Political Ad, Week 4 Post 1

This poster and design is interesting to me because I saw it very much in Stockholm, and only once in Uppsala. This shows me that the city of Stockholm and its people was a better target for the Social Democrats than a smaller city like Uppsala where perhaps people have different views and lean a different way politically. The ad calls for more jobs for teachers and healthcare professionals, which are government funded. This is in full favor of the Welfare State model. It is interesting to use a child in the ad, a sympathy tactic to try to get people to understand that children and education is greatly effected by the amount of welfare available. My impression of Uppsala vs. Stockholm is similar to many typical US towns, more families live outside of the city and more couples without children and young professionals live in Stockholm. The reasoning for the high amount of advertising in Stockholm with this campaign could mean that they were reaching for the vote of city goers, and already had support in Uppsala. This party has won many seats according to the final election results. It shows that the people of Sweden still hold a support for high taxes and want to continue living under this model. I have spoken with a local today at Värmlands Nation who mentioned he wants to go to America for his career. I was taken off guard and asked why he wants to move from a country that takes care of its people, has plenty of jobs, etc. He had a problem with exactly what the poster has a 'thumbs down' to- control of the wallet. It seems to be quite an issue with the high taxes, that Swedes feel a loss of control over their own earnings. With an advertisement such as this one, the people are saying that yes of course it is great to pay taxes, however having crowded classrooms and doctors offices make them frustrated. Overall, I think the political advertising was particularly interesting to take a look at, especially during elections when I could get local opinions. America and Sweden seem to be polar opposites when it comes to tax dollars, and this is a reoccurring theme in the political advertisements I have studied. This is a crucial part of my independent study because the views and strategies of the ads are based on the way the culture functions. When countries have different ideas about where tax dollars should go, persuasion strategies change. Placement, tactics, imagery, and even repetition are all effected.