How Being Daring Transformed American Politics
The Pivotal 1964 Daisy Ad — Simple, Yet Revolutionary
We’ve all been there
You’re streaming your favorite show, and THAT ad comes on. You’ve seen it at least a hundred times by now, and you even ad-lib it for fun to pass the time. Imagine, there is an ad that only aired once on national television, and we’re still talking about it today — the “Daisy” ad.
You’re watching TV — it’s September of 1964
A mere year after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It’s an election year, and President Lyndon B. Johnson (D-TX) is facing off with maverick Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ). The threat of nuclear war is at the forefront of the collective mind. It’s a Monday night, and you’re watching NBC as the very first modern attack ad in American political campaign history airs.
A young girl standing in a sun-filled meadow counts the petals she picks off a daisy. As she gets to “nine,” a male voiceover begins the countdown of a missile launch. As the countdown reaches zero, you hear a bang, see a bright spark, and the screen fills with a nuclear explosion and mushroom cloud. You hear President Johnson say,
“These are the stakes. To make a world in which all of G-d’s children can live, or to go into the dark. We must either love each other, or we must die.”
Another male voice says, “Vote for President Johnson on November 3rd. The stakes are too high for you to stay home.” President Johnson goes on to win the 1964 election in a marvel landslide with over 61% of the vote, along with overwhelming majorities in both houses of Congress.
The ad was clear
A vote for the opponent, Goldwater, is a vote for nuclear war. It’s so controversial that it’s pulled and never aired by the campaign again. It produced a visceral reaction of fear. It was risky and dramatic.
Political campaigns of the 1960s were dominated by policy and politics, with little emphasis on creativity and emotion. They often included dry 30-minute speeches on domestic and foreign affairs. They didn’t capitalize on the power of persuasion.
The Daisy ad was contrary to other ads of the time. It was short, simple, concise, and “sticky.” It provided minimal background information and framed Johnson’s competitor without referencing him. It delivered strong emotion, resolve, and a call to action.
More than just an ad — a spark
The Daisy ad was more than an ad for a political campaign; it was an ad telling you why you should care. It used Cialdini’s principles of persuasion and it was entertaining. Ever since political campaigns have focused on ads that connect to viewers and promote candidates like brands or products.
The Daisy ad drove me to care about campaigns and messaging. I began noticing other ads, how they made me feel, if they mobilized me to action, and if the ad made me think more deeply about the promoted brand. Thought-provoking yet simple, the Daisy ad led to an explosion in persuasive creative ads, and it ignited my passion for storytelling.
