3rd May 2006

Ahead of the local elections the Labour Party felt it necessary to call upon Ken Livingstone for his support. Love him or hate him you can't ignore him - BBC News asked >large is Ken Livingstone a successful brand?

Brand experts Large Design agree that, he might not be popular with everyone, but the mayor has a strong brand - bolstered by his outspokenness. 

Its managing director, Jim Boulton, told the BBC News website: "One of the things you have to do with a brand is to get it noticed, and Ken Livingstone certainly does that.
First and foremost you have to raise awareness, you have got to get on people's radar. Once you have got their attention, you can involve them in conversation. Ken is great at grabbing peoples attention, but depending on the subject he possibly is not going to be the best man to carry on the dialogue after that."