Multi-media marketing campaign launched in Ottawa
“At their weekly caucus meeting, the Liberals got a caution from party strategists against describing their fledgling proposal as a "tax" – a sure-fire bet to drive away voters.” Toronto Star, May 15, 2008
OTTAWA – Conservatives today launched a bilingual multi-media marketing campaign to warn taxpayers about being tricked by Stéphane Dion into paying a permanent new carbon tax that will destroy jobs and drive up the cost of gas, electricity and everything else Canadians buy.
The four-pronged campaign, titled “The Dion Tax Trick”, features a mix of traditional and non-traditional media including radio commercials, audio-visual ads at gas station pumps, online viral marketing and grassroots guerrilla marketing.
“Stéphane Dion has made tens of billions of dollars of non-budgeted spending promises,” said Conservative MP Jason Kenney. “He is now trying to trick Canadians into paying a permanent new tax he once vehemently opposed to raise colossal sums of revenue – it’s as simple as that.”
Sadly, Dion is attempting to sell his Tax Trick by wrapping it up in green environmental packaging and using weasel word terms such as “revenue-neutrality” and “tax-shifting” to sell the tax to Canadians. Liberal strategists have reportedly told Dion to avoid using the word “tax”.
“Canadians have seen this movie before,” said Kenney. “They’re used to politicians promising taxes that are temporary, dedicated or revenue-neutral but instead getting higher permanent taxes that feed the pool of general revenue.”
Campaign details include:
- Three English and three French :30-second radio advertisements;
- Two English :15-second fuelcast ads that will run at gas station pumps;
- A dedicated website – willyoubetricked.ca – with viral marketing devices; and
- A volunteer-based guerrilla marketing campaign that will hit numerous communities over the summer.
The campaign is being funded by voluntary donations from Conservative supporters across Canada.