Language as a Sales Tool: How Politicians Adopt the Language of Marketers

Filip KALAŠ  – Pavol LIPTÁK 

https://doi.org/10.53465/JAP.2025.9788022552806.191-210

 

Abstract: The study explores how Slovak politicians adopt marketing language strategies, focusing on the use of calls to action (CTAs) and sentiment in social media communication. Using a balanced dataset of 800 Facebook posts – 400 from eight retail chains and 400 from eight political figures – the research compares linguistic patterns between commercial and political discourse. Sentiment analysis reveals that corporate communication is predominantly positive or neutral, while political messages often carry a negative or confrontational tone, particularly among coalition representatives. CTA analysis shows that companies rely mainly on informative and transactional prompts, whereas politicians favour mobilizing appeals that encourage participation and collective action. Despite these differences, both groups share structural similarities, indicating that political discourse increasingly mirrors marketing techniques. The findings suggest a convergence of linguistic strategies between business and politics, with language functioning as a universal tool of persuasion aimed at shaping behaviour and mobilizing audiences. This transformation highlights the growing commercialization of political communication and raises questions about the ethical and communicative implications of blending political rhetoric with marketing discourse.

Keywords: political marketing, call to action, political discourse, marketing discourse, sentiment analysis

Fulltext: PDF

Language of the paper: English

Online publication date: 23 December 2025

Pages: 191 – 210

 

ISBN: 978-80-225-5280-6 (online), 978-80-225-5279-0

ISSN: 2729-8973 (online), 2729-8981

Publisher: Bratislava University of Economics and Business, Vydavateľstvo Ekonóm

 

How to cite this conference proceedings paper (APA 7^th Edition):

Kalaš, F., & Lipták, P. (2025). Language as a Sales Tool: How Politicians Adopt the Language of Marketers. In R. Štefančík (Ed.), Jazyk a politika. Na pomedzí lingvistiky a politológie X (pp. 191–210). Vydavateľstvo Ekonóm. https://doi.org/10.53465/JAP.2025.9788022552806.191-210