Persuading Beyond Words: Visual Appeals in the 2014 European Election Campaign

This chapter, stating that visual persuasion is an important feature of election campaigning, focuses on visual appeals in posters and spot ads by national parties in the 2014 European elections. It (a) describes to what extent and how different visual appeals were used and (b) examines the impact of political culture in member countries and political parties on visual strategies. The results show a widespread use of visual appeals in both posters and commercials throughout Europe. Party leaders, candidates and common people are often depicted, likewise national and European symbols. Although an Eastern European as well as a Eurosceptic visual style may be discernable, the findings overall point to a common visual campaigning culture in the EU.