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Frank Dobson’s mayoral campaign may be floundering, but at least he

can claim a small victory against Ken Livingstone in the pre-election

poster wars.

Both candidates have turned to outdoor in the run-up to this Friday’s

election. Red Ken is believed to have outspent Blair’s candidate, with

Livingstone expected to rack up an outdoor bill of pounds 130,000

compared with Dobson’s pounds 65,000. But Dobson’s outdoor buying team

are claiming to have purchased the better-targeted campaign. They allege

some of Livingstone’s sites actually fall well outside the catchment

area for voters.

Dobson’s campaign will run on 65 96-sheets this week. Poster Publicity

director Nick Parker, who brokered the deal with Mills & Allen account

manager Fiona Holland, bought the sites. Poster Publicity has also

bought some special postings, and some of Admedia’s 48-sheet ad vans.

All the sites fall inside the London boroughs.

Livingstone’s campaign, on the other hand, has run for almost a month on

a variety of 48-sheet and 96-sheet sites. But it has been criticised by

outdoor pundits for appearing outside London - one poster was spotted in

Watford. A poster buyer commented: ’It is possible people live in London

and drive out to work in Watford - but it strikes me as unlikely.’

It is thought Livingstone’s sites were bought by International Poster

Management although the outdoor specialist refused to comment.