Political marketing differs through the world. Even though geographically the UK is close to Europe in many respects and their cultures are very different and this is reflected in the difference between UK and other European political advertising campaigns.
In the UK people tend to consistently identify with the leader of a party, whether this is a positive or negative association (often the leader is so known they will often be reduced to a surname like "Cameron", "Thatcher" or "Blair" often being able to help people picture the characteristics of that leader and by extension their party.)
One interesting aspect of European political marketing is that many countries do not have a legal definition for it. In the UK there will often be a clear indicator before the start of a broadcast political advert (For example "This is a political broadcast on behalf of the Conservative party"). The campaigns rules are considered quite strict in Europe. The USA does not have the same restrictions that other countries have on the other side of the Atlantic.
Some countries use predictive dialer, a hosted predictive dialing and political marketing solution for the campaign workers and volunteers to make phone calls. Other countries use robocalls, IVR, text messaging and direct mail. The USA looks ahead of the curve Fundraising is a big reason for this. Recent Canada, Australia, and countries in South America have started to use the American system for political advertising and marketing.
Other countries have a clear definition and this is reflected in the way the advertising is presented (these countries include Cyprus, Lithuania and Sweden). A number of countries (including the UK) also have a ban on paid political advertising. The reason for this is that it is felt that those parties that have the ability to pay for more space would have disproportionate influence.
One of the biggest influences in European politics has often been those who run the media themselves. This is why some countries have specific restrictions to prevent this, including the UK. While in Italy Berlusconi could distribute leaflets glorifying his life message this type of hyperbole would not have considered appropriate in the UK (indeed with the rise of social media any overly hyperbolic statements can be parodied and under very very quickly).
In short some European countries do follow the balance of the UK model and this allows for messages that are not disproportionate and (in theory) allows for a balanced platform.
