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Agencies share rejected Remain posters post-Brexit

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I've waffled on enough already about the unmitigated disaster that has been the Brexit, and it's unlikely that a better advertising campaign could have saved us from the gallows, but it's still fun sometimes to ask ourselves “What If?” In that spirit, and now that it's been almost a fortnight and the dust has had time to settle, the agencies behind the Remain campaign have decided to share their unsuccessful poster designs. They also quite candidly described the campaign as frustrating, and said they felt it was doomed to fail from the get go!

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Both Saatchi & Saatchi and M&C Saatchi created posters for Remain's “Stronger In” campaign ahead of the referendum, in which the UK voted to leave the European Union. The posters criticise Leave campaigners such as professional irritant and Admiral Ackbar cosplayer Nigel Farage, then head of the UK Independence Party, which came under repeated scrutiny for racist comments and misleading comments and claims during the campaign. Saatchi & Saatchi's design (see the header image) features Farage with a black microphone placed beneath his nose to look like a Hitler-style moustache. Red text reads “Remain, sane.” It's a pretty terrifying ad that brings to mind the equally grim Tony Blair “New Labour New Danger” produced by M&C Saatchi in the 90s.

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Speaking of M&C Saatchi, Charles and Maurice's agency also released a poster ridiculing Farage, along with other key members of the Leave camp: former London mayor Boris Johnson and Conservative party members Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Gove. Photographs of their faces, caught in reliably awkward expressions, appear above the line; “Do you want to be left alone on a small island with these men?” I know I certainly didn't, but then, a few of them have pissed off now anyway. At least for the foreseeable future. M&C Saatchi's other posters focused on the unknown consequences of leaving the EU, as well as the support of the younger generation to remain. One references a YouGov poll that found 73% of 18 to 29 year olds back staying, while another shows an image of a bomb with text placed within the circle of the pin reading “Don't pull out.” This one was perhaps a little on-the-nose, so it was probably a wise move to pull it (pardon the pun).

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Moray MacLennan, the Worldwide CEO of M&C Saatchi, said of the decision to release these now historic designs to the public: “We never normally release work that we produced on behalf of a client but that hasn't run, but this time is different. We are still emotionally engaged, the issue is (and will remain) of vital importance and it might help to air some of these ideas.” MacLennan also explained that the M&C Saatchi approach was always to take a positive stance about remaining in the EU, rather than emphasising risk. Whether or not this was a smart tactic in hindsight is open to debate. MacLannan added: “We said don't try to cower people into submission, encourage them to see the positives. We came up with a strategy based around 'Don't leave it, lead it' but they didn't run with it. At no point did we deal with the senior politicians. Instead, we were dealing with a cross-party committee and it was desperately frustrating. It was a structure doomed to failure.”

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M&C Saatchi were appointed in May 2016 to lead the advertising campaign. Other agencies involved in the project included Adam & Eve/DDB and WPP. On the release of the rejected posters, the agency claimed that the advertising scheme fell short due to a lack of direction from the Remain party. They were also critical of the Remain campaign's lack of focus in comparison to the Leave camp, claiming that the Leave camp had a more consistent approach and a consistent articulation around sovereignty and immigration. This is debatably the more emotional, reactionary approach that might have bagged them a few undecided voters. Regardless, the UK voted 51.9% in favour of a British exit from the EU and 48.9% to remain at the referendum on Thursday 23 June 2016. And we will all probably be living with the consequences for the rest of our lives. Sigh.

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Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK who is now officially done with Brexit pieces. Really. I promise!

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