Morning Update: China’s trippy propaganda ad; Twitter turns to TV ad; SXSW reinstates Gamergate panel

AdAge: Watch the Monty Python-Influenced Chinese Propaganda Ad That’s Going Viral

In the past, propaganda about the Chinese Communist Party sometimes relied on stock photos of rice paddies, skyscrapers and the Great Wall, paired with a soaring voiceover. Or it used man-on-the street interviews with foreign exchange students to lavish praise on President Xi Jinping (not only “a wise and resolute president,” but also “handsome, yeah, he is super charismatic.”

The new propaganda video that popped up Tuesday is a complete departure. To explain China’s 13th Five-Year Plan, it uses a catchy music video with psychedelic animation reminiscent of Terry Gilliam’s vintage cartoons for Monty Python. One shot includes the president’s face, a pink disco ball and a VW bus. There’s perhaps a touch of the “Dumb Ways to Die” cartoon aesthetic in there, too.