No declarations of war

“FPÖ on posters like a wolf in sheep’s clothing”

(Bild: krone.tv)

Rhetoric and communication expert Jürgen Eisserer analyzes the parties' election posters in the krone.tv talk with Jana Pasching. From "modern cave painting", "the wolf in sheep's clothing" to "classic negative rhetoric", many facets are represented.

The election campaign has taken a break in the last few days, at least on the official side. Duels and tours were canceled due to bad weather. But media appearances were still planned. Political communication in times of crisis is a balancing act. Eisserer: "On the one hand, you have to take a stand and show your presence. As is so often the case, there is such a thing as too much. If you try to stage a crisis, you'll sink yourself."

Politicians have already shown how not to do this in the past. For example, former Federal Chancellor Viktor Klima, who had himself flown by helicopter to a flood area in 1997 à la Tom Cruise to wade through the water in rubber boots. The staging was too obvious.

However, Jürgen Eisserer has not yet seen any faux pas. "You're very down to earth, it looks natural and not staged."

"Seems like a warmed-over idea"
Political communication is also an issue on the election posters. The SPÖ is working with emojis for the slogan "Heart and brain". "Icons are the cave painting of the modern age. They also work a lot with Babler's face, which conveys closeness to the people." However, Eisserer misses a spirit of optimism or distinctiveness. "It seems like a warmed-over idea."

The FPÖ presents itself on its posters like a "wolf in sheep's clothing". The posters are largely white. This suggests purity, transparency and cleanliness. The focus is on a positive mood and no clear declaration of war. "On the other hand, if you have followed the poster presentation, then you also know that the politicians' direct rhetoric is different. In other words, other terms are chosen that clearly do not rely on soft rhetoric."

Watch the full analysis in the video above!