How This Little Girl and 40 Words Won an Election

During the early-to-mid 1960s, the threat of nuclear war was a pervasive fear in the U.S. And the commercial touched that particular emotion.

As that fear subsided in the late 1960s and afterwards, quite naturally the same approach no longer worked.

Alex

Alex is right. That commercial tapped into the mid-sixties zeitgeist. Took what had been an intellectual debate and made it visual...visceral...emotional. It sank Goldwater.

Goldwater's slogan was, "In your heart you know he's right." Emotional...memorable.

Johnson's campaign countered with, "In your guts you know he's nuts." More emotional...more memorable...downright brain sticky.

Its all about timing and they got the timing right with that. Like fasteasy said look how much the fear of 9/11 has been used to change this world we live in. its all about relating to the big topics or fears of the time

All the copywriting books say fear of loss is one of the most powerful motivators. Fear in general is a very powerful human emotion.

Given how effective fear is, it surprises me that scare mongering is more pervasive in modern politics than it already is. I don't understand why, because it motivates people so well....

I believe this ad would've been **** had the girl and her words not been used in it. Therefore I would argue that EVERY word used in this ad was important. Especially hers.

Here's why...

Most people will do more for others than they will for themselves. Women and children who can't defend themselves being the highest priority.

When you lead with the baby girl, just trying to figure out her way on this screwy planet, you take anyone who has a child or knows someone who has a child or who has been a child back into fun, worry-free, PEACEFUL place. Even if it's only for 5 seconds, that warm, friendly, adorable mixed up counting with the image lulls you into the ad the first time you saw it. I mean, who's anti-cuddly little kid? Right.

But when you see it again and again, even though you know the punch line, the stream of logic and emotion woven into this spot just reinforces something that healthy adults want to believe about themselves...the fact that it's their duty to protect children.

And the ad pretty much implies that you're a total douchebag if you don't step up and vote for Lyndon Johnson because the underlying message in the ad is that he's NOT gonna let kids get blown up. He's got the answers and doing anything but voting for him is inviting war.

Without a side by side argument to counter this, in the moment, most people I would imagine would feel a strong gut feeling to do whatever they could with the little power they had to not be labeled to themselves as a baby killer.

Of course, on the surface his politics and viewpoints are what voters would say influenced them but I think Madison Ave and Don Draper and the boys knew what they were doing from start to finish on this ad.

They were indirectly calling you an irresponsible sissy who wanted to let America get punked in the ass if you didn't vote for THE MAN WITH THE PLAN.

Think about how the ad would've been if they just strong arm, testosteroned you with the explosion and talk about peace. It wouldn't

And upon seeing the ad again helped you tie consequ