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The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The science of campaign slogans

“Tippecanoe and Tyler Too” and “I Like Ike” are among the most memorable presidential campaign slogans in U.S. history. How do this election’s slogans measure up?

According to Bruce Newman, a professor in DePaul’s marketing department and editor of the Journal of Political Marketing, “campaign slogans are critically important to communicating the essence of a campaign to constituents.”

Slogans that have done this well in the past share common themes: they’re timely, simple and memorable. Eisenhower’s 1952 slogan – “I Like Ike” – was memorable because it was catchy. Hoover’s 1928 slogan “A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage” was effective because it was specific to his platform.

Clinton’s “It’s the economy, stupid” used in his first campaign was straightforward and simple. This slogan was used to “reinforce the economic problems faced in the 1992 presidential election,” said Newman.

Another was Reagan’s “It’s morning again in America,” from his 1984 re-election campaign “to remind voters of the economic gains he claimed were due to his policies he enacted since winning in 1980,” said Newman.

Wayne Steger, a political science professor, explained that slogans are essentially symbols.

“The overarching slogan is a brief symbolic statement intended to encapsulate all of the other messages of the campaign and frame the voters’ choice,” he said.

According to Casey Bernard Research Services, some presidential campaign slogans are never actually said by the candidates themselves. These unspoken slogans are usually created by the candidate’s campaign and then used or distributed as part of the campaign’s marketing content.

“Campaign slogans in a presidential campaign are usually designed by campaign consults with backgrounds in public affairs and media,” said Steger.

This election, the Obama campaign is receiving flack for its one-word slogan “Forward.” In contrast, in 2008 Obama’s many slogans including “Change,” “Hope” and “Yes We Can” were very popular.

“In this case, Obama’s slogan likely came from the office of David Axelrod who is running his campaign messaging … A slogan should have meaning and a high degree of ’emotion’ connected to it,” said Newman. “In my opinion, Romney achieved both, but Obama’s lacks the emotional component.”

Bruce Evensen, director of DePaul’s journalism graduate program agreed that Obama’s slogan is lacking.

“Obama’s ‘Forward’ won’t rank with ‘Hope and Change,’ which he used successfully in 2008,” said Evensen. “Is he saying forward because he wants voters to forget his four-year presidency? Forward to what? Has he expressed a coherent vision for the future that his supporters can rally around? If so, what is it?”

The many questions “Forward” leaves lingering, as Evensen pointed out, make it a weak slogan.

Steger theorized that “Obama’s use of ‘Forward’ is trying to get voters to look ahead to the future rather than behind at his record as president.”

According to Steger, Obama’s campaign “generally believes that [his] chances would be hurt by retrospective voting – basing votes on his record and especially on economic conditions during his administration. Plus, they want voters to compare Romney and Obama on their plans for the future.”

Newman had a similar idea of what the possible strategy behind this slogan could be. “Obama’s ‘Forward’ is meant to convince voters he needs to be re-elected to continue to move the country forward,” said Newman, stating that it also suggests that electing Romney “would move the country backwards if he was elected.”

“This year, Romney’s ‘Believe in America’ slogan is meant to convince voters he can restore a confidence in America … and bring the country out of its economic crisis if he is elected,” said Newman.

“Romney is trying to frame the election as one of reliance of the free market – with less regulations, lower taxes and less government as the way to create prosperity,” said Steger.

“‘Believe in America’ can be compared to the Reaganesque ‘It’s Morning in America,’ which was a positive message about America’s greatness as a citadel of democracy, and the hope that it might remain a shining city on a hill, which originates in the ideas of John Winthrop, governor of Massachusetts Bay,” said Evensen.

The same slogan was also used by presidential candidate John Kerry, also from Massachusetts, during his summer campaign “though it was not Kerry’s overarching campaign slogan,” said Steger.

While not original, Romney’s choice of “Believe in America” is not getting the negative attention that Obama’s is. But it is usually the case that candidates seeking re-election do not have it as easy as first-timers.

Steger explained that incumbent presidential candidates are often judged based on their first term performance. They also have a better idea of what they can and cannot achieve, so they cannot make the same “bold claims” that new challengers can.

“As a candidate, presidential contenders can basically announce what they would do in an ideal world if they had their druthers. After election, however, they have to deal with the tremendous constraints on a president’s power,” said Steger.

“In 2008, Obama could run as the idealist. In 2012, he’s grounded by the reality of governance. It is mighty na?

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