Confidential Election Documents from the NDP - or - Please help the NDP to replace its dot-matrix printers
It appears that the advertizing campaigns of the next federal election will feature a "cheap-off" between the major parties as they attempt to provide the least slick campaign materials. Perhaps this will be how they demonstrate how "authentic" and "close to the people" they are. Certainly the miserable photostats that Diane Ablonczy's office keeps sending to my door are in that vein - a nice echo of the low-tech handicam television ads the Conservative party has been running.
The NDP appears to be trying to do them one better - their fundraising letter comes in an envelope with bright orange printing that reads "CONFIDENTIAL ELECTION DOCUMENTS ENCLOSED INTENDED FOR THE EYES OF THE ADDRESSEE ONLY", taking a page from the Publisher's Sweepstakes Clearinghouse, no doubt. This week's gimmick is to provide internal polling information as a "Confidential Dispatch - NDP Election-readiness Report" which is printed in all caps in the font of an old dot-matrix printer - complete with perforated edges with holes for the printer tracks.
I'm not certain what message this is intended to convey. Perhaps "Please vote for us so we can move out of the technological stone age"? While I'm currently rather upset with the Liberal party, I would really like to have confidence that the party I do vote for is at least somewhat modern and savvy. These gimmicks just further alienate me.
Labels: Conservative, Election, NDP
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posted by Matt @ 2:10 pm
4 comments
4 Comments:
Gimicky advertising bugs me too. The Liberal begging for money so they could continue to walk out on votes, and amidst a bribery scandal was particularly galling. I can't think off hand of any advertising done by the Green Party yet that bugs me, but so far the other 3 parties in the Rest of Canada are completely shameful.
Good gawd Matthew! How do you manage to cope with such weighty issues in your life?! Give me a break ... and a better topic!
Leftdog,
How's this for a better topic: I'm a left-leaning voter, who has voted for the NDP in several federal elections, and right now I feel alienated enough from the amateuristic fundraising strategies of the party where my vote is currently parked (the NDP) that I will not contribute money in response to these appeals (although I have given to the party in the past) and I am haven't ruled out voting for the Greens in the next election.
You can be glib all you like, but I happen to think that political parties should care about their advertizing backfiring on them.
Glib or not, when compared with the actual issues of the day that face Canada and need our political party's attention - samples being:
-Afghanistan
-the environment
-the economy
-health care
I just can't see why you care so much about the vehicle that is used to try and transmit communications.
I personally find shiny, flashy, richly produced advertising material to be repulsive because of the obvious cost that goes into producing them. I guess it is all a matter of taste. The title of this post caught my eye because it is a criticism against one political party.
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