President Dwight D. Eisenhower succeeded in his presidential campaign by diving into the realm of television broadcasting. In the 1952 election, Eisenhower set a strong precedence for televised political advertisements. Before Eisenhower, Democrats had been in office for nearly two decades. American was in a troubled time filled with economic depression and war. As a Republican candidate, Eisenhower, a well-admired World War II hero and North Atlantic Treaty Organization commander, convinced America he would bring change.
EISENHOWER ANSWERS AMERICA Rosser Reeves, Eisenhower’s advertising manager, learned from pollster George Gallup that American’s chief concerns were “Washington corruption, the cost of living, and the conflict in Korea” …show more content…
Eisenhower’s team accomplished this by featuring individuals of different demographics as the questioners. In the advertisement “High Prices,” a woman asked Eisenhower about her financial concerns. Eisenhower responded by saying his mother shared the same concern with him before. In this situation, he was able to take the issue relate it to his own life. He told the American people that he understood their concerns because they were concerns of his own life as well. This is only one example of how Eisenhower’s team centralized modern issues and delivered it to the voters. Eisenhower appealed to voters in nearly all regions and …show more content…
While watching these videos today, I could sense there was something inauthentic about the video. Eisenhower and the questioners were never shown within the same frame. I could tell it was staged. PBS states Eisenhower's responses were filmed beforehand, while the questions were filmed afterward (PBS). Personally, I thought this was slightly unethical. If you are going to name your segment “Eisenhower Answers America,” then Eisenhower should be shown next to the people who are representing America. I think this manipulation would have bothered a lot of American citizens in 1952. I know the technology was not as advanced back then, but I think live question and answer sessions are the best way to learn about a candidate. I believe presidential candidates should be able to display their political views in an unrehearsed setting. This would give voters the opportunity to learn about the man behind the publicity and advertisement team. There was a second technique was used to manipulate the viewers in which the camera was placed in a lower angle so the viewers would be looking up at Eisenhower. This made Eisenhower seem more powerful to the audience building a more superior presence. I think that if 1952 election voters knew about these manipulations , then “Eisenhower Answers America” would have been less
EISENHOWER ANSWERS AMERICA Rosser Reeves, Eisenhower’s advertising manager, learned from pollster George Gallup that American’s chief concerns were “Washington corruption, the cost of living, and the conflict in Korea” …show more content…
Eisenhower’s team accomplished this by featuring individuals of different demographics as the questioners. In the advertisement “High Prices,” a woman asked Eisenhower about her financial concerns. Eisenhower responded by saying his mother shared the same concern with him before. In this situation, he was able to take the issue relate it to his own life. He told the American people that he understood their concerns because they were concerns of his own life as well. This is only one example of how Eisenhower’s team centralized modern issues and delivered it to the voters. Eisenhower appealed to voters in nearly all regions and …show more content…
While watching these videos today, I could sense there was something inauthentic about the video. Eisenhower and the questioners were never shown within the same frame. I could tell it was staged. PBS states Eisenhower's responses were filmed beforehand, while the questions were filmed afterward (PBS). Personally, I thought this was slightly unethical. If you are going to name your segment “Eisenhower Answers America,” then Eisenhower should be shown next to the people who are representing America. I think this manipulation would have bothered a lot of American citizens in 1952. I know the technology was not as advanced back then, but I think live question and answer sessions are the best way to learn about a candidate. I believe presidential candidates should be able to display their political views in an unrehearsed setting. This would give voters the opportunity to learn about the man behind the publicity and advertisement team. There was a second technique was used to manipulate the viewers in which the camera was placed in a lower angle so the viewers would be looking up at Eisenhower. This made Eisenhower seem more powerful to the audience building a more superior presence. I think that if 1952 election voters knew about these manipulations , then “Eisenhower Answers America” would have been less