Political Campaign in Southeast Asia: Visual Strategies, Public Perception, and Electoral Impact

Ferry Darmawan, Sophia Novita

Abstract


Despite the rise of digital political communication, campaign posters remain a key visual tool for visibility and symbolic representation in Southeast Asian elections, though their direct impact on voter behavior and final electoral outcomes remains debatable. Most existing studies, rooted in Western contexts, presume a strong link between campaign visuals and voter decisions, neglecting socio-political and cultural complexities in non-Western settings. This study explores visual communication strategies in political campaign posters from Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, focusing on their representational, interactive, and compositional dimensions. Using a qualitative approach grounded in social semiotics, 75 posters from recent elections were analysed through stratified purposive sampling to ensure diversity in party affiliation, themes, and visual styles. Data were drawn from official sources, public displays, and archival records, supplemented by expert interviews and comparative analysis. The results reveal a shared reliance on national symbols, colour-coded branding, and leader-centric narratives. Thai posters employ monarchical symbolism to assert legitimacy; Malaysian visuals emphasise political continuity and ethnic inclusivity; Indonesian posters combine national and local cultural elements to strengthen voter connection. Populist messaging promising economic and social progress is widespread but contributes to urban visual congestion, which may reduce message clarity. The study also finds that Malaysia tends to favour party-driven communication, whereas Thailand and Indonesia place greater emphasise individual candidates. Despite their prevalence, campaign posters appear to have limited persuasive power. This research contributes to political communication scholarship by contextualising campaign poster strategies within Southeast Asian electoral landscapes and offering perspectives that move beyond dominant Western centred frameworks.

 

Keywords: Visual communication, campaign posters, social semiotics, Southeast Asian politics, political branding.

 

https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2026-4202-19


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