Barry Goldwater's Daisy Girl Campaign

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The 1964 “Daisy Girl” advertisement impacted the Cold War dynamics by heightening the public’s concerns about candidate Barry Goldwater’s approach to nuclear escalation, by addressing the controversy that political advertisements face and by becoming the contentious blueprint for a highly controversial way of advertising in the years to follow. In 1964, the presidential election between Lyndon B. Johnson and Barry Goldwater introduced a groundbreaking 60-second political advertisement titled “Daisy Girl," created by the Madison Avenue Firm in support of Lyndon B. Johnson’s candidacy platform. The young girl, Monique M. Luiz, who was just 3 at the time, was the star of this advertisement (Campaign 2003). The advertisement was produced less than …show more content…

The elements of the "Daisy Girl" commercial had the most significant influence on public perceptions of Goldwater during this election. This advertisement portrayed Barry Goldwater’s hawkish candidacy and his attitude towards nuclear war, being that his stance on this matter was advocating for a stronger approach against the Soviet Union, causing great fear amongst voters. The advertisement is widely believed to have been the final push for Johnson’s secure candidacy, although it was almost certain that he would have won anyway (Greenspan 2024). The film opens with a fade from black, showing viewers a young Luiz counting daisy petals in a field. While the camera is focused on her eye, a man's voice begins to count down from 10. Suddenly, an abrupt image of a nuclear explosion appears. Next, as the words "VOTE FOR PRESIDENT JOHNSON ON NOVEMBER 3" appear on a black screen, Lyndon B. Johnson speaks on creating a world for all of God's children. The initial impacts of this commercial were effective in raising awareness of nuclear war by instilling concern and apprehension in

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