11 March,2014 06:33 AM IST | | Agencies
David Cameron has been mocked after it was revealed that thousands had been spent on ads to encourage users to ‘like’ the PM’s page
London: Poor old Dave. The prime minister has been paying for friends on Facebook, it has emerged, much to the amusement of his fellow politicians and the general public.
Tory Party chiefs have spent thousands on advertisements on the social media site to encourage users to âlike' the Prime Minister's page.
And the strategy has worked. Just over a month ago, Cameron was almost 20,000 âlikes' behind Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's 80,000 - but now he has 1,27,000.
Facebook would not reveal details of the advertising deal, but marketing experts say the campaign would have cost about £7,500 of party funds.
The bill is based on results, up to an agreed maximum, with Facebook charging about 50p per âlike'.
Labour MP Sheila Gilmore said: âIt looks as if David Cameron is buying popularity. There is no end to his ego, paying for fake Facebook friends.'
And a Lib Dem insider dismissed the strategy as âpretty pathetic'. But the Tories said such campaigns were "above board".
>> According to reports, £7,500 were spent on the project
>> After a month, British PM David Cameron has 1,27,000 likes
>> Opposition slams the strategy as cheap and pathetic
