With all the campaign advertising for the upcoming presidential campaign, I've been thinking about making a post about campaign advertisements of the various candidates for months. With the polls opening in less than 24 hours, I suppose it's now or never in terms of writing this.
The big "SHE"
In this post I'd like to not talk about politics, but show those of you outside Ukraine some of the campaign images that have been appearing non-stop over the past few months. As Clifford Levy said this week in the NYT, "Just her name - Yulia! - has become shorthand for her stardom." But it is not even just "Yulia" but also the pronoun "SHE" that is a symbol of this stardom. From my arrival in Kyiv, I've been captivated by her simple, streamlined and eye-catching campaign ads, which refer to her only as "SHE." Apparently among her many politicial advisors are AKPD Consulting, who also worked on the simple, streamlined and eye-catching Obama campaign. She! Change! America! Ukraine!
Why am I not writing about Yanukovich's campaign? Well, for one, I did a bit yesterday. And secondly, it was boring. "Ukraine for the people." Yawn.
The Timoshenko billboard campaign had a logical progression of simple statements, starting out with small couplets "They talk, she works." Everyone knew who "she" was, and no one confused it with other female candidates in the first round field of 18. Then it became "She works. She is Ukraine!" (Pushkin Street, Kyiv) You'll excuse me for any Ukrainian mistranslations, please, as I don't study or speak it!
Not surprisingly, this campaign - which looked amazingly fresh and innovative compared to the tired strategies of the other candidates - soon became a butt of many jokes.
Below see:
- an ad in Russian for window installation, with the words "She Works" in Ukrainian at the top (near my house in Simferopol)
- An add for a computer store saying "They Work" (Pushkin Street, Simferopol)
- A collection of information about Yanukovich and election day, along with a characature of Timoshenko as a gymnast and the caption in Russian: "What doesn't she do? She's working!" (Balaclava)
My favorite joke about her campaign wasn't an advertisement but a mystery billboard that appeared in Kyiv:
I never saw this myself so I stole this picture from another website. It says "They're crap, she's all that." (It sounds funny in Ukrainian: Voni kaka, vona tsya tsya)
As the first round got closer, she laid it on a little thicker.
"She is victorious. She is Ukraine." (Near my apartment, Simferopol) That cute little red and black design is a traditional Ukrainian pattern.
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What could be next? "Ukraine is victorious!" Here Timoshenko appears on these ads for the first time, with her traditional peasant braid and an armful of wheat. Two shots from the Kyiv metro:
Ready for something really dramatic? "Ukraine is victorious. Ukraine is you!" (Near European Square, Kyiv)
And a shot of one of the ubiquitous candidate tents, this one for Yulia. Troieshna, Kyiv.
Unfortunately I haven't got a shot of her most recent ads. For a round-up of TV spots, check this out.
Election day
By Monday morning, at least in theory, Ukraine's people will have chosen a new president. There are fears that Timoshenko won't accept loss, accusing Yanukovich of fraud and demanding judicial action, or that either candidate could call supporters to the streets following the results.
I certainly hope for the best for the elections, as the people of Ukraine deserve a fair and calm resolution to these tumultuous months of promises, scandals and advertisement overload. I prefer to take the optimistic view. For all of the shortcomings of Ukraine's political system, it is important to remember that this young country has come a long way. As a resident of Crimea was quoted as saying in a recent BBC article:
"We don't know who our president will be after the election...and that's how we're different from Russia...This is a real democratic step."
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