The "Ike for President" advertisement (runtime 62 seconds) | |
| Client | Citizens for Eisenhower committee |
|---|---|
| Running time | 62 seconds |
| Release date(s) | 1952 |
| Production company | The Walt Disney Company |
| Produced by | Roy O. Disney |
| Country | United States |
"Ike for President", sometimes referred to as "We'll Take Ike" or "I Like Ike", was a political television advertisement for Dwight D. Eisenhower presidential campaign of 1952.
The minute-long animated advertisement was conceived by Jacqueline Cochran, a pilot and Eisenhower campaign aide, and Roy O. Disney of The Walt Disney Company, and produced by Disney volunteers. It begins with a bouncing "Ike" campaign button. Uncle Sam, dressed as a drum major, leads a parade, including a circus elephant, followed by a crowd of people with different occupations. Democratic vice presidential candidate John Sparkman, Secretary of State Dean Acheson, and President Harry S. Truman are depicted as Democratic donkeys. The spot's narrator concludes: "Now is the time for all good Americans to come to the aid of their country."[1]
The advertisement's memorable jingle turned "Ike for President" into a popular catchphrase; its final line was described by Paul Christiansen as a "party-transcending appeal to voters".[1] Adlai Stevenson II, Eisenhower's opponent, felt that the ad trivialized serious political issues and referred to it as the worst thing he ever heard. Eisenhower's organization planned to broadcast the advertisement five to six times every night during the final two weeks of the campaign in a few targeted areas. Eisenhower won the election in a landslide, though his campaign's advertising expert thought the ad made little difference. Time magazine later ranked "Ike for President" eighth in its list of the top ten campaign advertisements.