No doubt you were all gripped by the election fever? Even though overall there was only a 51% turn out, and wariness and distrust towards politicians continues to grow, it does feel like there is a bit of a clean slate, whatever your political persuasion.
I remember cycling around the country a few years back during the Brexit Referendum thinking, “that’s a shedload of ‘LEAVE’ posters everywhere” - and realising, actually this could be very close. Sometimes it’s easy to get cocooned in a cosy London bubble. On my recent bike travels prior to the election, it felt like the Lib Dems (yes, remember them) are winning the placard battle - perhaps that’s because they look like danger signs 🤔. And given a very creditable increase from 8 seats last time around to 72 this time, it appears so. I'd argue these were markedly more effective than Ed Davey acting like a buffoon and “accidentally” falling off his paddleboard? 🛶
Did anyone feel sorry for Rishi Sunak during his damp election announcement 🌧? 'Things can only get wetter' the Guardian announced! I was intrigued by the story of Steve Bray and his longstanding protest outside parliament - providing the backing tracks to many a political TV interview. I must admit, I was never really a fan of D:Ream the first time around (no.1 in 1994) - although I think most people would vote for Brain Cox over the current crop. But this emphasises the power of music to soundtrack a moment in time 🎸
It feels like Labour didn’t really have to do too much to win this one, keeping things safe and steady? Perhaps that's what people want right now. Having looked over their brand guidelines - it certainly seems that way - 'Let’s Get Britain’s Future Back' emblazoned across a Union Jack 🇬🇧 is hardly groundbreaking. Nor is simply "Change".
It does make you yearn somewhat for the parties to be bolder and more distinctive in their approach - to identify a real emotive issue and go after it with passion and creative iconicity. In fact, the most iconic and impactful piece of work during the election was an AI-generated poster meme created by Benjamin Golik of Uncommon, which focussed on Rishi Sunak's error of judgement in leaving the D-Day commemorations early.
But posters really capture political advertising in its purest form. They have an authority. And if you look at the most effective ones from the last 100 years or more, the combination of striking image (it does not even need to be of the highest visual quality), emotive issue and a headline of no more that 5-6 words is what people remember. And nowadays, if they're 'meme-able', even better.
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