My favorite ad campaign was Kennedy’s 1960 presidential campaign video. President Kennedy is by far my favorite president due to the way in which he handled himself during the cold war and the way in which he combatted group-think and learned from his mistakes. He is the reason why group-decision making has changed for the better. Therefore I may be a little biased in my opinion but the reason why I enjoyed this ad was due to some of the psychological principles in the commercial. The ad was filled with upbeat music and repeatedly stated Kennedy’s name which refers to the mere exposure effect. In which the more you are exposed to something the more you become familiar with and begin to like it (the same thing applies when you listen to a new song multiple times). The commercial classically conditions us to associate Kennedy’s name with an upbeat happy song so whenever we hear Kennedy’s name we experience happiness because we are reminded of the song. Another reason why I find Kennedy and his whole campaign so interesting is because this is the campaign in which they televised debates. The studio with all of the lights is very hot which causes you to sweat. Kennedy took the advice to wear make-up whereas Nixon failed to do so. The people-watching on TV believed Kennedy was much more poised and made better arguments whereas the people listening on the radio thought the complete opposite. Due to Nixon’s sweaty appearance, it made him look as though he was nervous and unsure yet again showing more psychological principles.

Another reason why I enjoyed his campaign video is that it shows a variety of American citizens throughout the video saying that it is up to the American people of every race, religion, and ethnicity. They have the power to put Kennedy into the office which I believe resonated with a lot of people. The campaign video also discusses Kennedy’s youth as well as intelligence stating that he’s not too old to try something new and not too young to do something dumb and that he is the perfect age for the presidency. Another thing that stood out to me during his debate with Nixon was his push for equal education and how he wants all American children to receive a fair and just education. Essentially saying that we are hurting ourselves as a nation if we do not give everyone an equal education.