Copyright 2007 Newspaper Publishing PLC
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Independent Extra

February 15, 2007 Thursday
First Edition

SECTION: EXTRA; Pg. 6

LENGTH: 376 words

HEADLINE: Do as I say??? the Government's £137m ad drive;
Picture Post

BYLINE: ED CAESAR

BODY:


Don't drink too much, don't drive too fast, don't smoke. Don't cross the road when you're on the phone, don't climb scaffolding when you're drunk, don't claim benefits to which you're not entitled. Never, ever drive listening to Mungo Jerry. Do join the Army. Do file your tax return on time.

You know all this. Of course you do. In the past year, the Government has spent £137m telling you - that's £4.50 per second. In a blizzard of adverts ranging from the gruesome (mangled corpses of drink-driving victims and smokers with fishhooks through their cheeks) to the downright creepy (psychopathic voice-overs to stop benefit fraudsters), the Central Office of Information has dispersed its message with unprecedented zeal. To do so, it has spent a fortune of the Government's money - more than the advertising budget for giants such as Tesco or M&S - on top agencies like Publicis and Leo Burnett.

The figures, released on Monday, have predictably infuriated some. "Under Labour," complains Oliver Heald, the shadow Constitutional Affairs minister, "taxes have soared, but rather than improving our public services, the money has been wasted on the wages of 'spin'." But is it all just "spin"? One could hardly accuse a campaign to cut drink-driving deaths as politically motivated. A more immediate question is, do the ads work? It's a mixed picture. Last year, an e-government awareness campaign costing £5m fell flat on its face. The plan was to encourage use of the Government portal Directgov. But, after a concerted effort, an independent study found that there had been no discernible rise in demand for the service. Whoops.

But other campaigns have been runaway successes. A drive to recruit young people to the Army was handed over to Publicis, who created an inspirational ad set on Everest. About 30,000 people enquired about joining the Army in three weeks. But for some, the individual successes and failures are immaterial. Sean Gabb of the Libertarian Alliance says the Government's advertising spend is further evidence that it is trying to control every aspect of our lives. "I suppose the only heartening thing about all this propaganda," he says, "is that no one seems to be listening. The more the Government shouts, the less people hear."

LOAD-DATE: February 15, 2007


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