Article published In:
Discourse Theory and the Turn to Practice
Edited by Benjamin De Cleen, Nico Carpentier, Jason Glynos, Jana Goyvaerts, Maximilian Grönegräs and Yannis Stavrakakis
[Journal of Language and Politics 24:1] 2025
► pp. 25–49

Discourse Theory and Strategic Communication

A long-expected party

ORCID logo | UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles
This contribution explores the nexus between Discourse Theory and Strategic Communication. Traditional positivist and rationalist approaches to business, economics, politics, and management often marginalize strategic communication as merely instrumental; whereas discursive approaches, and Discourse Theory in particular, recognize its constitutive role in shaping social realities. This contribution therefore argues for the development of a discourse-theoretical approach to Strategic Communication, highlighting its potential to offer new insights and understandings. It first examines existing uses of the notion of discourse in Strategic Communication, before discussing Discourse Theory’s potential added value to its study. Next, it emphasizes the importance of Discourse Theory scholars engaging with Strategic Communication topics. Finally, two examples contrasting non-discursive and discourse-theoretical approaches are presented, focusing respectively on populism and authenticity in corporate marketing campaigns. Overall, this paper advocates for a deeper integration of Discourse Theory within the study of Strategic Communication.
Keywords: discourse, Laclau, Mouffe, strategy, Strategic Communication, Discourse Theory, poststructuralism, political strategy
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.State of the art
  • 3.Why a discourse-theoretical approach to Strategic Communication?
    • 3.1Defining Strategic Communication comprehensively
    • 3.2A monistic ontology that ‘goes all the way down’
    • 3.3Methodological compatibility
  • 4.Why Strategic Communication as a research object in Discourse Theory?
    • 4.1Tackling the ‘harder’ topics
    • 4.2Expediting hands-on empirical research
    • 4.3Power and critique
  • 5.Studying Strategic Communication in a discourse-theoretical manner: Populism and marketing
    • 5.1Populism and political strategy
    • 5.2Authenticity, marketing, and corporate strategy
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 7 January 2025
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.24199.jac
References (58)
References
Aggerholm, Helle Kryger, and Birte Asmuß. 2016. “A Practice Perspective on Strategic Communication: The Discursive Legitimization of Managerial Decisions.” Journal of Communication Management 20 (3): 195–214. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Allan, David. 2019. Beyoncé: Say My (Brand) Name. SAGE Business Cases Originals. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Alvesson, Mats, and Hugh Willmott. 20126. Making Sense of Management: A Critical Introduction. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Balogun, Julia, Claus Jacobs, Paula Jarzabkowski, Saku Mantere, and Eero Vaara. 2014. “Placing Strategy Discourse in Context: Sociomateriality, Sensemaking, and Power.” Journal of Management Studies 51 (2): 175–201. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Beetz, Johannes. 2016. Materiality and subject in Marxism, (Post-)structuralism, and material semiotics. Berlin: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bouzon, Arlette. 2013. “Theoretical approaches in organizational and strategic communication: a review of the french academic literature.” Organisational and Strategic Communication Research: European Perspectives by Gisela Gonçalves, Ian Somerville and Ana Melo, pp. 23–46. Lisbon: Labcom Books.Google Scholar
Brooks, Bradley, Dawn Chanland, and Steven Cox. 2024. Dove’s advertising campaign highs and lows: From real beauty to real success to real controversy. Business Case Journal 27 (1): 16–31. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Buhmann, Alexander, and Fraser Likely. 2018. “Evaluation and measurement in strategic communication.” In: The international encyclopedia of strategic communication by Heath, Robert Lawrence, and Winni Johansen, pp. 625–640. Boston: John Wiley & Sons. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cheney, George, and Lars Thøger Christensen. 2001. “Public Relations as Contested Terrain: A Critical Response.” In Handbook of Public Relations by Robert Heath & Gabriel Vasquez, pp. 167–182. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Critchley, Simon. 2012. “Is there a normative deficit in the theory of hegemony?” In Laclau: A Critical Reader by Simon Critchley and Oliver Marchart, pp. 113–122. London: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
De Cleen, Benjamin, and Yannis Stavrakakis. 2017. “Distinctions and Articulations: A Discourse Theoretical Framework for the Study of Populism and Nationalism.” Javnost-The Public 24 (4): 301–319. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
De Cleen, Benjamin, Jana Goyvaerts, Nico Carpentier, Jason Glynos, Yannis Stavrakakis, and Ilija Tomanić Trivundža. 2021. “An introduction to the special issue on ‘Discourse Theory: Ways forward for theory development and research practice’.” Journal of Language and Politics 20, (1): 1–9. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
De Cleen, Benjamin, Jason Glynos, Jana Goyvaerts, and Yannis Stravrakakis. 2024. “Discourse theory and the turn to practice: Lessons from the populist moment.” Journal of Language and Politics. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fougère, Martin, and Charles Barthold. 2020. “Onwards to the New Political Frontier: Macron’s Electoral Populism.” Organization 27 (3): 419–430. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Glynos, Jason, David Howarth, Ryan Flitcroft, Craig Love, Konstantinos Roussos, and Jimena Vazquez. 2021. “Logics, Discourse Theory and Methods: Advances, Challenges and Ways Forward.” Journal of Language and Politics 20 (1): 62–78. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, Matthew H., and Abel Gustafson. 2023. “A framework for understanding the effects of strategic communication campaigns.” International Journal of Strategic Communication 17 (1): 1–20. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Golsorkhi, Damon, Linda Rouleau, David Seidl, and Eero Vaara. 2010. “What is strategy-as-practice.” In: Cambridge handbook of strategy as practice by Golsorkhi, Damon, Linda Rouleau, David Seidl, and Eero Vaara, pp. 1-20. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hallahan, Kirk, Derina Holtzhausen, Betteke Van Ruler, Dejan Verčič, and Krishnamurthy Sriramesh. 2007. “Defining Strategic Communication.” International Journal of Strategic Communication 1 (1): 3–35. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2007. “Defining strategic communication.” International journal of strategic communication 1 (1): 3–35. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hardy, Cynthia, and Robyn Thomas. 2014. “Strategy, Discourse and Practice: The Intensification of Power.” Journal of Management Studies 51 (2): 320–348. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Herschinger, Eva. 2012. “‘Hell is the Other’: Conceptualising Hegemony and Identity through Discourse Theory.” Millennium 41 (1): 65–90. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hoffmann, Jochen, Karina Nyborg, Charlotte Averhoff, and Simone Olesen. 2020. “The contingency of corporate political advocacy: Nike’s ‘dream crazy’campaign with Colin Kaepernick.” Public Relations Inquiry 9 (2): 155–175. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Holtzhausen, Derina, and Ansgar Zerfass. 2014. “Strategic Communication: Opportunities and Challenges of the Research Area.” In: The Routledge Handbook of Strategic Communication by Derina Holtzhausen and Ansgar Zerfass, pp. 3–17. London: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Jacobs, Thomas. 2019. “Discourse Theory as an Independent Paradigm for Studying Institutions: Towards a New Definition of ‘Discursive Construction’ in Institutional Analysis.” Contemporary Political Theory, 181: 379–401. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Jaynes, Steve. “Making Strategic Change: a Critical Discourse Analysis.” 2015. Journal of Organizational Change Management 28 (1): 97–116. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kim, Joon Kyoung, Holly Overton, Nandini Bhalla, and Jo-Yun Li. 2020. “Nike, Colin Kaepernick, and the politicization of sports: Examining perceived organizational motives and public responses.” Public Relations Review 46 (2): 1–10. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kotler, Philip. 2020. “Marketing and Value Creation.” Journal of Creating Value 6 (1): 10–11. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Laclau, Ernesto, and Chantal Mouffe. 1985/2014. Hegemony and socialist strategy: Towards a radical democratic politics. London: Verso Books.Google Scholar
Laclau, Ernesto. 2005. On populist reason. London: Verso.Google Scholar
Macnamara, Jim. 2018. “A Review of New Evaluation Models for Strategic Communication: Progress and Gaps.” International Journal of Strategic Communication 12 (2): 180–195. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mahoney, James. 2023. Strategic communication: Campaign planning. London: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Marttila, Tomas. 2015. Post-foundational Discourse Analysis: From Political Difference to Empirical Research. Berlin: Springer.Google Scholar
Matthews, Jamie. 2019. “Populism, Inequality and Representation: Negotiating ‘the 99%’ with Occupy London.” The Sociological Review 67 (5): 1018–1033. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Molleda, Juan-Carlos. 2010. “Authenticity and the construct’s dimensions in public relations and communication research.” Journal of communication management 14 (3): 223–236. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Nonhoff, Martin. 2017. “Discourse analysis as critique.” Palgrave Communications 3 (1): 1–11. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2019. “Hegemony Analysis: Theory, Methodology and Research Practice.” In: Discourse, Culture and Organization, by Tomas Marttila, pp. 63–104. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Nothhaft, Howard, Kelly Page Werder, Dejan Verčič, and Ansgar Zerfass. 2020. “Strategic communication: Reflections on an elusive concept.” In: Future directions of Strategic Communication by Howard Nothhaft, Kelly Page Werder, Dejan Verčič, and Ansgar Zerfass, pp. 24–38. London: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pérez, Andrea. 2019. “Building a theoretical framework of message authenticity in CSR communication.” Corporate Communications: An International Journal 24 (2): 334–350. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Putnam, Linda L., and Anne Maydan Nicotera. 2010. “Communicative Constitution of Organization is a Question: Critical Issues for Addressing it.” Management Communication Quarterly 24 (1): 158–165. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Raaz, Oliver. 2021. “The Antagonist of the Antagonist: Towards the Deconstruction of the Communication-scientific distinction between Advertising and Public Relations.” Publizistik 661: 215–233. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saren, Michael. Ed. 2007. Critical marketing: Defining the field. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Sánchez, Gustavo, Francisco Valenzuela, and Matías Sanfuentes. 2024. “In pursuit of (post-)bureaucratic promises: Analyzing the logics of career self-management discourse at a privatized company.” Scandinavian Journal of Management 40 (1): 1–12. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Schoeneborn, Dennis, Steffen Blaschke, François Cooren, Robert D. McPhee, David Seidl, and James R. Taylor. 2014. “The Three Schools of CCO Thinking: Interactive Dialogue and Systematic Comparison.” Management Communication Quarterly 28 (2): 285–316. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Seiffert-Brockmann, Jens, Bradley Wiggins, and Howard Nothhaft. 2023. “The meme’s-eye view of strategic communication: A case study of social movements from a memetic perspective.” International Journal of Strategic Communication 17 (3): 245–265. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Skålén, Per, Martin Fougère, and Markus Fellesson. 2007. Marketing Discourse: A Critical Perspective. London: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Stavrakakis, Yannis. 2017. Discourse Theory in Populism Research: Three Challenges and a Dilemma. Journal of Language and Politics 16 (4): 523–534. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Taylor, James R., and Elizabeth J. Van Every. 2010. The Situated Organization: Case Studies in the Pragmatics of Communication Research. London: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
The Drum. 2017. “‘I originally had Nike in mind’: Meet the student behind that powerful Adidas ad that’s courting attention from WPP and Droga5.” Available online at 〈[URL]〉, last verified on 8/10/2024.
Thomas, Gail Fann, and Kimberlie J. Stephens. 2015. “An introduction to strategic communication.” International Journal of Business Communication 52 (1): 3–11. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Torp, Simon Møberg. 2014. “The Strategic Turn in Communication Science: On the History and Role of Strategy in Communication Science from Ancient Greece until the Present Day.” In: The Routledge Handbook of Strategic Communication by Derina Holtzhausen and Ansgar Zerfass, pp. 34–52. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Tunderman, Simon. 2023. Hegemony and the Politics of Labour: Towards a Discourse Theory of Value in Contemporary Capitalism. London: Taylor & Francis. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Vesa, Mikko, and Eero Vaara. 2014. “Strategic Ethnography 2.0: Four Methods for Advancing Strategy Process and Practice Research.” Strategic Organization 12 (4): 288–298. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Werder, Kelly Page, Howard Nothhaft, Dejan Verčič, and Ansgar Zerfass. 2020. “Strategic Communication as an Emerging Interdisciplinary Paradigm.” In: Future directions of Strategic Communication by Howard Nothhaft, Kelly Page Werder, Dejan Verčič, and Ansgar Zerfass, pp. 5–23. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Weyland, Kurt. 2001. “Clarifying a Contested Concept: Populism in the Study of Latin American Politics”. Comparative politics 34 (1): 1–22. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2017. “A Political-strategic approach.” In: The Oxford Handbook of Populism by Cristóbal Kaltwasser, Paul A. Taggart, Paulina Ochoa Espejo, and Pierre Ostiguy, pp. 48–72. Oxford: Oxford University pressGoogle Scholar
Whittington, Richard. 1996. “Strategy as Practice.” Long Range Planning 29 (5): 731–735. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Winkler, Peter, and Michael Etter. 2018. “Strategic Communication and Emergence: A Dual Narrative Framework.” International Journal of Strategic Communication 12 (4): 382–398. DOI logoGoogle Scholar