The :30 Second Candidate: text version: Historical Timeline: 1964

1964
Political advertising took a great leap in sophistication with Lyndon Johnson's 1964 Presidential campaign. Democrats finally landed a top advertising agency -- Doyle, Dane, Bernbach (DDB) -- to produce a campaign. DDB had made its name producing evocative soft-sell advertising for Volkswagen and Avis in a departure from the repetitive slogan approach of Rosser Reeves's "Unique Selling Proposition" philosophy. DDB's emotional appeal was suited to a Johnson campaign which sought to remind voters of the administration's work fighting poverty and providing Medicare, while also capitalizing on fear of Republican opponent Barry Goldwater's views on nuclear weapons. The campaign is still regarded as one of the best ever, and the famous "Daisy" ad, where a little girl's counting of flower petals is replaced by a countdown to an atomic blast, is considered a classic.

Also significant in 1964 is the launching of Ronal Reagan's political career. Reagan captured the attention of conservative Republicans in a televised speech supporting Goldwater.