FF joins big spenders with advert campaign

FIANNA FÁIL was last night accused of making a mockery of election spending rules after it was revealed the party bought billboard space worth almost 750,000 in the six months prior to the general election.

Figures compiled by leading marketing company Poster Management Limited show the party bought more billboard advertising space than multi-million euro global corporations such as O2 and Budweiser.

Last night, Labour leadership contender Brendan Howlin, who as environment minister introduced the 1997 Electoral Spending Act, said the provision that spending be counted on from the date of calling the election must be reviewed.

"Their actions totally undermine the spirit of the legislation aimed at ensuring fairness," Mr Howlin said. In effect, the rule on starting spending rules from the date an election is called meant that much of Fianna Fáil's poster spending is exempt. Only costs on posters still in use over the campaign period from April 25 to May 17 need be declared.

PML visited every single billboard site in the country and estimated Fianna Fáil's spend at 750,000. But the calculation is based on the rate card issued by the billboard advertising companies and does not take into account discounts for bulk buying and advance booking.

One marketing source said: "We do not know what level of influence Fianna Fáil had when it came to a discount, but it was a big campaign." The PML figures also indicate that Fianna Fáil's advertising budget in the first six months of the year exceeded what the Government's Health Promotion Unit spent on marketing. Much of the Fianna Fáil money was spent on the "A lot done, more to do" election campaign. Fine Gael also spent heavily on billboards this year, forking out 300,000, including the general election. Labour decided it could not afford such spending on posters.

A Fianna Fáil spokesperson said the figure of 743,495 seemed "very inflated", suggesting the party may have secured decent discounts for bulk buying.

"Fianna Fáil election spending will be set out through the Public Office Commission at the appropriate time," the Fianna Fáil official said.

The Standards in Public Office Commission, set up to police election spending rules, says parties' assessments have been delayed due to a legal challenge to the rules before the Supreme Court.

Fianna Fáil, as a product, was the sixth most marketed brand on the billboards in the first half of the year, the figures revealed.

Only the brands Guinness, Vodafone, Bulmers, Heineken and 7-UP had more spent on them during the same period.