We are not surprised when we hear criticisms of the party's recent television campaign portraying leader Abhisit Vejjajiva in a light-hearted way with the slogan: "People come first."

"Is it an advert for life insurance?" and "If he loves kids so much, wouldn't he better off joining a beauty pageant?" are a couple of the comments that have popped up on community websites since the campaign began.

Abhisit and campaign strategist Korbsak Sabhavasu know that they shouldn't take notice of such comments.

They have the far greater problem of how to put the party back as a visible choice for voters. The 30- and 60-second commercial spots are just part of the party's fast-track communication efforts before they target other media. They hope this "early-bird" approach will relieve the pressure placed on the party by a short time frame and a limited budget.

Unlike the Thai Rak Thai Party, the Democrats don't believe in the power of advertising alone, and they'd rather go for modest claims than overstate their case. The Democrats have learned that lies in adverts can backfire if they do get the chance to set up a government. That explains why Abhisit is featured as an ordinary man with the positive qualities a leaders should possess: he is a family man, friendly with kids, and works hard as an MP. None of what's presented in the advert, aside from the brief information provided on policy, is new to Democrat followers.

Is the Democrat Party sensible in choosing to spend its budget on costly air time just to introduce Abhisit and provide a rough outline of their policy? It may be the only alternative open to them with the party's nationwide survey showing that that majority of people still have a "wrong" perception of Abhisit.

Throughout the five years he has been in power, Thaksin has been able to air his views on his weekly radio programme and has also appeared on the evening news of all free television channels. He even starred in a reality show on UBC, portraying himself as a hero coming to the rescue of villagers. As for Abhisit, he is the man the masses hardly know about, and by those who do he is seen as someone who is only good at parliamentary debates, which don't occur very often. Perhaps Sorrayuth Suthassanajinda stands a better chance to win a popularity contest.

The party's long 60-year history is both an asset and a liability. Abhisit is by no means a fresh face on the scene, since he has been a Democrat MP for the past 14 years. His image is more or less connected to that of the party, the long history of which has created both a loyal following and at the same time scars and wounds. He is neither old nor fresh - yet another marketing nightmare.

When the Thai Rak Thai emerged into Thai politics, it seized the chance to cash in on its freshness - it's new leader, and new policies. Thaksin's "new thinking, new way", suited the public just fine. Brand the statements of the Thai Rak Thai "exaggerations" if you like, but the Thai Rak Thai election campaign struck a chord with the masses. The "wars" on poverty, corruption and drugs were on the people's minds, and despite the Shin Corp deal and the CTX scandal, Thai Rak Thai fans can proudly say that two out of three is not bad.

The Thai Rak Thai's dazzling marketing efforts have enabled Thaksin to claim success in these "wars" every second day. "Parents are glad to have their children back," seems to be one of his favourite lines.

The Thai Rak Thai's populist policies also worsens the marketing dilemma facing the Democrats. Not surprisingly, after briefly unveiling its policy, the party has received negative feedback, with critics saying it is a carbon copy of that of the Thai Rak Thai.

But what is the alternative? If the Democrats didn't emphasise poverty, they would be branded a party for the elite. When the party touches on issues that deal with the wellbeing of people at the grass-roots level, it is accused of following its rival. As the party sends the strong message that "people come first", many associate that slogan with the Thai Rak Thai's "people are the key", without trying to understand either slogan thoroughly.

In the next two months, the Democrat Party faces an uphill battle to put the party back on the market and make people understand the uniqueness of its policy. But as the Thai Rath newspaper optimistically put it, Abhisit is capable of using whatever tactics Thaksin has employed in the past to boost his own image and credibility. Thaksin portrayed himself as a family man and as someone easily accessible to the people; Abhisit can now do likewise.

The paper also says that Thaksin's challenger may have some advantages due to his younger looks and honesty: the latter is a quality that Thaksin can hardly claim to possess.

Democrat campaign strategists do not use exaggerated claims and advertisements to get their point across. In other words, they are trying to be as honest as they can. Yet as Thailand's political history has shown us, the winner is not always the man of integrity. It is more common for a skilful lie, a really big one, to win people's hearts.

Promises like "solving the traffic problem in six months" or "no more poverty in Thailand" can appear quite legitimate if you publicise them often enough. Integrity, however, is not as catchy, and it is more difficult to win votes with it. The Democrats' problem is how to tell the public that integrity is something they should vote for and how the lack of it will ruin the country.

 Veena Thoopkrajae