TV Ads For Past Presidential Campaigns

[AndyTheMan]

If any of you haven't seen this site then I strongly recommend taking a look at it.

http://www.ammi.org/cgi-bin/video/years.cgi?,,ss,,,,

This site has TV ads for presidential candidates going all the way back to 1952. Remember these? If so feel free to share you opinion of them at the time and how you view them now in retrospect. Enjoy!

[ShapeShifter]

When I think about past campaign AD, I always remember of the Daisy Girl in the 1964 election between Johnson and Goldwater.

[zachman]

That's a great site. Thank you.

[Platypus]

In politics class at school, we watched a doco about the way presidents are elected in the US, and ho it is basically a movie. My favourite ad on the doco was the "It's morning in america" ones, for Reagan 84

[YRABNNRM]

Wow Reagan had some good ads.

[Nation]

Awesome site. Man, the Dukakis tank thing cracks me up every time. he was joyriding with that thing.

[Giant Saguaro]

Great site... for a minute there I got a brief '80s nostalgia buzz!

1984 - Mondale's ads illustrated to perfection his weaknesses and Reagan's his strengths. Whereas Reagan's commercials in 1980 were somewhat introspective, economical in nature, maybe even populist, kind of a ho-hum who's looking out for you sort of deal, the '84 ads were really something else and built up his evolving image (this time around as "Teflon Ron"). I'll not forget the "It's Morning in America" ad and of course, The Bear. No wonder Reagan carried 49 states and came within a percent of carrying Minnesota. Great speaker and those ads were really good. And kind of scary too without being cheap or dirty.

1988 - Bush's were mostly boring, but of course how can we forget Dukakis in that tank? And the Dukakis ads were terribly conceived and executed. A couple of them were even mistaken to be pro Bush ads, I remember them.

Wow. Excellent. Those were the days!

[12th Doctor]

"It's Morning Again in America".  Best ad ever.

[ShapeShifter]

Somehow I can't see the ads from the site.

[ShapeShifter]

It seem Netscape was not working with this site.

I got it to work with IE.

1952 Ike for President Campaign ad was funny.

Wow, times back then seem simple and innocent when you can use a cartoon for a campaign ad.

[© tweed]

If any of you haven't seen this site then I strongly recommend taking a look at it.

http://www.ammi.org/cgi-bin/video/years.cgi?,,ss,,,,

This site has TV ads for presidential candidates going all the way back to 1952. Remember these? If so feel free to share you opinion of them at the time and how you view them now in retrospect. Enjoy!

Good site.  Thanks

[??????????]

Bush should re-use that Bear ad. That ad has a lot of truth today.

[Michael Z]

Ah, just watching Bush's infamous 'Revolving Door'-ad (which the Simpsons parodied so brilliantly).

Excellent site Andy, many thanks.

[Michael Z]

Boy, were McGovern's ads dull.

[ShapeShifter]

Bush should re-use that Bear ad. That ad has a lot of truth today.

Kerry should re-use Clintons 92' ads.

[© tweed]

GHWB had good anti-Duakais ads

[StevenNick]

What an interesting site.

The Carter ads in 1980 were terrible.  Did anybody else notice how all of his ads seemed to reinforce the opinion that he was weak on national security.  The ad with the crying woman thanking Carter for being a peacemaker was a pathetic ad.

The 1964 Johnson ads were really fascinating too.  I don't think those ads would play very well today.  The Daisy ad is a little twisted.  So is the poverty ad.

The 1984 Morning in America ads were far and away the best ads of all the presidential campaigns.  Bush had some really good ads in 88 too.

Another interesting thing I noticed was that 1984 was the first year that the ads were really slick and appealing.  But in 84 and 88, republicans were the only ones with good ads.  The dems didn't catch up until 1992.

[Lunar]

Reagan's one in 84 are pretty good.  I love the Morning in America one.  Mondale's ones are pretty bad overall.  His commercials have to take 30 minutes for their point to come across.

Bush's ones in 88 are pretty average.  Some are pretty bad with baby kissing and a lot of cheap shots.  I think Dukakis's ones are actually above average.

I like the Bush I ones in 92.  Clinton ones here aren't bad iehter.

I like the Clinton ones in 96 too, upbeat music on them all, heh.  The Dole ones are crappy, all preaching to the choir.  Ranting about illegal immigrants crowding our schools and whatnot.

[StevenNick]

Reagan's one in 84 are pretty good.  I love the Morning in America one.  Mondale's ones are pretty bad overall.  His commercials have to take 30 minutes for their point to come across.

Bush's ones in 88 are pretty average.  Some are pretty bad with baby kissing and a lot of cheap shots.  I think Dukakis's ones are actually above average.

I like the Bush I ones in 92.  Clinton ones here aren't bad iehter.

I like the Clinton ones in 96 too, upbeat music on them all, heh.  The Dole ones are crappy, all preaching to the choir.  Ranting about illegal immigrants crowding our schools and whatnot.

Modale's were horrible.  They were, by far, the worst ads I watched on that site.  I don't know if any of you have seen the Bill Murray movie Scrooged, but they reminded me of that ad in the beginning of the movie for the Christmas Carol show with all the heroin addicts and plane hijackings and the like.  They were downbeat to the point of being funny.  I just couldn't take them seriously.

I think it's interesting that you liked the Dukakis ads.  I thought they were terrible.  Dukakis came off looking dorky, petty, and small.  I thought the Bush '88 ads were excellent.  Especially the 'mission' ad.  And I didn't think there was anything wrong with the baby kissing ad.  Of course, the Willie Horton and the tank ads were just amazing.

[Michael Z]

Mondale's ads were dull, but nowhere near as dull as McGovern's. They endeavoured to reinforce his image as a "man of the people" and reflect the grassroots level of his campaign, but in effect they were just kinda... boring.

Bush's 88 ads set a new standard in negative campaigning, but that's about it.

That said, nothing can beat the LBJ Daisy ad for blatant manipulation. I'm actually amazed they managed to get away with that.

As for best, or rather more effective ads, it's probably a tie between Reagan 84 and Clinton 92. Reagan's ads were cheesy as heck, but they worked.

[zorkpolitics]

Reagan's 1980 ad of Ted Kennedy attacking Carter then paying for it as "Democrats for Reagan"  was a nice touch.

[angus]

When I think about past campaign AD, I always remember of the Daisy Girl in the 1964 election between Johnson and Goldwater.

me too.  what a fantastic piece of public manipulation.

modern democrats certainly try hard, but are unable to match the 1964 democrats negative campaigning.  I'd give Bush in 1988 an honorable mention as well.

[??????????]

I know this thread is about dead but I thought I'd bump it and post this.

Tell me this isn't Kerry (just update some of the issues).

McGovern is like Kerry

[ShapeShifter]

http://www.ammi.org/cgi-bin/video/years.cgi?1960,11,300,,

[ShapeShifter]

I know this thread is about dead but I thought I'd bump it and post this.

Tell me this isn't Kerry (just update some of the issues).

McGovern is like Kerry

Goldwater is like Kerry!!!