Some candidates ran low profile campaigns, hoping their manifesto and ideas would speak for themselves, while others relied on gimmicks and a huge presence to get them noticed.

Campaigners were using every means at their disposal, ranging from extreme postering of the Union, shout-out’s in lectures and repetitive slogans, to eye-catching events and give-aways on the concourse. Steve O’Reilly had one of the largest campaign teams, who were constantly heard shouting, "Oh really? O’Reilly!" Steve’s opposition Lenny Brown and his team were another big presence on the concourse, standing out with their hot pink outfits and aggressive techniques. George Bergel, running for VP Media and Comms, managed to attract a large crowd with his pole-dancing girls; the pole was also enjoyed by other candidates, who participated in a dance-off towards the end of the week. The tune to ‘Footloose’ could be heard around the Union, as Welfare and Societies candidate Nick Thorne urged you to vote through his reworking of the song. Sophie Paterson, also running for Welfare and Societies, tried to prove her dedication to the Union by spending the night sleeping on the concourse with some of her campaigners. The only category that was refreshingly free of crazy campaign gimmicks was the race for VP Education and Representation.

The whole campaign period was strictly policed by Returning Officers Alex Tanfield and Adam Parker, who used a new online method of complaints to create transparency, and make the whole system fairer. There were however, a few who took their campaigning to unfair levels, and had to be punished.

This year rules on internet campaigning were relaxed, and for the first time ever candidates were allowed the use of the internet, including Facebook groups, profile pictures and statuses. The main complaint against campaigners this year did involve Facebook however, and the use of mass messaging. Sending out emails and messages from society mailing lists and groups gives some candidates an unfair advantage, although was mainly the fault of over-eager campaigners who did not realise the rules. Another big problem this year was candidates affiliating themselves with popular bars such as Sobar and Jesters. Allowing posters and bar staff to promote candidates outside of the Union is technically corporate sponsorship, and against the rules.Other problems included not budgeting correctly for publicity used, and staging events and publicity that had been rejected for health and safety reasons by the Returning Officers.

Most complaints simply resulted in a warning, allowing for mistakes to be made and learned from. The harshest punishment exacted was the confiscation of t-shirts, in order to cancel out some of the advantage they may have gained. There were not that many serious complaints made about candidates though, many being simply petty arguments or rumours. Alex Tanfield, current Students’ Union President and Returning Officer, said, "This year campaign week went amazingly well, and created a brilliant vibe on campus for all involved."