Thanks to the miracle of the internet, young people today can watch the awful television commercials of the 50's, 60's, and 70's--including the campaign commercials. Lucky you! Please take a look at a one or two of the 1968 presidential campaign commercials I link here:What was the main theme of the commercial/commercials you watched? What issues were the candidates using to try to sway voters? Did the commercial/commercials seem to you at all likely to be effective?
I watched the Nixon commercial. It seemed like the main theme was that everyone, children, women, men, blacks, whites, etc., liked Nixon and wanted him to be president. The commercial showed everyone smiling and wanted to shake Nixon's hand. I think the issue this candidate used to try to sway his voters is the issue that blacks and whites both like him. This could be effective to people back then.
ReplyDeleteSamantha Chastain.
I watched the Humphrey commercial. The entire basis is to state Nixon has never done anything for him. It's actually funny. He makes a list of all the things that have gone right, and points out Nixon didn't do these things. Instead, he points out what Humphrey has done. Every time he has an item it is followed by "Oh. Wait. That was Humphrey... what HAS Nixon done for me?" And this goes on for the length of the commercial. It was a smart tactic, and I've often found humor to be the way to reach the masses.
ReplyDeleteDevin Flinn
The Nixon commercial was all about smiles and hands, much like some emojis. They might have been effective in the fifties, but they probably won't be effective now.
ReplyDelete