J.Lewis - Blog #3

J. Lewis - Blog 3

Ad for LBJ (Peace Little Girl) left a lasting impression on me. Still remember this ad running on television. Frightened me then, and instead of Mom “making” me, I campaigned willingly for Johnson as a result. The ads “fear appeal” was palatable perhaps because I was near the age of the little girl, but also because of the scare tactics used at school. An atomic war was on the minds of everyone. Instead of tornado drills, we, in elementary school, had Atomic war drills. So this commercial was in line with what everyone knew to be true, “Russia was a warring nation and communism was to be feared at all times”. The fact that “they” were trying to spread communism in Viet Nam did not in any way hurt the message. Even though the ad was pulled, it did appear several times on television, not only on the reports mentioned in the explanation but also on local T.V. and radio. The message is clear even if you just hear it. The background of the birds singing coupled with the sound of a small child counting, lull you into a false sense of security. The recognizable voice of Johnson and the countdown to the finale of the sound of a bomb exploding, resonate the message “we are not secure,” (if we vote for the extremist -Goldwater). Fear is a powerful motivator if used in the right setting at the right time. I know Johnson was the only Democrat for who my father ever voted. Under Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs the appeal to the masses for a secure future, (Safety Needs) and the appeal to “make a world in which all God’s children can live” extend itself to Maslow’s Need of Love, Affection and Belongingness. This ad also gave people an Aesthetic Outlet by giving people the outlet to create a better future, full of love and peace, from a war torn society. On the Steele and Redding scale, this ad evokes the Puritan and Pioneer morality (good/bad, with us/against us), Change and Progress (the next version will be better than the last) and Ethical Equality (all people are equal) all rolled into the ending, “These are the stakes: To make a world in which all of God's children can live, or to go into the darkness. We must either love each other, or we must die,” had even Republicans change their mind about Goldwater.

Who could say anything bad about the ad “Prouder, Stronger, Better” (Reagan, 1984)? Soft, calm music playing in the background, a deep familiar voice telling of all the wonderful things in America, lends itself to the pathos of “Warmth Appeals.” Calm pictures of ordinary American life, people going to work, the rising middle class at its best, made people want to identify with the pictures of this inspiring view of the future. These all touch on the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs by appealing to all of the five levels of basic needs. However, Kenneth Burke’s theory of Identification fits this advertisement perhaps better than any other theory. People do yearn for connection and the ad leads one to believe if you vote for Reagan the future will be yours. Only someone not connected, would not want what is promised in the Constitution, the freedom to pursue prosperity, the peace to make prosperity possible and the strength to obtain your goal of the American way of life. The closing statement says it all “And, under the leadership of President Reagan, our country is prouder and stronger and better. Why would we ever want to return to where we were less than four short years ago?”