To what extent do the media influence your political views?
Every four years, Americans express their views on how this country should be led when they cast their ballots for president. In the months leading up to the election, voters are bombarded with television ads aimed at influencing public opinion about the candidates. Vast sums of money are spent on these campaign ads in the hope of persuading voters to support one candidate over another.
Is this the way to choose the leader of the free world? Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic candidate for president in 1952, didn’t think so. When asked about running ads on television, Stevenson said, “I think the American people will be shocked by such contempt for their intelligence. This isn’t Ivory Soap versus Palmolive. ”
The 1952 presidential campaign was the first to use the new medium of television extensively to reach voters. Rather than try to sell himself like soap, Stevenson opted to buy time for 18 half-hour speeches airing from 10:30 to 11:00 two nights a week. Stevenson hoped this use of television would help him build a national following. However, both the lateness of the hour and the dull “talking head” format of his speeches limited the audience. Most of those who tuned in were already Stevenson supporters.
In contrast, Dwight Eisenhower, Stevenson’s Republican opponent, embraced the use of 20-to 30-second “spot” ads in 1952. The idea came from advertising executive Rosser Reeves. Reeves convinced Eisenhower that he could reach more viewers with less money by running short ads during popular prime time programs. Titled “Eisenhower Answers America,” each spot featured the candidate answering a question posed by an ordinary citizen. The ads showed “Ike” as a plain speaker responding to real people’s concerns. Not only did more viewers see Ike’s ads; they also seemed to like what they saw. Eisenhower swept to victory with more than 55 percent of the votes cast.
Stevenson’s loss in 1952 didn’t change his low opinion of television advertising. But when he ran against Eisenhower again in 1956, Stevenson agreed to replace his speeches with five-minute spots. The power of television to shape public opinion was just too hard, even for Stevenson, to resist.