Despite the glut of exciting projects – both new and ongoing – that are keeping everyone at IE very busy indeed, many of the team have at times spared a thought for the events unfolding a few thousand miles across the Atlantic. Hockey moms, pit bulls, the cost of the First Lady’s wardrobe, the US vox pop – it’s all been hard to ignore.

From a marketing perspective, elections can be very interesting indeed. A huge amount of effort goes into persuading voters to leave their mark in the right box. Nationwide market research and opinions polls, voter analysis and segmentation, a deluge of high-value advertising collateral – each one is a vital ingredient in the creation of that all-important political brand that draws in votes.

Delving back into US presidential history – specifically into those dark days pre-web when marketing was just so much harder – I noticed that a common denominator to virtually all campaigns was a strong slogan, often accompanied by a badge. Some are definitely pretty sharp, whereas to say that others are showing their age is generous.

Some of my favourite examples are shown below. However, I certainly feel that if prospective presidents of yesteryear had IE’s team of designers and branding whizzes on side, the look and feel of their campaign collateral would have been much less amateur! Maybe voter expectations were lower…?

Eisenhower US presidential campaign 1952

Lyndon Johnson US presidential campaign 1964

Herbert Hoover US presidential campaign 1928

Wendell Willkie US presidential campaign 1940