The last supplementary legislative election was held two years ago, but a lot of people around Taipei still remember "model student" Lin Yu-hsiang and his apples.

Candidly speaking, Lin did not have a particularly striking image originally. Although he was solid and responsible during his first term in the Legislative Yuan and was voted the legislature's "model student" by congressional reporters, his low-key style did not make a deep impression compared with the other candidates.

But then some friends from the advertising world advised him to fight fire with fire. They had him adopt the campaign slogan of "The Legislative Yuan's Model Student" and made out his "political report card." Lin had, for example, pushed for opening up apple imports, thereby lowering prices; urged the telephone department to refund consumers for returned phone units; cut the budget. . . .When all the savings were added up, they came to NT$21,873 (about US$500) a household. The campaign made voters feel that Lin had been good for them and made them feel good about Lin.

Examples of advertising professionals assisting candidates are even more common overseas. Ronald Reagan's reelection campaign last year featured television commercials showing an affluent, peaceful, and happy society brought about, viewers were reminded, by the incumbent administration. Reagan's ratings in the polls rose considerably after the spots were broadcast.

With U.S. advertising agencies involved in the "selling of the President" since 1952, a number of firms, like California's Whitaker and Baxter, now handle only political accounts. And some candidates turn over their entire campaigns, from allocating expenditures to matching hairstyles with neckties, to public relations firms.

Lin Yu-hsiang's brain trust selected blue and white, symbols of purity and integrity, as his campaign theme colors and put them on everything from the candidate's clothes to campaign flyers. Near the end of the campaign, they even persuaded him to don a Boy Scout uniform and give the three-fingered salute to reinforce his good-boy image and at the same time remind voters to go to the polls on the third of December and vote the third ticket--Lin's. He won big.

Creating an effective image sometimes involves putting a new spin on the already familiar. The Kuomintang's promotion work in the past took a more passive approach. Then in the last election, the KMT's Taipei headquarters hired an agency to develop a new image for the party. What the firm came up with was to adopt party slogans from familiar folk ballads and popular songs in Fukienese dialect. Why? Material rich in local flavor was designed to communicate the party's closeness to the people.

For this year's election, both the Taipei and the provincial headquarters have gone to advertising agencies for help. Coincidentally, both firms have taken the 40th anniversary of Taiwan's retrocession as themes, focusing on the progress the island has made over the last 40 years and pointing to an even brighter future ahead.

An ad man working on the project for city headquarters explains. "The Tenth Credit Cooperative crisis and the Henry Liu case this year showed government shortcomings in some respects, but the party's hard work over the past 40 years and its determination to build a better future are undeniable. So our campaign stresses the determination of the party to take on responsibility."

The firm working for provincial headquarters has designed for its campaign an award-winning series of holiday posters playing on three meanings of the word yuan. One meaning is round, a symbol of perfection, which the party is constantly striving for. A round box of cakes is according pictured on the poster for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Another meaning is fate or predestined affinity, like that which brought people from all over China to this little island and supports them in getting along together. Illustrating this concept are two oranges placed side by side on a round tray shown on the poster for Retrocession Day. The third meaning is source. Since a Chinese proverb has it that "for every bowl of congee, every bowl of rice, you should think how hard it was to come by," the poster for Father's Day shows a bowl of rice.

This kind of "image-making" is a recent development; for other aspects of campaign management a candidate must go outside the ad agencies. As one experienced city councilman put it, "To grab votes you've got to grab campaign workers first."

A top-flight campaign manager must have a lot of friends in the community to call upon and a level head to devise effective strategies. The manager will help the candidate "fix a position" and identify opponents with opposing views to attack. Dealing with candidates with similar stands is more tricky. "Candidates with overlapping support must define 'territory' and guard against incursions," says one seasoned veteran. To collect information about opponents' activities, campaign headquarters often set up intelligence sections and may even try to plant moles in the enemy camp.

Besides intelligence, other sections may include election affairs (to print brochures, rent loudspeaker trucks, and hire stooges to applaud speeches), mobilization (to canvass voters and enlist the support of local big shots), and general affairs (to handle the money, a job generally assigned to the candidate's most trusted advisor--sometimes a spouse).

But some candidates don't have so many helpers and are not so well versed in the science of campaigning. Their campaigns may well be handled by "election companies." Not really a company, the so-called election company is just a group of influential businessmen or respected elders who work together to help a candidate get elected so they can have a voice in the legislature.

Candidates who hire professional specialists to plan campaigns are still in the minority at present, of course. But as the days when local-gentry support, gifts of Accent, or a do-it-yourself campaign was enough to win an election are over, the trend towards the use of systematic campaign strategy seems inevitable.

[Picture Caption]

Posters produced for candidates by advertising agencies must go through numerous discussions before they can be decided upon.

The yuan promotional series is the first step in advertising work on the KMT's image for the provincial party headquarters. (Photo courtesy of Eastern Advertising, Ltd.)

A campaign worker distributing flyers is a common sight on the streets before an election.

Blue and white, symbolizing purity and integrity, were chosen by Lin Yu-hsiang's brain trust as theme colors for his successful campaign two years ago.

Putting out a book is another way for a candidate to sell himself. A flourishing publishing industry is a sign of an impending election.

Promotional items with special gimmicks are the most effective, but designing them is a real headache.

The yuan promotional series is the first step in advertising work on the KMT's image for the provincial party headquarters. （Photo courtesy of Eastern Advertising, Ltd.）

A campaign worker distributing flyers is a common sight on the streets before an election.

Blue and white, symbolizing purity and integrity, were chosen by Lin Yu-hsiang's brain trust as theme colors for his successful campaign two years ago.

Promotional items with special gimmicks are the most effective, but designing them is a real headache.

Putting out a book is another way for a candidate to sell himself. A flourishing publishing industry is a sign of an impending election.