Viennese election campaign: Parties with colorful gifts fight for votes!

Viennese election campaign: Parties with colorful gifts fight for votes!

Wien, Österreich - in Vienna is the election campaign in full, and the parties are doing everything they can to win over voters. The streets of the city are firmly under control of colorful actions, in which different parties distribute gifts that are carefully tailored to their party colors. These giveaways comprise a variety of articles, including folders, postcards, trees, lighters, balloons and beer lids. The gifts are often printed with specific slogans. The green wheel seat covers distribute with the slogan "The planet is our value", while the FPÖ offers wooden spoons with the motto "We stir around". The SPÖ has also come up with something and gives honey glasses with the inscription "We rave about Vienna".

The ÖVP relies on sweet dog food in bags under the slogan "For loyal companions", the Neos distribute fruit gums with "Honestly. You are cute" and the KPÖ surprises with gifts that are under the motto "honestly different". Heinz-Christian Strache from Team HC initiates the distribution of greeting cards that the message "Mature! Better! Strache!" carry. In addition, the first waves of posters and online advertising measures have already started. The SPÖ puts Mayor Michael Ludwig at the center of her campaign with the slogan "It's about Vienna". The ÖVP, on the other hand, calls with "Whoever really loves Vienna, selects ÖVP" for voting.

campaign costs and advertising expenditure

Overall, according to reports from Kleine Zeitung , a cost limit for the election advertising from 6 million to 5 million euros. This new regulation is part of a transparency package that obliges the parties to list their expenses in reports in detail. For the upcoming elections, the SPÖ are planning expenses of 5 million euros, while both the ÖVP and the Greens to plan 3.5 million euros each. The NEOS reserved a budget of 3 million euros, while the FPÖ did not provide any information about its planned funds.

Compared to the 2017 advertising editions, in which the parliamentary parties spend around 10 million euros, the current efforts by the set limits and expectations of . Even then, the last two weeks before the election were the most intensive in terms of expenses in advertising measures. One expects that up to 50 percent of the total advertising volume are invested during this time.

Current campaigns are no longer limited to posters and print advertising. Tagesspiegel reports that parties are increasingly relying on digital advertising in order to address targeted voter groups. Microtargeting makes it possible to switch individually tailored advertisements on social media. This strategy opens up new opportunities to address specific target groups, but also carries risks because different election promises can be addressed to different voters.

The European Digital Services Act, which comes into force in early 2024, will oblige companies such as Meta and Alphabet to make advertising data transparent. Until then, the intensity of online advertising will continue to increase. Parties use this new form of speech to specifically advertise topics such as inflation, security and migration. Some parties not only penetrate classic voters, but also try to achieve younger voters via platforms such as Instagram and Tiktok.