The Politics of PR – Tips from experts at the BBC, Guido Fawkes & WSJ.com

Political campaigns are heating up in the UK as the country readies for the general election in May. But in addition to TV debates, posters and billboards that parties’ use to take pot shots at each other, this year social media is expected to play a crucial role in fuelling ‘attack ads,’ a tactic that has been a familiar exponent of American politics.

In what is touted as the UK’s first hashtag election, political parties are leaving nothing to chance in wooing the potential audience of millions on social media with paid-for political adverts and campaign videos that are now a distinguishable part of their messaging.

The Conservative and Labour parties are already at loggerheads with damning YouTube videos that have managed to attract thousands of views and a fair share of scepticism about the negative nature of the messages. Other parties are using YouTube to target voters with sponsored video content. The platform serves as a hotbed for political campaigns as it circumvents the TV ban on political ads and is beyond the purview of broadcast regulators Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority.

Parties are also stepping up their game on other social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to take on opponents.

As the election battle shifts online, political pundits predict the likelihood of an increase in so-called Twitter storms and controversies created and fuelled by social media.

For brands this poses both opportunities and challenges in the manner in which they get involved in responding to and shaping the election narrative. Like other trending topics online that marketers have learnt to engage with in creative and innovative ways, the general election needs to be countered with caution and critical rationale, but even more so.

Speaking to the leaders in the fields of politics, social media and digital – Paul Staines, author of Guido Fawkes, the country’s number one political blog, Mark Frankel, assistant editor of the BBC’s social news channels and John Crowley, digital editor of WSJ.com,  this white paper lists the dos and don’ts on election coverage every PR in the UK needs to keep in mind.

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