Earlier this week, featuring a prominent picture of leader David Cameron. The creative by Euro RSCG London carried the words: ‘We can't go on like this. I'll cut the deficit. Not the NHS.'
But the Tories have been accused of ‘touching up' their leader's image in the ad, and last night an alternative version of the ad was circulating in the political blogosphere.
The spoof ad first appeared on the Go Fourth website, run by former deputy prime minister John Prescott and other prominent Labour supporters including former Number 10 communications director Alastair Campbell. The initiative is attempting to get Labour elected for a fourth term.
Writing on the Go Fourth site, Prescott suggested the original creative resembled a ‘hair or make-up ad'. He claimed: ‘There's also a general consensus amongst those in the know that the picture's been touched-up.'
Prescott added: ‘Anyway, one of our supporters had some fun with it. It's all in good humour but it still makes the point that the Conservatives are still determined to give an inheritance tax cut to benefit the richest 3,000 estates in the country.'
The spoof ad is latest sign that Labour intends to take the marketing fight to the Tories online. Labour cannot match Tory party adspend without going close to bankruptcy and the Conservatives are set to out-spend Labour by a factor of about three to one over the next few months until the general election.
This morning, Cameron side-stepped accusations that his image had been airbrushed for the new poster campaign. Asked whether it had, on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, he said: ‘I certainly hope not.'
He went on: ‘I made the decision that I wanted a strong positive start to the campaign. And I think having strong, positive posters... of course I'm going get ribbing from my friends and not least my family about having my picture up there.
‘Look, I did not produce the picture or the poster,' he added.
.jpg)
.jpg)