WATCH ABOVE: The Liberals are garnering a lot of attention online with their unique and dark campaign posters. Felicia Parrillo reports.
MONTREAL – If you’ve driven, walked or biked around the city lately, you’ve probably noticed campaign posters plastered on just about every pole or lamppost.
As the Oct. 19 federal election looms, these posters may seem like normal campaign advertisement, but one party’s posters is garnering a greater amount of attention.
The Liberal Party’s posters are black and red and feature the candidate looking straight into the camera, with a dramatically dim background.
“They look kind of creepy,” said Harold Simpkins, Professor of Marketing at Concordia University.
“One of my former students used the word ‘sinister’ to describe them and I think that’s spot on.”
The posters have been generating parodies on social media, comparing candidates to vampires, evil movie characters and even the cast of Star Trek.
Simpkins said not all publicity is good publicity.
Although the posters are getting people talking, that’s not necessarily a good thing.
“If your only objective is to get your brand, image or name out there, then any publicity is good publicity,” he told Global News.
“But as politicians, I don’t think they want negative imagery being communicated about them.”
One of the candidates who had their posters parodied is David Lametti, the candidate running in the LaSalle-Emard-Verdun riding.
Last week, his poster circulated on social media showing him as Gowron, from Star Trek.
“Anything that gets people to look at the Liberal party and to talk about the Liberal party and see the Liberal party in a different light is positive,” he said, adding that the party strived for something bold and different.
He laughed off any criticism.
“Gowron was a decent political leader,” he said.
“But I’m an old fan of Captain Kirk.”
Pablo Rodriguez, a member of the team who worked on the campaign posters, told Global News the party was thinking outside of the box.
“Nobody is talking about the other signs, maybe because they’re a bit boring.”
Rodriguez said the party will soon be releasing a new and exciting poster for leader, Justin Trudeau.
“Stay tuned,” said Rodriguez.
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