Fox asks voters to write their own adverts

The Tories have asked voters to contribute their own ideas to the party's June election campaign.

 

Conservative co-chairmen Liam Fox and Lord Saatchi have commissioned advertising professionals and the general public to come up with poster and party political broadcast initiatives for use in this year's local, London and European parliament contests.

 

The party denied the move was designed to save money and insisted it was committed to coming up with an authentic and original campaign.

 

Through a viral email and adverts in trade magazines, voters have been asked to make their own 30 second films which Tory marketing chief Will Harris promised would be used in one of Michael Howard's summer television slots.

 

Under the slogan "Let down by Labour", one winner's billboard poster will also be "plastered all over the country" in a bid to find a modern equivalent of Saatchi's "Labour isn't working" strategy.

 

Frustration

 

Fox said voters would be able to express their frustration with the government through their ideas and that the electorate would be more likely to identify with a more "authentic" campaign.

 

"This idea is genuinely groundbreaking," he said. "The public are looking for authenticity in politics, not political clichés. You can just imagine how proud the successful people will feel when they see their ideas put into action.

 

"The British people feel greatly let down by Labour. That is why the June elections provide people with an opportunity to send this government a message.

 

"Maurice Saatchi and myself hope that our new campaign will re-engage the public with politics, giving them the opportunity to show the country how Labour has let them down personally.

 

"The Conservative Party has always been at the forefront of developments in political campaigning and advertising - from the famous ‘Labour isn’t working’ campaign that propelled Margaret Thatcher to power to the ‘Tax bombshell’ campaign that contributed to John Major winning the largest ever vote at a British general election.

 

"With this campaign we will be ensuring we continue to lead the way in political campaigning. But more importantly, it will allow the public to express their disillusionment with the government in their own words and ideas."

 

Broadcasts

 

Harris added that the election television broadcasts are "worth millions" to the major parties.

 

But he cautioned that the slots had "lost value" with voters who turn off as the "kettle ratings zoom up".

 

The man brought in by Howard to mastermind the Tory marketing campaign said he wanted to offer budding creatives the chance to be the "next Maurice Saatchi" and was offering them a "clear path to TV exposure".

 

"However we want to appeal beyond just the marketing and advertising industries," he said. "This is a way people can focus their disillusionment. Of course we produce our own material. But we are also interested in encouraging new ideas."