The news emerged this morning via Campaign magazine that the Conservatives had re-engaged M&C Saatchi to work alongside the party's existing advertising agency, Euro RSCG, in the final furlong of the election campaign.
The Evening Standard has splashed on the story tonight, connecting it with the Ipsos Mori poll results released this morning, which showed Labour ahead of the Tories in seats at the lower end of the party's target list.
It is being suggested that this move signifies an admission that the poster campaigns used so far this year have failed to have the desired impact and that this means a change of gear and style in the party's campaign, with the prospect of starker, edgier more personalised attacks on Labour.
Lord Bell, the PR veteran who worked on earlier Saatchi campaigns for the party, observed:
“At last, the Conservatives are starting to use professionals who have actually won elections before. If M&C Saatchi can produce the kind of brilliant work that we did, it will have a dramatic effect on the election outcome. This will frighten the other side.”
A party spokesman played down the significance of the appointment, saying that the party had a long-standing relationship with M&C Saatchi and they would merely be "beefing up" the existing advertising team:
"Euro RSCG are our main advertising agency. We're delighted with the contribution they've made and will continue to make as we near the General Election. The party has been working with M&C Saatchi off and on since 1978 and they are also part of the team working to help us kick out Labour in this campaign."
Jonathan Isaby