Strongest force to the goal
A municipal council in the state capital of Stuttgart dominated by the Greens and left-wing groups has been the starting point for the CDU Stuttgart’s local election campaign for more than 15 years. On 9 June 2024, citizens were called upon to elect 60 members of the municipal council for their city. The CDU Stuttgart focussed strongly on differentiating itself from its political opponents and used crisp, catchy messages to address existing problems which, in the view of the Christian Democrats, were caused by the ideology-driven policies of the council majority. The CDU Stuttgart confidently entered the competition with the claim ‘The best for Stuttgart’.
The text posters put up in the first wave were partly tongue-in-cheek (‘The worst building site in Stuttgart – the Green-Left municipal council’) and partly pointed and confrontational (‘Integration has limits – control and organise immigration’). The offensive positioning generated a nationwide media response in daily newspapers, but above all also generated coverage in the digital space.
What
We Achieved
The CDU Stuttgart is the biggest winner of the election, with an increase of 4% and three additional seats, the CDU is now once again the strongest force in the municipal council. This result can also be seen as above-average in view of the European elections in 2024, which are being held at the same time.
The ‘Rössle’ as a graphic leitmotif
The striking and memorable graphic element running through the entire campaign was the heraldic animal of the state capital, a stylised turquoise horse. This was used on all print products, but was also integrated into the social media campaign in the form of a large-scale sculpture.
As an agency, we were able to accompany the entire process from strategy development to the production of the advertising material. A clear, emotional visual language with a strong recognition and identification value paired with a clear call for mobilisation ensured success in the end.
