Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Tories Hit Back In Poster Wars


Well, it looks as if the Tories aren't going to be reticent in hitting back when Labour get personal about David Cameron. This new poster is designed as a retort to the Labour poster yesterday and is the latest work from the Tories' ad agency EUROS, who were also responsible for the Tory death tax poster.

UPDATE: James Davenport has sent me a new version of the original Labour poster. I like it.

25 comments:

Michael Heaver said...

Is it me or are these posters getting more and more petty? It's turning into a glorified slagging match, exactly what turns off young voters and discredits these people who want to run the country.

Desperate Dan said...

Sadly its more Rag Week tee hee hee than grown-up wit and incisive comment.

Unknown said...

It's disappointing that, with the country in this state, everything devolves to silly arguments about make-up.

On the other hand, for the first time since the Freshly-Buttered New Potato took over the party, it looks like the Tories are actually willing to challenge Labour.

Now if only the Conservatives could work up the same outrage over policy that they obviously feel over make-up...

Moriarty said...

@Michael

It's only childish when it's the other side doing it.

OldSlaughter said...

Great.

High school kids fighting to run my country. What joy.

Daniel Blythe said...

I'm really hoping this is an early April Fool! can't believe poster campaigns are getting so petty.

Unknown said...

This sort of thing might be vaguely diverting as something to pass round the office for a quick snigger but is not remotely likely to impress anyone. If we attack Brown it should be for his record in trashing the economy as chamcellor by spending like Viv Nicholson post-pools win and as a weak, dithering and obsessively tribal PM leading a divided and dysfunctional government. Make up could scarcely be less relevant.

Gawain said...

Do any of these "posters" actually appear anywhere on a recognised poster site where a voter might see them?

Or are they just a snickering, back-row-of-the class 'competition' by a bunch of spotty, obsessive self-abusers who could really, really do with getting a life?

i suspect I know which.

Unknown said...

These posters are stupid.

The Saatchi ones dealt with policy, and were funny.

These are crap. They look like something done by a bored loser rather than a professional ad agency.

If you have any influence with CCHQ tell them not to use these monstrosities.

Road_Hog said...

Why doesn't Dave concentrate on the EU referendum, immigration and drop climate change taxes? I like the gurning Gordon posters, but posters don't make me decided for which party I will vote.

Plum Jam said...

Why not a poster of Gordo wiping his bogies on his tie whilst sitting on the front bench of the house of comments, a sure fire election winner.

Kenny said...

I think I'll just repost my comment from last night:

And you wonder why people are so disillusioned with politics now...have you ever thought that the Tories should take the high ground on this issue (and others) and not get dragged down to the level of this rubbish and instead go out there and fight on the strength of your policies?

Desperate Dan said...

Last weekend, people I met who aren't normally very interested in politics were all talking and laughing about the Saatchi billboards.
I've never heard anyone talking about the EuroRSCG posters. Most of them are a bit embarrassing.

tory boys never grow up said...

This is all rather childish - is it really going to convince anyone to vote differently.

In the interest of honesty perhaps Mr Dale could tell us if he ever wears makeup during his TV studio appearances. Perhaps some of us can remember what happened when Nixon didn't.

Iain Dale said...

Of course it is childish. But if Labour starts something like this, do they really expect the Tories to sit back and take it?

Of course I wear makeup in a TV studio. So does Cameron. So does Brown. So does Clegg.

Unknown said...

"Of course it is childish. But if Labour starts something like this, do they really expect the Tories to sit back and take it?"

Well, to put it simply, yes. I'd like to think that at least one of the parties could rise above the childish and puerile playground sniping, but obviously not. Instead we get a "they started it" response instead of a more mature response which might just convince some of us that at least one of the parties has a campaign approach that is post-puberty.

God, it's like watching my kids arguing over something trivial, whilst totally missing the bigger issue.

Be nice to see at least one bunch of grown ups contesting this election, but scant hope of that at the moment.

The Grim Reaper said...

Iain Dale said "Of course I wear makeup in a TV studio. So does Cameron. So does Brown..."

The difference presumably being that you don't apply the makeup yourself whilst in a bad mood. Oh, and that you have nicer ties, yes?

Anonymous said...

I would prefer Tories bringing out posters like:

No immigration from outside EU for 10 years
In crime victims come first

They will ramp home with a comfortable majority. It is opne goal situation and DC is floundering.

Antisthenes said...

The comments on this poster campaign are all negative with comments like childish, which indeed they are. However I beg to differ I believe Labour know the level of the IQ of the average voter and are targeting their campaign to that level CCHQ joining in has been a good move. The vast majority of voters are not interested or do not fully understand anything about policies. Those who do understand (whose numbers are insignificant in voting terms anyway) will not be persuaded by these types of posters but those who don't will. Labour have long since used gutter tactic to gain votes now the Conservatives are going to have to stop being gentlemen/women and take on Labour at their own game.

tory boys never grow up said...

"Of course it is childish. But if Labour starts something like this, do they really expect the Tories to sit back and take it?"

I haven't a clue who started it (I don't usually with my kids either) - but grown ups don't tend to continue it.

tory boys never grow up said...

I suspect that the real problem here is that all the parties' head offices are dominated by staff who have just left University and not had much exposure to the real world. Hence without some adult restraint things descend to the silly schoolboy level pretty quickly.

The more worrying thing is that many of the said staff now carry on into more senior positions without any outside exposure, except possibly to similarly isolated bubbles of reality such as PR.

Pedant said...

It is all very childish, but in the atmosphere that the Prince of Darkness has succeeded in creating over the last six months DC and the Tories are very vulnerable to it. Sad, but true. The only way to deter them is to respond in kind. Of course, that may mean mutually assured destruction, but it's worth the gamble. It's as sinister in Labour's hands as their instant rebuttal machine.

All Seeing Eye said...

Al said "I think I'll just repost my comment from last night"

Why? We ignored it that time - didn't you take the hint?

Moriarty said...

There is something richly ironic in a poster called "tory boys never grow up" complaining about pettiness in anybody else.

Hilarious.

Unknown said...

To both parties: next time try with "£97bn to be wasted on nuclear weapons" Vs "proper investments to get off the crisis"
ooops, they both agree on that, don't they?