No political ads impress strategists yet; best play to ‘subtle truths,’ exploit vulnerabilities
This election campaign has yet to produce stand-out advertisements, say two political strategists, but parties would do well to create ads similar to those the Conservatives made against former Liberal leaders Michael Ignatieff and Stéphane Dion, which are some of the best in recent memory. David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, said those ads were […]
Conservatives, Liberals trade barbs over spending, gun control in pre-election digital advertising runs
The Conservative Party attacked the governing Liberals’ spending and tax policies in its pre-election digital advertising campaign last week, while Justin Trudeau’s Grits focused on gun control, the environment, and childcare in a series of ads that ran on Facebook. Meanwhile, Unifor and other labour-funded groups have begun running pricey attack ads disparaging Conservative Leader […]
‘We have to be ready to begin and able to pivot quickly’: tourism marketing arm looks inward to keep the dream alive
Destination Canada’s more recent tourism efforts have looked at the “unexpected” parts of the country, with a new domestic focus that experts say needs to be continued until cross-border and international travel can really start moving again. The current state of the tourism market is “apocalyptic” for some areas like the cities, Greg Oates, senior […]
Union launches pre-election ad campaign attacking O’Toole
The largest private sector union in Canada has planned to launch a national ad campaign Monday attacking Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole, part of a rise in political advertising ahead of an expected election call later this summer. Unifor was planning to launch attack ads on TV, radio, and digital media that will run for […]
Money talks: Bloc’s fundraising may be cause for concern for Grits, Tories in Quebec
Politicos are gearing up for an impending election call with party leaders, incumbent MPs, and candidates already busy hitting the pavement, and Conservatives are heading into the likely election once again with the best-stocked war chest, having raised almost $6-million more than the Liberals in 2020. “Clearly, Conservatives have the advantage on better organization techniques […]
Politics, polls, and persuasion
OAKVILLE, ONT.—This might surprise you, but when the next federal election rolls around, I doubt our political parties will be airing many media ads designed to persuade voters to change their minds. They rarely do. Okay, I know that sounds strange, since, after all, persuading people is supposedly what politics is all about, so let […]
What Canadian politicians can learn from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s advertising strategy
During the 2019 federal election cycle, Canada’s three major political parties spent more than $26-million on television and online advertising. Whereas the theoretical purpose of this spending is to increase widespread participation in our democracy, it’s hard to say whether it’s having any discernible impact. The $26-million question is, then, do you recall any of […]
Lewis courts dairy farmers, Sloan attacks WHO as Conservative leadership underdogs burn through cash in late advertising push
Underdog candidates Leslyn Lewis and Derek Sloan have begun using paid online ads to promote their campaigns to win the Conservative Party leadership, and have grabbed the attention of hundreds of thousands of Canadians as the party’s election date draws near, while front-runners Peter MacKay and Erin O’Toole appear to have shifted their focus to […]
Digital ads the story of election 2019 budgets, say campaign vets
A shift towards even more digital advertising is the most likely change to the way the parties will spend their money during this fall’s election campaign, say veterans of previous campaigns with the Liberals, Conservatives, and NDP. “I suspect digital is going to become more and more the battleground. That’s where more campaigns should be […]
Liberal election ad ‘head and shoulders’ above Tory, NDP offerings, says U.S. campaign guru
Political advertising experts are giving a thumb’s-up to the Liberal Party’s election ad featuring Prime Minister Justin Trudeau riding a bus, with one calling it “head and shoulders” above English-language ads released recently by the Conservatives and NDP. The minute-long Liberal ad is available on social media, and has been running on television, sometimes spliced […]
