In Presidential campaign ads, we’ve heard it all before -- vicious personal attacks, hopeful promises and boring policy proposals. Sometimes it’s best to skip the rhetoric and try something new. That is just what General Dwight D. Eisenhower did in the 1952 Presidential election with “I Like Ike.” The quirky and upbeat cartoon was the first presidential ad to ever air on television.
The ad features elephants, firemen, a tractor, nurses and Uncle Sam all marching to bring Ike to Washington. The song is so catchy and repetitive that it is sure to remain an earworm even to listeners in the 21st century.
We’ve included the chorus in case you want to sing along:
“You like Ike, I like Ike,
Everybody likes Ike -- for president.
Hang out the banners, beat the drums,
We'll take Ike to Washington.”
The Eisenhower camp, however, did not need to convince people to like the seasoned war-hero. General Ike was already considered the most admired person in America according to a 1952 poll.
Eisenhower ended up winning the election against Adlai Stevenson in a landslide victory, garnering 422 electoral votes against Stevenson’s 89.
Did You Know? The ad came about after Madison Avenue advertising executive Rosser Reeves suggested that General Eisenhower use short television spot ads rather than airing thirty-minute speeches as candidates had in the previous election.
Irving Berlin wrote the catchy jingle and Walt Disney Studios animated this iconic 1950s gem.
The ad features elephants, firemen, a tractor, nurses and Uncle Sam all marching to bring Ike to Washington. The song is so catchy and repetitive that it is sure to remain an earworm even to listeners in the 21st century.
We’ve included the chorus in case you want to sing along:
“You like Ike, I like Ike,
Everybody likes Ike -- for president.
Hang out the banners, beat the drums,
We'll take Ike to Washington.”
The Eisenhower camp, however, did not need to convince people to like the seasoned war-hero. General Ike was already considered the most admired person in America according to a 1952 poll.
Eisenhower ended up winning the election against Adlai Stevenson in a landslide victory, garnering 422 electoral votes against Stevenson’s 89.
Did You Know? The ad came about after Madison Avenue advertising executive Rosser Reeves suggested that General Eisenhower use short television spot ads rather than airing thirty-minute speeches as candidates had in the previous election.
Irving Berlin wrote the catchy jingle and Walt Disney Studios animated this iconic 1950s gem.