Mad Men Politics

A recent reading for class from Time magazine examined the game- changing role of TV in the Kennedy-Nixon election. I had recently been watching season one of the hit TV show Mad Men which follows the lives of the men and women working for and advertising agency in the late 50s early 60s. In the 12th episode, "Nixon vs Kennedy" the agency is involved in the Nixon campaign. Presidential ad campaigns have made their way to TV and the agency is trouble shooting how to compete in this form of media. The solution? Buy up the ad time for a different product of theirs (laxatives) leaving enough air time for Nixon ads, but no time left for Kennedy ads. I was struck first of all, by the simple brilliance of it. But then became more disturbed as I thought about what this meant for the public that would not be aware of these decisions, but whose politics would be influenced by an ingenious coup over the television networks. I am sure that we are still subjected to these influences by advertising, and that kind of scares me.