We were recently in Taiwan for a conference. Our visit overlapped with the campaign period for local elections. It was interesting to see how politicians campaign.
Posters for candidates were of course common. Campaign vans drove around. Helpers jumped out and stood on street corners with placards. Outside a temple we received a packet of tissues with a candidate’s face on it. Later we saw her advertisement on an ice truck.
Most campaign material focused on some slogan for the candidate. Party affiliation was not obvious. Parties were not written prominently and materials were not color coded by party (as far as this color-blind person can tell).
We saw many ads for female candidates. It was interesting to see how these politicians portrayed themselves. Many of them did not shy away from liberal use of pink. One candidate in Taipei had pink posters of herself wearing pink clothes and a pink bow. Several young women contesting the elections used heart designs.
The best campaign material we received was for a female candidate, Ms. Yan Shengguan (aka, "Taiwan's daughter," in Tainan. Her campaign made a page of stickers for attaching to transportation cards. The stickers depict cartoon versions of the candidate, stylized with different themes. In one she is shown as a warrior, signifying her “courage.” In another, "efficient," she holds bow and arrow. She is also apparently "caring" (is that a princess outfit?) and "innovative" (wizard?).
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