M&C Saatchi strides into action for the Tory election campaign with ‘Wrecking Ball’

Whenever there’s a Conservative Party General Election campaign there’s a Saatchi – and M&C Saatchi has been quick out of the blocks with a new poster for this year’s election in May.

Other agencies may sniff around the account – Euro RSCG and then Havas boss David Jones last time round – but the ferocious pit bull terrier of Golden Square always sinks its teeth into the fatted Tory calf.

Once upon a time it was this, for Mrs Thatcher in 1979.

Probably the most productive ad (for the agency anyway) in living memory.

Then in 1997, exemplifying the agency’s mantra of ‘brutal simplicity of thought.’

Which was complete over-the-top rubbish and doubtless played a small part in Tony Blair and Labour’s re-election with a massive majority.

Now there’s this first one in the 2015 campaign.

Which probably steers a line between the two above. As M&C doubtless knows – but probably didn’t tell the Tory client – the Tories need to do more than this. Voters assume, not unreasonably, that when the Conservatives tell them they’ve “never had it so good” lots of voters think “we’re not having it anything like so good as the Tories’ pals.”

It worked for Harold Macmillan back in the 1950s but it’s not going to get David Cameron over the line.

But it’s a decent start.