Indispensable and very much alive: Posters in German election campaigns

Abstract

Although posters are among the oldest campaign media, they have kept their relevance for campaign communication in Germany even in the multimedia environment. Posters are everywhere on the streets when an election is close and cannot be avoided by anyone who moves around in the public space. For parties, it is the best instrument to make themselves known to the public. They use posters to show pictures of their candidates but also for advancing their issues packaged in different ways. However, the production of posters is quite a challenge for campaigners because the messages have to be understood within a very short attention span.