But which variant?

The one and only genuine “original” is no more. That was the one where  one relatively small agency was inspired by the talents of Maurice (now a peer of the realm) Charles (artoholic and author) Tim Bell (also a peer) and Martin Sorrell (a knight and tv pundit).

                           SINGLEMINDED

 It was an agency whose compelling creative work was always rooted in a singleminded proposition. This was at the heart of a poster that only appeared on a dozen sites and yet remains the most talked about, most influential political advertisement ever. “Labour isn’t working”.

This is the magic dust David Cameron is wishing for with his late call to M&C Saatchi, hoping that their approach of  “brutal simplicity”  will give him a much needed boost pre-debates (and election)

         BRUTAL SIMPLICITY

The posters  are certainly brutal. They reinforce an aspect of Cameron which is already strong,  his Brown-attack mode.  They wont up his charm quotient where he is increasingly reliant on GlamSam and now MamSam, (so lucky that the vampish pictures were discovered in that attic before the pregnant ones).

Saatchi & Saatchi have an even tougher task with Gordon. They describe themselves as The Lovemarks company creating emotional connections with consumers/voters. The difficulty they face is that the product is too often exposed in a not altogether lovable way.

                             LOVEMARKS

The appearance on the Piers Morgan show did more than any ad campaign could to make him a little more lovable but in reality it is Sarah who is the lovemark, making the emotional connection for ‘my husband, my hero’. If she could introduce him at the debates his confidence would soar and the lovable, or is it loved, Gordon might shine.

Probably at this stage the most any poster can do, like Sarah, is make Gordon feel better about himself.

Nick Clegg, rumoured to have an ex-Saatchi luminary behind the scenes,  is doing okay and will probably shade the debates without any advertising support.  If he wants some, he need look no further than Team Saatchi. Conceived by “original” Saatchi, and born during the painful divorce, the agency has thrived.

                                    BIG IDEAS

In a recent survey of clients, Team Saatchi came top (alongside Saatchi & Saatchi, with M&C fourth) and their  positioning as “The boutique agency that delivers big ideas” seems spot on for Clegg. He has an easy performance manner, unlike his rivals, but a few more big ideas would not go amiss.