In today's world, where image is everything, politicians play the selling game just like everyone from Lady Gaga to Donald Trump and Charlie Sheen.
The clothes, the baby-kissing, the photo ops at town hall meetings: All these things that voters see on the campaign trail will impact how the chips fall on May 2 for the party leaders.
"What people see influences what they hear," said Bernard Gauthier, the CEO of the Ottawa-based public relations firm, Delta Media.
That doesn't mean that political issues aren't important, Gauthier added. But when a campaign becomes more about the party leaders, then image will be the driving force.
"Right now I'd say the campaign is going well for all of the candidates in terms of their image," said Gauthier.
"They're playing it safe. They're friendly and approachable. They're not always in suits and that's good," he told CTV.ca.
Yet even seasoned politicians – yes, even Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- can still stumble before the crowds and the cameras.
"There have been a few instances at the start of this campaign when Harper has appeared frustrated with reporters. That doesn't serve him well," said Gauthier.
"His body tenses. He looks visibly annoyed and his voice becomes terse. Harper does do much better interacting with smaller groups. But every move that shows him off balance stays with viewers. That could cost him in the end."
Harper's stiff, unstylish appearance also needs work, according to Leah Morrigan, owner of Leah Morrigan Image Consulting for Men in Toronto.
"In 2008's federal election, people wouldn't stop talking about that ugly sweater vest that Harper wore when he was campaigning. He hasn't pulled out anything that bad – yet. But he clearly is the worst dresser of all the candidates," Morrigan told CTV.ca.
"When you look at someone like a (Bloc Quebecois Leader) Gilles Duceppe, he wears great suits. He wears a lot of blue, which makes his eyes pop and makes him more visually appealing. Next to that, Harper looks like a Ken doll with his hair molded onto his head. That is to his detriment," said Morrigan.
The right image always comes down to a collection of things, including appearance, behaviour, believability and communication skills. But even minor adjustments to a candidate's wardrobe can help them connect with the people more successfully.
For example, when Harper was in Regina he was photographed changing oil in a machine with a suit jacket on.
"It was just weird," said Morrigan. "He's standing there next to this working guy in a garage. The suit jacket just didn't match up to the occasion."
Ignatieff, too, has also been guilty of some image faux pas.
When the Liberal leader spoke to students at Toronto-area Sheridan College in the early days of the campaign, he wore grey slacks.
"He would have been smarter to wear jeans," said Morrigan. "Just a little change like that would have taken down a wall and made him seem more approachable."
From the size of Green Party Leader Elizabeth May's sleeve cuffs ("They can look clownish when they're too big," said Morgan) to NDP Leader Jack Layton's black trench coat ("Which sucks the colour from his face and makes him look tired, she added), every candidate needs to polish their image at all times.
That overbearing concern may annoy some voters, especially those that believe that policy, not primping for the cameras, should be the ultimate measuring stick in any election. But the power of image in a YouTube election era cannot be ignored.
"Today's elections are played out in a very different battleground," said Alan Middleton, a professor of marketing at York University Schulich School of Business in Toronto.
"Over the years, policy used to figure dominantly in our national elections. Now it's all about the leader," Middleton explained.
"Right from the start the Conservatives painted Ignatieff as an academic who doesn't get the average Canadian. They tried to convince Canadians that a vote for Ignatieff would send our fragile economy into a tailspin. But that negativity they've tried to create may have done Ignatieff a favour," he said.
By all accounts, Ignatieff has performed much better than people expected on the campaign trail.
"When we see Ignatieff on the campaign trail he actually looks like he's having fun," said Morrigan. "And when we see him doing things like eating a bagel out of a bag, as he did in Montreal, that sends just the right message to Canadians: I'm just like you."
Layton may have earned Canadians' admiration for hitting the campaign trail so shortly after an illness. That said, "Layton's been talking about caps on credit card rates for years. People pay attention to what is new. Layton needs to be more innovative," said Gauthier.
Finally, when it comes to mastering the art of image, Gauthier offered these wise words to May.
"An image is created so people can see it. If I were May I'd find more ways to get out there and become visible to Canadian voters."
