BOLD Analyzes Iconic Political Advertisements From Past Elections In Honor Of Upcoming Presidential Election
In light of the 2020 Presidential Elections happening on November 3rd, BOLD held a meeting on Tuesday, October 27th to discuss the tactics used in some of the most influential political advertisements in US history. The commercials featured included Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Daisy Girl” (1964), Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “Ike for President” (1952), John F. Kennedy’s “Kennedy For Me” (1960), Hubert H. Humphrey’s “Laughter” (1968), Richard Nixon’s “McGovern Defense” (1972), Ronald Reagan’s “Morning In America” (1984), Bill Clinton’s “Man For Hope” (1992), George W. Bush’s “Windsurfing” (2004), Barack Obama’s “Yes We Can” (2008), Joe Biden’s “You’ll Never See Me Again” (2020) and Donald Trump’s “Great American Comeback” (2020).
The BOLD team started the meeting by explaining the most common persuasive techniques used in political advertising. These techniques include association, confusion, contrast, omission, repetition, and transformation. When speaking about repetition Daniela Gil said “We can all think of a “sticky” phrase that has gained traction in this election. There is always a slogan or something that reminds us of a campaign, this is a persuasive technique because it increases impact and aids in memorability,”. BOLD members were able to recognize and pinpoint these persuasive techniques in the various political advertisements shown throughout the meeting.
One of the most memorable political advertisements shown in the meeting is Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Daisy Girl” from the 1964 election. This commercial was only aired once on public television and yet it still managed to make an impact on millions of Americans during the Cold War. In response to the jarring advertisement, Patricia Menendez, a BOLD Account Executive, said “ I think it is insane how this ad is decades old and it is still seen as an example of how to use emotional appeal in advertisements. This ad used people’s fear to generate voter turnout and support for Lyndon.”.
The use of music in political ads as a persuasive technique was another tactic BOLD members recognized. “Using music is such a good tactic because everyone loves music and it is so catchy. Lyrics and music are also much easier to remember,” said BOLD President, Carlos Ortiz.
Another technique members were able to pinpoint was the strong emphasis on American family values. In Ronald Raegan’s “Morning In America” ad for the 1984 election, the notion of maintaining traditional family values was strongly emphasized. When talking about the effectiveness of appealing to voter’s values, Alejandra Chahine, Director of Public Relations said “Ronald Raegan won this election with 98% of the electoral votes, which goes to show how effective this campaign was during that time when people were so adamant about maintaining these American values,”.
Carlos Ortiz concluded the meeting by leading a discussion about the differences between political advertisements in the past versus now. Most BOLD members agreed with the notion that recent elections rely heavily on the use of attack ads against political candidates. As part of the gen z and millennial generations, they felt that these types of advertisements do not appeal to them or affect them the same way they do with older generations. Members also felt that misinformation was a pressing issue during these elections because it is used as a way to sway public opinion. The meeting ended with Carlos Ortiz urging all members to make their voices heard during this upcoming election by voting.
BOLD is a student-run strategic communications agency at Florida International University. Click here to learn more.
Written by: Alejandra Chahine, Director of Public Relations