The Daisy Ad

In addition to Tim Russert, another important -- albeit lesser-known -- figure in the world of media and politics died this past weekend. Tony Schwartz was a media consultant who helped design what is perhaps the most famous political campaign ad ever to be aired on American television:



The "Daisy" ad, which was created for Lyndon Johnson's 1964 reelection campaign and aired just once on September 7 of that year, has been hailed as an influential factor in Johnson's landslide victory. Whether the ad really did sway voters' opinions of the 1964 candidates is debatable (Professor John Sides of the Monkey Cage blog offers some evidence to suggest that it didn't), but there's no question that it's a highly controversial piece that has sparked considerable debate over the appropriateness of emotional appeals and negative messages in campaign politics.

Do you think an ad like this would fly today? How much impact do you think televised campaign ads have on voters' decisions about which candidates to support? If you were to design an ad for one of the 2008 candidates, what would it say?