My ‘favorite’ ad of the 1964 presidential run is the daisy girl. In this ad, a small girl stands in a field, picking the petals off of a daisy, counting as she goes. She counts haphazardly, eventually getting to nine. At this point, the announcer starts counting down from ten, and the camera freezes then zooms into her face and her eye. When the announcer reaches zero, it cuts to footage of a nuclear bomb explosion, a quote from Johnson that concludes with “We must either love each other, or we must die,” then the catchphrase “Vote Johnson on November 3rd. The stakes are too high to stay home.” I find the child herself actually very annoying, but the ad is startlingly effective. It is only one minute long, and manages to communicate the stakes involved in this election, and why you should care. It requires some outside knowledge that Johnson is against nuclear bombs and Goldwater supports their use, but this is implied. It uses the value of family very effectively, and tells viewers that this is what will happen if they don’t vote Johnson: Their children will get blown up. It speaks to big issues that are widely relevant, and a cause that no one will dispute: the need to protect our children. I particularly like the catchphrase, and Johnson ends all of his videos with it. Compared to Goldwater’s catchprase: “In your heart, you know he’s right,” “The stakes are too high for you to stay home” compels a sense of urgency and agency that are lacking in Goldwater. This is designed to target those who are on the fence in addition to Johnson’s supporters. If you don’t like the picture the ad presents, you can do a concrete action to prevent it! – That action being electing Johnson. Offering this call to action I think is a great way to bring in the general public and make them feel like their vote matters.
Critical Thinking
Being in the middle of the Cold War, most people were in a very scary situation. The idea of children being impacted by the decision in the election would definitely motivate people to vote in Johnson’s favor. Comparing each other phrases, it seems like Goldwater is missing the context of the situation.
I was looking at political ads from just 12 years before yours, yet none of mine were anywhere near as extreme. Most had playful tones with jingles, so it is interesting to see how much things can change within the political climate and attitude of the United States.
The one thing that hasn’t changed in the history of American presidential elections is the necessity of voting. Throughout this past election, and among all of the division and anger, people were still saying things like “I don’t care who you vote for, just vote”. And whether or not they actually do care who I cast my vote for, they are still making the effort to show just how important voting it. Obviously this ad is trying to get people to vote for Johnson, but his slogan at the end has a small implication that the stakes are just so high, you need to cast a vote.