Friday, April 02, 2010

Labour's Poster Campaign Turns Into Ashes


Amazing. Labour's latest poster (designed by a member of the public because they can't afford a proper ad agency campaign) depicts David Cameron as Gene Hunt... one of the most popular characters on TV. You'd have thought they might have picked someone the public don't actually like. Amateur night.

UPDATE: A Tory spokesman emails me: "It feels like an odd decision to depict David Cameron as a cult TV character...wish we had thought of it."

The Guardian has more.

UPDATE: I will be discussing this poster campaign on Sky News at 8.10am alongside Peter Watt.

29 comments:

Mr Jabberwock said...

I think this is just amazing.

What do people think of Gene Hunt?

His persona soars above his faults;
He is the opposite of posh;
He personifies the anti PC agenda and in that at least we all identify with him;
He might do the wrong thing but for the right reason;
Crime falls in his manor.
The HNS is safe in his hands (OK I made that one up!)

You can imagine a top agency saying to CCHQ we need to get Dave associated with Gene Hunt but we can't think of a way of safely putting it out.

He is disinfectant for Cameron that only Labour could have commissioned.

One would expect to see this poster on more tory sites than labour ones.

Gareth said...

We have striking workforces*, the dead unburied and enormous debts. If anyone has taken a bump on the head and gone back in time it's Brown, back to the 70s.



* Binmen in Leeds, Total refinery, BA, RMT if they can do things properly, Civil Servants.

Damon Lord said...

Gene Hunt says: "Get your poncy Tory arse off my car or I'll give you a high speed crap-your-pants ride to the nick in it!" ;)

Frugal Dougal said...

That's the best Conservative election poster that was never made! (Are you sure one of us didn't design it?)

Thomas Hobbes said...

If you assume that the strategy of Labour is to lose the election and ensure a weak Tory government they can attack from the off, this is a perfect choice of poster.

David Turner said...

I might be a lone voice (well I know I'm not, because I've just posed the question to my wife) but I've never heard of Gene Hunt or "Ashes to Ashes". To that extent, a picture of David Cameron can only be positive for the Conservatives.

Anonymous said...

What was the national debt in the 1980's?
What was the price of petrol?
What was the size of the population?
How many elections did Labour win in the 80's?

Max Clark said...

It's our turn to positively spoof the poster. http://tweetphoto.com/16850534.

Jason Myers said...

And I thought the Tory posters were lacking but Labour have gone all out with this - the WORST ELECTION POSTER 2010. Maybe EVER! It looks cheap and tacky for a start. The 80s? A lot of people did very well in the 80s! Thatcher didn't win 3 elections for nothing!
I really like the poster.
If Labour wanted a good poster they should just put up a poster of Brown saying "5 more years of Brilliance." Didn't think so...

Unknown said...

I think the 80s were pretty good.

Dick Puddlecote said...

You've got to be kidding?

What a gift for the Tories. Anyone who lived through the 80s will remember it was a freer life and those who didn't live through it won't know what they are talking about.

And aren't A2A and Gene Hunt extremely popular?

Labour have lost the plot.

Mrs Rigby said...

Nice picture of Jacob on Facebook - with Ken Livingstone and Neil Kinnock.

Mick Turatian said...

Conservatives: Vorsprung Durch Technik

Ourexam IT Certification said...

I passed the ST0-052 and JN0-033 Exam, I want to tell everyone the news.

ST0-052:http://www.ourexam.com/ST0-052.html

JN0-303:http://www.ourexam.com/JN0-303.html

Unsworth said...

Excelent. More please.

I'd be delighted if we could get back to the 1980s. It's the late 1990s onwards that I'd want to avoid.

Matt Davies said...

Rather than point out to Labour what an own goal this is, we should think of the bigger picture and tell them that we hate it.

Brear Rabbit was occasionally right.

IanVisits said...

A poster moaning about the 1980s, created by someone born in 1986.

His first memories would have been of the economic boom that started the year he was born when the Big Bang revolution hit the City of London.

Alan Douglas said...

In any case, wasn't the 80's the decade where the Tories SORTED OUT the incredible mess left by Wilson/Callaghan and the Trade Unions' winter of discontent ? Can't think of a better decade to go back to.

Alan Douglas

Gerry57 said...

Many described the economic turnaround in the eighties as an 'economic miracle'. We could certainly do with another Conservative 'economic miracle' right now.

Bungle said...

Pontinted out what a plus for the Tories as well on my new blog

www.rayinbrixton.blogspot.com

shameless plug I now :-)

Unknown said...

"It will be launched ... by the foreign secretary, David Miliband, and his brother, Ed"

Two weirdo dweebs unavailing a poster of their opponent looking like the hero.

Can only be a win win situation for Labour that, can't it?

Anonymous said...

80s was the time the country had its gold reserve. Pension fund was untouched. London looked like London and not Mumbai.

Anonymous said...

Tories should produce a poster which shows Mandelson and Blair with the caption: backseat drivers! The more Blair and Mandy appears the more will support Tories.

Auld Baw Face said...

The good old days.

JamesW said...

From the Graun's comments:

Fire up the Quattro. We've got a country to fix.

Sam Tyler said...

Mrs Rigby: "Nice picture of Jacob on Facebook -with Ken Livingstone and Neil Kinnock"

Actually, that photo is of former Jam frontman Paul Weller with Red Ken and Lord Windbag at the launch of Red Wedge, Labour's rather pathetic 1980s link-up with left-wing pop stars that aimed to encourage young people to vote Labour. It’s doubtful if little Jacob was even born when it was taken (c. Nov 1985).

Like all Labour's embarrassing attempts to suck up to "the kids", Red Wedge was a spectacular failure. After the Conservatives won the 1987 election, most of Labour's new found friends lost interest, although Red Wedge limped on and was finally disbanded three years later.

Martin S said...

Hang on. Here's a neat trick.

Give Labour a advert that appears to make David Cameron look like a villain, but which, in reality, makes him look like a hero to millions of people!

And the stupid idiots fell for it!

Nikostratos said...

Oh Iain! not a member of the Public how sad.........

And you wonder why you are unable to land a Constituency

Mrs Rigby said...

@ Sam Tyler.
Didn't know that and was making assumptions.