The Labour Party are using Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves as the hero message carrier in a new poster campaign, what does this tell us?
In a general election campaign, using different message carriers is crucial to tailoring communication to diverse audience segments.
One voter demographic can respond differently to a message to another depending on who the messenger is — whether they are responsible for a particular policy area, a respected expert, or a relatable influencer.
By strategically deploying the right voices, campaigns can effectively address specific concerns, reinforce key policy positions, and build a connection with voters.
Diversifying message carriers can amplify the campaign’s reach, add depth to its overall narrative and make it more adaptable and resilient to any changes in voter behaviour and media.
The Labour Party have been doing this very effectively in their campaign so far in their digital advertising.
Wes Streeting has fronted an ad, which has been proven to be highly effective, in the NHS.
Ed Miliband is leading some of the communication on the party’s Great British Energy policy, using a slightly eccentric tone of voice that has been honed by presenting on his popular podcast “Reasons to be Cheerful”.
Former Conservative voters have been used as spokespeople to help the Labour Party seem “for people like me” to other wavering former Tory voters.
Mark Carney, the former Bank Of England Governor, has been used as an independent expert voice to advocate for the Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
And Rachel Reeves herself has been speaking to voters about her plans for the economy and the fact she won’t raise income tax, VAT or National Insurance.
Today it’s been revealed that using Rachel Reeves has gone one step further – she will be featured on her own in billboard posters.
I find this surprising as it’s hard to find precedent for someone other than the leader of a party being the hero of an ad in a broadcast channel like this. George Osborne certainly didn’t appear in posters in the 2010 general election and I can’t recall Gordon Brown being a standalone message carrier on billboards in 1997.
Using multiple spokespeople makes sense in digital channels as it’s possible to reach discreet audiences – either via ad targeting or by letting an algorithm find the people most likely to view the content.
But using someone other than the leader – who is always the mental shortcut for the entire party brand – in a medium of advertising where there is only limited targeting (physical geography and time of day) is unusual. And it’s particularly unusual given Reeves is only the 24th most famous Labour politician, according to YouGov.
Labour is running a very thoughtful and well-executed campaign, so this decision won’t have been taken on a whim and might tell us something about the state of the race, the internal politics of the campaign or the challenges that Labour want a head start on when they’re in government.
The state of the race
Labour could be using Reeves because focus groups are showing that the Conservatives’ attacks on the Opposition with regards to tax have landed with voters.
Reeves, having worked at the Bank of England, has a strong personal narrative to accompany a message about economic competence and reassurance about tax policy.
It could also be that the party is having difficulty with female voters in some parts of the country and using Reeves as a lead message carrier might help make the party seem more relatable. Reeves shares Starmer’s brand values of strength and competence and so she’s the closest thing to a female Keir.
The internal politics
Reeves is widely regarded as being Starmer’s most trusted and closest ally in the Shadow Cabinet.
Making Reeves more famous amongst the public makes her an even stronger ally for any internal conflict that might ever emerge.
Starmer signing off on Reeves featuring in a big billboard campaign is also a very public thanks to her for her huge contribution in getting the party to the cusp of victory.
The challenges that lie ahead
The economic headwinds that Labour will face in government will be extreme.
If the Labour Party can’t get the economy growing more quickly relatively early in their first term then it’s likely public spending cuts will follow.
Reeves will be the one at the Despatch box on Budget day and having some equity in the bank will be vital to her being able to sustain the inevitable backlash to the state tightening its purse strings.
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