Brown-Cameron image-maker duel

LONDON (Reuters) - In a media age where image is a vital vote winner, leader in-waiting Gordon Brown and Conservative rival David Cameron could not be more different -- but the arch political foes share a common heritage.

Genealogists discovered that Brown, a clergyman's son, and Cameron, a stockbroker's son, both had great-grand parents who worked as Scottish farmers. And they even share the same tailor.

But there the similarities end as the two battle to win over Middle England -- the crucial centre ground of politics where the next election will be won.

Brown, 56, is set to take over from Prime Minister Tony Blair this summer. He would then face Cameron, who is fighting to bring the party of Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher out of the wilderness at the next general election.

Blair's chancellor has earned his spurs for his stewardship of a thriving economy but is seen as an aloof intellectual who lacks the common touch and charm that helped Blair win over the electorate three times.

Cameron, 40, is a child of privilege from Britain's elite but he has been nurturing the image of a man who cycles to work, washes the dishes and knows the needs of ordinary families.

"Politicians and pundits underestimate the importance of image. Image makes up about 60 percent of the determinants for the floating voter and 40 percent is about issues," said MORI pollster Robert Worcester.

"People don't like leaders who talk down to them. I think both Cameron and Brown suffer from that -- one from class and one from intelligence," he told Reuters.

Age and experience against youth and novelty. That is the choice.

SHEDS A TEAR

Both invited journalists into their homes and have spoken movingly about personal adversity: Cameron has a son with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, Brown's daughter died after 10 days and one of his two sons has cystic fibrosis.

Brown recently cast aside years of reserve to reveal a more human side, shedding a tear during a television interview as he talked about the loss of his child.

He has also sought to benefit from his serious reputation by belittling Britain's glib, celebrity culture -- drawing a line between him and former public relations man Cameron.

"It is a remarkable culture where people appear on television and are famous simply for the act of appearing on television," he said in an interview in April.

Cameron, 40, is admired as an effective communicator but waverers still await solid policy initiatives before the next election, expected in 2009.

An urbane and self-confident product of Britain's most exclusive private school Eton, Cameron insists "character is far more important than policy".

"I am distrustful of the grand plan. It's not me," says Cameron in a far cry from the conviction politics of Thatcher who changed Britain and kept Blair's Labour party out of power for 18 years.

JURY OUT

So who is winning the branding war?

For Max Clifford, Britain's leading public relations guru, the jury is still out.

"Most of the Conservatives I know see Cameron as someone who is inventing himself as he goes along. With Thatcher you knew what you were getting," he told Reuters.

"Gordon Brown is certainly not someone you warm to from a personality point of view. But in most people's eyes he has been a success."

Yet despite his track record, Brown has failed to score in the polls. Under Blair, Labour is languishing behind the opposition but is marked even lower with Brown in charge.

Simon Myers of the Figtree branding agency, whose clients range from auctioneers Sothebys to mobile phone giant Orange, believes Cameron is making the right noises but needs to deliver a tighter message as the next election nears.

As for Brown: "Don't do stuff out of character. I cringed when I heard he was listening to the Arctic Monkeys on his Ipod.

"The trouble is he has had 10 years of success. It is very hard for a brand consultant to advise someone who thinks they are tremendously successful. They don't want to listen."