Dave the Chameleon: fun, but little impact?

In the best tradition of UK election campaigns, Labour has come up with Dave the Chameleon, an amusing campaign that aims to show that Tory leader David Cameron says he’s conservative but changes his colours to suit. When you see it first it looks quite fun, but then if you look behind it you begin to wonder… Firstly the message is complex – are we saying he is a Tory or not a Tory, and will the general public understand it? Secondly, the campaign is pleasant – is that the way to target Cameron who – it cannnot be denied – has a pleasant persona? Third, the chameleon is riding a bike and Labour’s own record on environmental issues is not great!

So while we might smile a bit about it, I doubt this will make much difference overall, as this column from Mark Lawson in The Guardian argues.