POSTER PERFECT
The EFF hits a home run: a relaxed, smiling Julius Malema looks “energetic” and “vibrant” — “not [like] a fat cat”. DA leader Mmusi Maimane, in contrast, “has to look serious”. Meanwhile, Cyril Ramaphosa is “the only thing the ANC has to offer”.
With about two weeks to go before South Africans turn out for the country’s sixth democratic elections, political parties have, quite literally, taken their messages to the streets. Grinning politicians beam down from lamp poles and traffic lights — with the exception of the solemn Maimane, that is. But it’s not just pageantry: pundits agree that good election posters are an important part of any party’s campaign.
“[The election poster] plays two roles,” says Gareth van Onselen, head of policy research at the SA Institute of Race Relations (IRR). “The first is qualitative — in terms of the message the posters carry. The second is quantitative — in terms of the number and sense of ‘presence’ they create for a party’s particular brand … They supplement the party’s broader message and create the sense, in their numbers, that the party is a big and powerful force.”
Spin doctor Chris Vick agrees on the matter of presence. And, he says, if your opponent has such a presence, you need to do the same, lest you be rendered invisible.
What this means is that, contrary to popular belief, when it comes to media, the battle for votes is not being fought on Twitter.
A recent IRR study found that the impact of what politicians say and do on social media is sometimes exaggerated. Only 9% of all registered voters are on Twitter. A much larger sample are on Facebook (36%) and Whatsapp (47%). Yet, judging by media reports, the latter two barely feature when it comes to headlinegrabbing news.
“While social media is gaining traction in SA, it is not yet a trusted platform,” says political analyst Ralph Mathekga. “Social media does not always truly reflect the breadth of the wider thinking in SA. It is the middle class [that] dominates social media, and the middle class is a tiny fraction [of the population] in SA. For example, a party can be popular on social media, but not truly popular across the wider population.”
Hence the importance of the humble election poster. But posters also outperform Twitter on
another measure: longevity. Think of the iconic “Hope” poster from Barack Obama’s first US presidential campaign, for example. Created by contemporary street artist Shepard Fairey, the image became a rallying cry for those who felt the world’s superpower needed a new direction. It remains one of the most recognisable works of political messaging.
But not all election posters are created equal. On this count, the experts agree that the EFF has done a particularly good job, with posters proclaiming Malema the “son of the soil”.
“The Malema poster builds on the general messaging of the EFF, which is one of the most direct of this election: ‘Land and jobs now’,” says Vick. “That’s why it’s smart to position the leader of the party as a ‘son of the soil’ — it reinforces the basic grassroots demands of the party, and will consolidate [Malema’s] support base, and possibly even grow it.”
Mathekga, too, talks of how the party has tapped into popular sentiment with a “very captivating” message that positions Malema as “one of the people”.
He says: “[Malema] seems to have had a personal makeover, losing weight and not coming across as a fat cat. He looks more energetic and he looks vibrant, as opposed to [a] relatively older ANC president.
“I found the poster worth looking at, even if I find some of the proposals of the EFF outright populist and sometimes outlandish.”
Van Onselen also picks out the appeal of the EFF’S efforts. “Their message posters are the most visually striking: the writing the biggest (so you can read it from a distance, when driving) and the message clear, simple and focused.”
But while Malema — along with Ramaphosa, COPE’S Mosiuoa Lekota and the IFP’S Mangosuthu Buthelezi — has his best grin on show, the DA’S Maimane looks stern. Not in a menacing way, like former leader Tony Leon, who featured on posters with his arms crossed, urging voters to “fight back”. Nor the friendly female trio of Helen Zille, Patricia de Lille and Lindiwe Mazibuko back in more harmonious days. But pundits say Maimane