Grading the Election Campaign Slogans
Hmmm, who wins the battle of the slogans for the Ontario provincial election?
The marketing machines are cranked up to full capacity for the Ontario provincial election scheduled for February 27th. Given the abbreviated lead-up time dictated by Doug Ford (for the election that no one but Ford wants), the marketing gurus have no doubt been burning the midnight oil to get the individual party’s campaigns up and running.
It is customary for each party to have a campaign slogan on which to hang their election hat. As a former marketing professional myself (albeit in an entirely different sphere), I decided to analyze and grade the individual slogans.
The Ford Conservatives have show the least imagination running with Protect Ontario. The reference, of course, is to the threat of tariffs on Canadian exports by U.S. President Donald Trump. The objective of the slogan sound – to position Ford as the only leader who can effectively protect Ontario’s interests on that front.
Protect Ontario was an obvious choice. But it has had the legs cut out from under it by the 30-day reprieve Justin Trudeau negotiated on the tariffs which extends beyond the election date. I envision the Conservative marketing gurus cursing. Well shit! We didn’t see that coming. Whose stupid decision was it to make it such a short campaign? Oh, right… Never mind.
Grade: C-
Bonnie Crombie’s Liberals are going with Real Leaders Fix Healthcare. This slogan certainly delivers a strong message and hits on one of the motherhood issues in the province. It is also an area of vulnerability for Doug Ford who has a poor reputation in terms of health care funding.
On the downside, the Liberals are running the risk of putting all their eggs in one basket with this slogan. They are gambling that the majority of voters will see healthcare funding as the runaway #1 issue in the election. A calculated risk, to be certain.
Grade: B
Marit Stile’s NDPs have landed on NDP on Our Side with an accompanying, double-entendre tagline Do it With Stiles. On the plus side, the slogan positions the NDP as the we’ve go your back party for the people contrasting with the Conservatives who favour big business. The clever tagline also riffs on Ford’s former tagline Doug Gets it Done.
On the downside, the slogan is somewhat vague and does not hit on any of the hot button issues. It runs the risk of being too generic and failing to light a fire of interest for the party.
Grade: B-
And finally, Mike Schreiner’s Green Party have settled on People Over Profits. This slogan is again a clever swipe at Doug Ford who is know to favour big business helping them raise their profits. It also positions the Green Party as the grass roots alternative to the big three – the party with a heart.
On the downside, similar to the NDP slogan, it is a bit generic and does not ring the bell on any of the burning issues. The sentiment behind the slogan is nice but perhaps a bit too nice for the cutthroat election environment.
Grade: B-
And so, in my grading system, the Liberals win the battle of the slogans by a narrow margin. But from my perspective and in metaphor terms, none of them hits the ball out of the park. It will be interesting to see if any of the parties change course in the few weeks they have at the plate.
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