Creative campaigns give DPP, TPP an edge in Taiwan polls

Catchy slogan, popular video help ruling party's Lai finish first in tight three-way race

- Ho Ai Li

TAIPEI - I was waiting at a pedestrian crossing near Lin-yi Street, where my hotel in Taipei is, when I saw a poster asking pedestrians not to jaywalk and "to walk on the correct path".

After a week of reporting on the recent Taiwan election, what came to my mind immediately was the slogan that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had used at its rallies: "Choose the right person, walk the right path".

The catchy slogan dovetailed with the DPP's popular On The Way campaign video, in which Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen passes the car keys to the party's presidential candidate Lai Ching-te and talks about driving along the right path.

The video and slogan were part of the DPP's well-oiled election publicity campaign, which helped Mr Lai finish in first place in a tight three-way presidential race.

Mr Lai garnered 40.1 per cent of the vote, beating Mr Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang (KMT) - who scored 33.5 per cent - by a larger margin than suggested by most final opinion polls.

Former Taipei City mayor Ko Wen-je of the smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP) did relatively well, too, despite lacking the resources of the DPP and KMT.

Dr Ko collected 26.5 per cent of the vote, largely on the back of young voters who found his straight-talking ways refreshing.

Like the DPP, the TPP ran an effective campaign, with Dr Ko's YouTube channel exceeding one million subscribers in the final week of campaigning.

"The best option (xuan ze), Ko Wen-je," was its catchy, rhyming Mandarin slogan.

The green seedling hair accessories that topped many youthful heads in Taiwan this election season were also a smart form of visual branding. Young supporters of Dr Ko have been dubbed "little grass", with the green shoots representing a new force that has shaken up Taiwan's political scene.

In contrast, the KMT, Taiwan's former long-time ruling party, came across as lacklustre in its campaign strategy.