Presidential Campaign Commercials
1952 Political TV Spots Were Primative but Taught Lasting Lessons
Feb 12, 2008
(Suggestion: View the 1952 presidential campaign commercials at the Museum of the Moving Image first, then return to this page for a discussion of the spots.)
The 1952 presidential campaign television commercials would draw laughter in the 21st Century, but they established guidelines that are still followed in most political advertising today.
The 1952 TV spots featured the campaign between World War II hero Dwight Eisenhower and Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson. The Museum of the Moving Image shows 12 campaign television commercials, six for each candidate. All were in black and white, the standard of that era.
Eisenhower Commercials Established Guidelines for Future Advertising
The Eisenhower commercials established some guidelines for future political advertising.
- Most of them show the candidate himself speaking directly to the audience;
- They make heavy use of the campaign slogan;
- They make frequent use of the candidate’s most appealing characteristic, the Eisenhower smile;
- They use the Vice Presidential candidate as the scowling attacker;
- The feature the candidate’s simple beginnings ("The Man from Abilene");
- They attribute the ads to "Citizens for Eisenhower," rather than to the party;
- They depict the candidate answering questions from individual voters, including a minority group member.
It is obvious that Eisenhower is reading his answers to the questions, but it was at least an early attempt at showing the candidate speaking off-the-cuff.
Stevenson TV Spots Illustrated How Not to Do Political Commercials
Stevenson commercials provide one reason why he lost 39 states, including Illinois, and lost by more than six million votes. By their own primative nature, the Democratic commercials dramatize the creativity of the Republican spots and illustrate what not to do in the future:
- They carry no common theme;
- They do not show the candidate;
- In one spot they recalled economic conditions 20 years earlier, a period young adults probably did not even remember;
- One of the two attack ads symbolizes the close relationship between Eisenhower and Bob Taft by featuring attractive Valentine hearts and stars, rather than associate them with a demoniac graphic;
- There is no repetition even within the individual spots.
The first of the Stevenson commercials could be a candidate for America’s worst presidential campaign commercial. Titled "the Gov," it features a pretty lady smiling, winking and singing (in her best torchy style) such lines as "he is the guy that brings the dove of peace and joy" and "my heart’s a ballot that bears his name." It goes on that strained way, without refrain, for 18 different forgettable lines, taking a minute and 21 seconds.
Even with music and a pretty girl singing it, "Adlai, love you madly," did not come close to matching the Republican slogan, "I like Ike." It is mentioned only once in the six Democratic commercials.
Democrats Failed to Capitalize on the Hole in Stevenson's Sole
The Democrats failed to capitalize on what might have effectively branded the Stevenson campaign, the nationally famous photo of Adali’s worn-out shoe. The photo became an accidental symbol of his tireless work and a tie-in to poor people. But the hole in his sole is mentioned only once in the six commercials.
The Stevenson team learned well and in the 1956 campaign, they:
- Featured him talking directly to the audience, once for more than four minutes.
- Took a cue from Eisenhower’s "Man from Abilene" spot and created one titled "The Man from Libertyville," featuring Stevenson in his Illinois country home.
In 1956, the Eisenhower commercials featured testimonials from individual voters and used video clips of the First Lady (Mamie Eisenhower) to focus heavily on women voters.
Eisenhower's Television Commercials
