Daisy Petals and Mushroom Clouds

In this thought-provoking and highly readable book, Robert Mann provides a concise, engaging study of the "Daisy Girl" spot, which helped usher presidential campaign advertising into the modern era. Commissioned by Johnson's campaign and aired only once during Johnson's 1964 presidential contest against Barry Goldwater, the spot remains an iconic piece of electoral propaganda, intertwining Cold War fears of nuclear annihilation with the increasingly savvy world of media and advertising. Repeatedly analyzed in countless print publications, the spot helped contributed to Johnson's crushing defeat over Goldwater and also opened the way to a new age of political advertising which accepts emotional appeals as a routine aspect of campaign strategy.