Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Tories Launch Massive 'Friendship' Campaign


The Conservatives are launching a huge advertising campaign tonight aimed at not only increasing membership, but attracting so-called "Friends of the Conservatives". And no, it's not a Dorothy-like euphemism. At least, I don't think it is! The campaign's slogan is a slightly suvggestive YOU CAN GET IT IF YOU REALLY WANT IT. Frankie Howerd would be proud. Seriously, it's based on the song by Jimmy Cliff, which has been incorporated into a new video which has been launched on Facebook tonight by the Party. It's a great page with lots of widgets and downloads.


It has long been a mystery to me why British political parties have been so lax in emulating their American counterparts in using the internet to register supporters and raise money. If donation limits really are going to be imposed it's the only way political parties will be able to survive. Barack Obama's campaign has raised tens of millions of dollars with an average donation of £55.

The great thing about the Tory campaign is that it is hugely positive in outlook - strong on aspiration, with a tone which will hopefully attract the support of those in the 25-55 age group.


I'd love to show you the video here, but there's no embed code on it. Doh!

ConservativeHome's thoughts are HERE.

23 comments:

  1. Things can only get better', they say "Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery"

    Why should chavs buy imitation when you can get the original dirt cheap?

    ReplyDelete
  2. re this and Dan Finklestein's article in The Times today. Theoretically the Left believes that all people are equal and therefore kills them en mass without reference to their class. The Right believes that people arent equal and kills the lower classes. This is why the Tories will never be seen as the "friendly party". Stop advocating killing people and try and solve the problem of our "broken society". Some of the people who respond here are exactly the problem.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really like the whole idea of this. Its fresh and uplifting and really shows the difference between Labour and the Conservatives. I wonder if this is a sneak preview to the style of the PEBs before the local elections in May?

    ReplyDelete
  4. [12:36] "Stop advocating killing people and try and solve the problem of our "broken society".

    Our stable, mono-cultural (no, over-heated sweeties, I didn't say "mono-racial") society was smashed to smithereens by the fascists.

    "Some of the people who respond here are exactly the problem."

    Well, I certainly hope I am one of the problems for thought fascists! If not, where would I apply? How much would I have to pay to get registered?

    There was no "broken society" until blair got in with his wrecking ball. Talk about "The Madness of King George"!

    ReplyDelete
  5. cheerful tone from anonymous 12.36 am

    obama would be proud of this stuff. i guess he's right wing too, huh?

    ReplyDelete
  6. [12:36] - Why do you think that Danny Finkelstein is called Dan? He's quite famous.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 1,009,704 million people have donated to the Obama campaign on www.barackobama.com so far. Great stuff.

    The Conservative Party and Labour need to dig deep to understand why they can't gain that level of support in the UK.

    Both parties, at the moment, aren't connecting with the people.

    ReplyDelete
  8. "Tories follow other parties by launching online supporters' group"


    Reads the banner at the top of the BBC news website

    ReplyDelete
  9. I prefer Norman Tebbit who says Blairisim has infected the Tory party. I now know what he means, its pathetic. Window dressing.

    Will they give us a vote on the EU. yes or no.

    ReplyDelete
  10. A fairly obvious retort to the "can work, will work" slogan is that there aren't enough jobs for every unemployed person, and even if there were many of them wouldn't he hired.

    No one would employ some xxxx from Chell Heath or Bentilee who hasn't done a day's work in his life. That's why they have Poles instead. It took me 6 weeks to get a job, and I'm far more employable than a lot of people in this city and similar places.

    Obviously I'd rather they worked than remain on benefits, I'm just questioning whether it can be achieved short of more jobs suddenly becoming available.

    My humble opinion is that the DSS is completely awful at getting people onto work, because it's underfunded. A bit more investment would help to get more people off the welfare roll and into productive occupations.

    ReplyDelete
  11. AS an attack on Labour its well formed because the Labour Party have attacked aspiration for everyone except Private Equity deal makers and local government employees.
    OOOO look at the Speccie Blog ...a referendum is back on the cards with two questions. What will Clegg say about that I wonder ( the lying toe rag)
    On back to work we will soon have to choice there has to be some slow down and with our debts and bureaucrat heavy economy the vast increase in calls on the state cannot be funded without rigorous reform and managed expectations

    ReplyDelete
  12. O pleeeeeease be my friend.

    ReplyDelete
  13. People bought into Margaret Thatcher and supported her three times (possibly more if she had had the opportunity) because they were sick of the run down country under Wilson and Callaghan and their discredited Labour Governments!

    The people bought into blair and 'fings can only get better' because they were sick and tired of Major and his weak government.(and not forgiving them for ditching Mrs Thatcher) They could not buy into
    kinnoccio!

    Blair had phenominal public support for many years and they forgave him his mistakes because he appeared to be 'onest'

    BUT they could not support Haig or Howard and that is why he won three elections hands down!

    Even though millions had marched against the Iraq War and Millions had marched supporting The Countryside Alliance!

    It was, with Thatcher and Blair, better the devil you know.

    Now we have (like Callaghan) a country that is drifting! Fighting two wars with inadequate ordinance, whilst this government spends Billions on a bank that had it been named 'Truro Rock' would have now closed shop! - spent because of the Northern Vote!! A government drifting bringing out initiative after initiative after initiative and days later we recall reading about each of those initiatives being announced years before!!! a case of you can fool all the people all of the time, no doubt! On top of this we now have an 'unelected'Prime Minister in Brown. A Deeply unpopular man with no charisma whatsoever. Add on to that he is a Scot (at a time when the Scots are moving towards Independence)surrounded in his fourth rate cabinet by a majority of Scots. He is heading for a major fall.

    I thought Cameron was right yesterday at PMQ's I think this campaign is right - it brings the issues of accountability and donations to political parties right to the doorstep.

    I just want him to promise unequivocably that we WILL be given a referendum on the Treaty/Constitution even if it is ratified- when they are elected.

    Cameron must now grasp the nettle and ensure that his team is right for the fight.

    All we have to do now is await a Fresh, New, Initiative from brown telling us that the sonservatives are stealing their idea's!

    Moribund Brown

    ReplyDelete
  14. if Dave's vomit inducing piece in The Times today is anything to go by the Conservatives have at least another 12 years in the political wilderness.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Verity - you mean Daniel "Danny Finkelstein" the journalist. Oh I meant Daniel "Dan" Finkelstein the famous performance poet and habitute of Camden crack dens.

    You really do have some odd thoughts but you shouldnt feel the need to post them all here you know.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Iain. You can't spell "euphemism". Otherwise, you're perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  17. 11:19 - What's a habitute? Is this a term they use in "performance poetry"?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Is it me or is the first slogan ungrammatical?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Yes, it should be "cut", not "cuts". I'd say it was ignorant and illiterate; but I'm just an old, pedantic, habitual Conservative voter.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great that they have captured the zeitgeist with a really hip and happening youth, which will really connect with those young, urban voters which they really need to win at the next General Election..

    Ten-four-daddy-oh..

    ReplyDelete
  21. Verity - I rest my case

    ReplyDelete
  22. Yeah except Labour have had a web-based 'supporters' network' for the past 2 years so the tories are actually rather tardy with this one...

    ReplyDelete