigning in Greece, and their introduction into the Greek political
system shows the growing importance of television as a medium of political
communication, and the use of communication professionals, pollsters and advertisers,
for Greek political parties. Choreographed precinct walks and nationwide tours have
become common campaign routines,whereas crowded partisan gatherings, historically
sacred political and media events in Greek campaigns, are now on the wane.
Professional advertising, polls and political consulting, scarcely used before, have
become indispensable means, not only for campaign strategy, but also in respect of
communication by the government and the opposition political parties. Opinion polls,
which first emerged in the 1970s, now flood newspapers, television newscasts and
current affairs programmes.

Until the end of the 1980s the use of professionals and political advertising was seen as
ideological treason: a mediated communication that undermined raw, direct politics.
Political communication was considered almost inherently corrupt: a way to cheat
people as opposed to serving democracy. In a general anti-American climate, parties Political Communication and Professionalisation in Greece
using communication professionals were stigmatised. For example, in the 1985
elections, PASOK made a major political issue of the disclosure that Constantine
Mitsotakis, then leader of New Democracy, had employed American image-makers to
create a profile for him. It was seen as big news, even though at that time PASOK had
semi-secret negotiations with Jacques Seguela, the French expert of commercial and
political advertising. Their collaboration did not proceed, for reasons that have never
been adequately explained. However, American political consultants such as James
Carville and Paul Begala collaborated with New Democracy in the election campaign of
1993,again giving PASOK the opportunity to accuse their opponents of using American
tactics,mainly negative advertising,while doing exactly the same themselves. 129