OOC NOTE: All images link to the original first use of these ads on the forum.
Yingdalan political advertising from the Fourth Republic14 June 5434A re-examination of political ads in Fourth Republic (4252-4300) Yingdala, and their evolution over time
By Beppe Grixti
The emergence of political advertising in Fourth Republic era (4252-4300) Yingdala had a significant impact on the advertising industry, both at home and abroad, for centuries. This article serves as a retrospective examination of ads produced by and for the two most prominent forces in Yingdalan politics during this period: the Republican Party and the Lotus Party. It was these parties, primarily, which contributed to the development of a political advertising aesthetic that would become standard in Yingdala moving into the Yu Dynasty (4338-4547), and which would be replicated throughout the world, its impact continuing to be felt today.
The Republican Party
The earliest phase of political advertising from the Republican Party came under the leadership of Xuan Shuren. Under his Xuan, the party's public image was highly combative, and ads focused on attacking the opposition (see the attack ad against Lotus Party leader Huang Zitao, above). Though the party would become less direct in its attack ads under Zhang Zemin, the general advertising strategy of the party was to capitalize on crises, real or perceived, in order to attack their primary competitor, the Lotus Party. A through-line between the advertising of the Xuan and Zhang periods is its appeal to morality, portraying its leadership as reflecting 'Yingdalan ideals' (such as Xuan's "family" ad, above).
"Campaign to end Xuan Shuren’s leadership spearheaded by orphan Deng Jia and former Defence Minister Zhang Zemin," (4285)After leading a government characterized by endemic corruption and disastrous economic policy, Xuan Shuren came under pressure from members of his own party, including then-Defence Minister Zhang Zemin as well as orphan-turned-politician Deng Jia, to resign both as Chancellor and leader of the Republicans. In 4285, the pair would launch a successful internal campaign to
remove Xuan as leader, much of which would focus on personality: the need to remove Xuan (as seen in the "No More Xuan" ad, above left), given the relative "honour" of Zhang Zemin (above right). To the latter end, the campaign was such a success that it dramatically improved Zhang's national profile, allowing him to sideline "lifelong orphan" Deng in the party's subsequent 4287 leadership race. As leader of the Republicans, Zhang would become a formative political figure, elected to an unprecedented three terms as Chancellor. The impact of the Republicans' internal leadership campaigning on political advertising within (and beyond) Yingdala is difficult to overstate, as it would be adopted by figures in the Lotus Party, and others, for generations to come (particularly as related to leadership contests).
Under Zhang's leadership, the Republican Party's advertising sought to promote the image of a party of upstanding moral character (such as through the iconic "By your side" ad released during the Yutu Typhoon, or the filial piety ad, both below) as demonstrated by its leader. The focus of such advertising was to draw attention to issues indicative of "declining public morality," such as in the "we care for your children" and "we stand against prostitutes" ad campaigns (both below), and to position the Republicans as the only viable choice for voters who wish to see such issues resolved. Put differently, as we see in these examples, the Republicans attempted to tap into the public's emotional reaction to a policy issue, in order to translate those emotions into support at the ballot box; given the party's electoral record during this period, it would be difficult to say that such a strategy was not effective.
The Lotus PartyThe first phase of Lotus Party political advertising can be traced to the leadership of party founder Wu Hán, whose earliest campaigns are cited by many as the origin of real, sustained, and professional political advertising in Yingdala. In the beginning, Lotus Party ads under Wu sought to raise the profile of the party through blanketing major cities like Kaizhou in billboards (below, left), or outlining the party's policy priorities in simple, straightforward terms (as in the digital ad outlining the party's healthcare policy, below right). It was also under Wu that the slogan "A Brighter Future!" would become associated with the Lotus Party within the popular political lexicon of Yingdala.
"Lotus Party advertisement in Kaizhou a day after the General Election. Text reads: A Brighter Future!" (4264)Under the leadership of "the Nation's Grandfather," Huang Zitao, design and advertising for the Lotus Party took a place of central importance; one of Huang's first changes upon becoming leader was modernizing the party's logo (see the difference between the logos used in Huang's ad as a leadership candidate, below left, and a later advertisement for Huang as party leader, below right). During this period, and indeed, throughout the history of the Lotus Party, public communications and advertising from the party sought to characterize it less as it actually was and would become — that is, a party of the entrenched bureaucracy, as well as the corporate and aristocratic elite — and more as it had been in its earliest days: a popular, democratic movement of resistance to tyranny and oppression. Huang's appropriation of the "brighter future" slogan is viewed by many as indicative of the party's conscious effort to hark back to the party's activist roots.
Perhaps influenced by his son (YingPop icon and "founding father" Yao) Lotus Party advertisements under Huang would increasingly shift from communicating policies to the public, as under Wu, toward focusing on Huang's personality and likability. Contrasted to the personality-driven ads of the Republican Party, however, Lotus Party messaging would emphasize themes of unity, optimism, progress, and innovation; Huang (and later leaders of the party) were characterized as the figureheads of a broader "movement" centred around equitable economic development, democracy, and human rights. In order to sell the image of the party as one of mass, popular appeal, the Lotus Party under Huang also enlisted the help of A-list celebrities such as Yao, Coco Feng and Tang Chen, among others. Performances and appearances by celebrities would become a major fixture of party conferences and events during and after Huang's leadership, such as during the
4281 campaign launch event, as well as in the later
4328 campaign launch of his succession, Kwan Zhiyong.
Following Huang's death in 4298, Kwan Zhiyong would become leader of the Lotus Party. Under Kwan's leadership, many of the advertising trends set during the earlier periods under Wu Hán and Huang Zitao would continue, albiet becoming more visually refined and cohesive. The green-blue gradient and Lotus-flower pink colour scheme would become ubiquitous across party publications and media (such as in the ads below), particularly after the party began issuing its own news bulletins directly to public, such as
this 4316 publication. In this way, the party's image under Kwan can be seen as a concerted effort to synthesize the policy-focused messaging of Wu Hán with the professional, personally-driven imagery of the Huang Zitao era.
