In 2004, he was in charge of media strategy for the party's successful 2004 European election campaign which saw the party break through from its existing three MEP seats to 12, gaining 16.8% of the national vote and beating the Liberal Democrats into 4th place. By focussing on large set piece events with a central theme, and by carefully deploying high-profile candidates (including Robert Kilroy-Silk) and supporters, he generated significant media interest in the campaign, which represented a break from previous UKIP efforts. Throughout this period, he worked closely with Clive Page (at that time a consultant, and later Deputy Director of Communications), with external advice from PR guru Max Clifford, who had declared his support for UKIP early in the campaign. Page was a former Head of News for ITV Tyne Tees television. Croucher also worked closely with UKIP Head of Strategy Dick Morris, who joined the campaign team in late 2003.