Semiotic analysis of the 2023 Presidential Runoff Election political commercials

Political advertisements, which are one of the important tools of political communication, facilitate political figures and entities in defining their identities, shaping their images, expressing their political narratives, and conveying their political discourses to their target audiences. The purpose of political advertisements is to help political figures or entities maintain their existing base, and to change the election preferences of opponents, undecided voters, and indifferent groups in favour of the candidate or party. By enabling political figures to communicate their views to the electorate, thus allowing them to make informed choices, political advertisements also promote political participation. The subject of this thesis is the political advertisement films prepared for presidential candidates Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu during the campaign period for the second round of the 2023 Presidential Election. A purposive sampling method was used in the research, and political advertisement films calling voters to cast their votes were selected. Semiotic analysis, an effective method for revealing the meanings and codes conveyed by symbols and signs, was employed. In this study, the explicit and implicit meanings of the visual and linguistic signs used in the political advertisement films of the presidential candidates were uncovered, and the presentation styles of the messages conveyed to the target audience were analysed using semiotic methods. The advertisement film for Erdoğan was created using a positive political advertising strategy. Highlighting Erdoğan's discourse on policy and service, the advertisement presents Erdoğan's claim of being a world leader, Türkiye's developmental strides, and international policy successes in a manner that evokes feelings of enthusiasm and pride among the electorate. The advertisement film, which emphasizes that even a single vote is important, calls voters to go to the polls. On the other hand, Kılıçdaroğlu's advertisement film was prepared within the framework of a negative political advertising strategy. Presenting the claim that Türkiye is under an invasion of refugees in a way that triggers feelings of fear and anxiety among the electorate, the advertisement argues that the country will face security issues if Erdoğan is re-elected as President. Aimed at garnering the support of those dissatisfied with Erdoğan's refugee policy, including the supporters of Sinan Oğan, who was eliminated in the first round of the Presidential election, and voters from the MHP, a member of the Cumhur Alliance, the advertisement film invites the electorate to the polls for the sake of the country's future.