The Conservative Party today announced a partnership with Whitlock Motor Sports unveiled at the Mosport Race Track in Bowmanville, Ontario.
The partnership will include the Conservative Party of Canada logo being placed on the hood and front side panels of car number 29* in the Canadian Tire NASCAR Series.
“This is a unique opportunity for the Conservative Party to reach out to Canadians,” said Conservative Party Member of Parliament Jim Flaherty. “The Conservative Party supports Canadians that work hard, pay their taxes and play by the rules and those are the same Canadians that watch sports like NASCAR.”
What next, a picture of Stephen Harper in the corner boards at the Air Canada Center? I'm not sure if there is any precedent to this sort of advertising (please tell me if I'm wrong), but I don't like it. The implication, the Conservatives support NASCAR in Canada, while the other parties don't.
Flaherty's bullshit comment is just that. I'm pretty sure the NDP and Liberals support people that work hard, why does that concept become a partisan affair? Another example of the Conservatives hyper-partisanship, which is tacky and silly all at once.
25 comments:
Well, isn't this just out of the Rove playbook?
I just had a argument, (a good one), with my other half. He's a marketer btw, and lamely defended this move.
My take, spend away, preaching to the converted, but for goodness sake, Canada did watch the last US election. During that we saw the NASCAR issue and, "target".
It beggars the imagination that this is what they have come up with.
My other half calls it branding, I call it branded.
So much for the environment... and this just proves bourque.com was a Tory shill "news site" all along,
All I can do is laugh that this because it is so pathetic. Flaherty was honest about part of his comment anyway, and that is that most of their supporters watch NASCAR, but that's the American big race stuff. You can't find the Canadian one on TV anywhere live. It's a joke.
"What next ...."
How about con. ads in public washrooms, you know ... so they could stay - Close to the Source or, on prison walls in Afghanistan - This Torture generously supported by the Conservative Party of Canada?
Yes, it is branding and let's hope people get the real subtext.
They don't have any original ideas, but the best part, they are adopting the failed tactics of the most unpopular leader in American history.
Political parties shouldn't be allowed to advertise in this way, branding aside.
Sassy, those who they play to, I call them "branded", will be ecstatic, the rest of the country, will gag.
It's a lame move, but, a con, wilson, made a good point on another blog. Where do we want the con's to spend there money? Attack ad's or on this stuff.
At this point, I say, focus on vroom, vroooom!
"Where do we want the con's to spend there money? Attack ad's or on this stuff."
Almost as good as the war room, which is still on the books.
Indeed Steve. That should have been their, not there, my bad. English!
You know what's funny, the cars on that circuit only turn left :) Once again proving, if you veer right in Canada, you are bound to hit a wall.
Steve - that is funny :)
they needed a method to funnel money to bourque after CP caught them red handed buying headlines secretly during the last election and afterwards, and not disclosing it.
I don't know about this kind of stuff as 'a failed tactic of the most unpopular leader in US history'... it helped the boob beat a real war hero, and even today people legitimately say Kerry was an idiot/loser. In fact, had Bush and co. played fair, we'd be seeing a real exit strategy at work, along with some fiscal sanity down south.
It does appear to be preaching to the converted but if they were to do this on every NHL rink in Canada come October, then we've got a problem...
Good. Maybe Harper's lying face is the last thing seven people will see before they meet their maker at a racetrack like what happened this past weekend when a race car went out of control.
"it helped the boob beat a real war hero"
Kerry ran a horrible campaign, I think we give Bush too much credit.
This story was my "morning irritation" in today's G&M. Not only was Flaherty looking ultra-goofy giving a thumbs up, but I'm just so tired of this. "Branding," retail politics, the citizen reduced to consumer of useless products and a spectator at events that encourage useless consumption...it's such a bleak, contemptuous view of governance. And it's already failed, so I don't know why the CPC is clinging to this style of politics. I suppose they still have a bit more room to accuse anyone who doesn't like this of "liberal elitism," but this NASCAR bit is grasping.
Brave New World indeed.
CanWest bought Bourque the vehicle - the totally conservative news chain.
This is inappropriate - soap suds politics.
Bowmanville - right in Flaherty's neck of the woods (Durham Region)- interesting.
Whooee! You don't get converts by preachin' to the choir. NASCAR is big down in Merka with Red State Republicans. Canajuns, not so much. Green Canajuns, not at all.
Unlike the marginally enlightened bunch at the Indy 500, NASCAR has not embraced the concept ot practice of using alternate fuels. That don't matter much since ethanol or E85 ain't really a solution or even a step in the right direction. In fact, 2007 is the first season for NASCAR to adopt unleaded gasoline.
The average NASCAR vehicle gets between 2 and 5 miles per US gallon. The average NASCAR race weekend emits 20-40 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Dozens of these events are being held every weekend 10 months of the year, mostly (but hardly exclusively) in the southern Merkan states.
The CPC is glorifying the waste of precious fossil fuel and endorsing the needless emission of tonnes of GHG's. At the same time, they're adopting the Merkan mentality that NASCAR is a popular "sport" that can be capitalized upon.
Those who really care about Mother Earth, don't go ga-ga over powerful gas-guzzlers racin' around a track for no other reason than sheer spectacle.
Motorized "sport" is anti-Earth.
That goes fer recreational ATV's, dirt bikes, Sunday drives in the family Hummer, speedboat races, lawn mower races and every other non-productive waste of fossil fuel.
The CPC showin' its true colours has opened the door for those really concerned about the environment. Now, the others parties can sponsor a canoe race or a bike race or an Ironman event.
If this don't blow up in Harpoon's face (even without the Bourque connection), then the opposition will have missed a golden opportunity to showcase who cares about green stuff and who gives lip service while they pour cash into GHG bad boys NASCAR.
I'm lookin' fer party endorsements and sponsorship of things like canoe races, sailboat races, solar-powered car races, footraces, bike races, swimmin' races, rowin' races.
Maybe even chicken chariot races. Almost anything'd be better than sponsorin' NASCAR, sez I.
JimBobby
Hehehehe.
I wonder how those Canadians who are not fans of NASCAR are going to react when they find out that their government does not think they work hard?
Putting the Conservative logo on a CASCAR racer is a relatively cheap way of reaching people, many of whom might actually think about voting for them.
But then Mr. Flaherty has to go and make statements that they are appealing to hard working Canadians when explaining the reasons for putting the logo on the car. Oops.
Not only that but the newspapers are stating that the Conservatives are putting their logo on a NASCAR racer. Many Canadians are going to be asking why they are putting their logo on a car in a race that is taking place in the US. Ooops again.
I am liking the Conservatives these days. Even when they do something right they screw it up.
How about sports events for the disabled - something worth while.
Have you ever seen the type of people in the Red States that like NASCAR?
Speaks volumes doesn't it?
God, what are we coming to under Harper's thumb? By the way, Harper and Flaherty always have their thumbs up - I can think of a place they can put them.
By the way - Bourque came in 13th in the Father's Day race - hopefully this is an omen for Harper.
The conservative candidate in the last election did have a sign at the hockey rink in Guelph. I saw it when I was there visiting.
vrooom vrooooom UP go all those greenhouse gases.
What is the PMO thinking? try sponsoring something green
Just what we need another conservative green house gase machine
knb - sorry, I missed your comments about "branded" (twice missed, shame on me) :)
Yes.
a big thanks to all cpc donors for making me laugh my ass off. talk about preaching to the converted; connie voters are definately the type of people who like to watch shiny things going around and around in circles endlessly. add to that the bourque/canwest connection and the fact that you get to watch effete elites like harper and baird pretending to be macho morons and you have: pure comedy GOLD! i only wish harper's clairvoyant makeup maven brings the black leather assless chaps cowboy outfit back to enhance his street cred as a (effete urban elitist dressing up as a) 'ordinary' cowboy.
If the Liberals have some money, maybe we need to advertise in rodeos to gain some exposure in Western Canada.
Helped the Dems win support in the near Southern states such as Virginia.
Again, if the Liberals have the money.
mushroom
LOL. I actually thought about that. Just imagine the Liberal chuckwagon at the Stampede getting pelted with debris as it comes into the home stretch ;)
Post a Comment