Driving Political Opinion

The NYT ran an article October 2, 1988 about how bumper stickers were a thing of the past. The article lamented that slogans on the bumper stickers of the day lacked the je ne sais quoi that bumper stickers had in an earlier time. “There may be a stronger reason: the slogans themselves. ”America for Bush.” ”Vote Dukakis-Bentsen.” Not exactly hot stuff. Remember ”We Need Adlai Badly” … ”Whoop for Scoop” … ”Ike and Dick: Don’t Change the Team in the Middle of the Stream”? Now that’s poetry. Want passion? ”Kiss Me - I’m for McGovern.” Vindication? ”Don’t Tell Me Your Troubles - I Voted for Stevenson.” Sarcasm? ”So Nobody’s Perfect -Agnew/Eagleton in ‘76.”

Then in March 2004, Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn wrote an obituary for the political bumper sticker, quoting one local political consultant as saying,” Candidates no longer see bumper stickers as something that gives bang for the buck.” Instead of putting campagin contributions into bumper stickers, candidates spend their money on TV and direct mail.

Measuring the effectiveness of the bumper sticker as a form of political advertising is not easy, and having done a thorough search of the academic literature this semester, I know for a fact that there is precious little that has been written about the bumper sticker in general (Prof. Newell, what little there is I’ve read, believe me!), let alone about its effectiveness as an advertising or marking tool in political campaigns.

Most of the information is anecdotal – and like politics filled with opinion – not empirically based on any scientific and replicable methodology. But let’s not let that stop us in our quest to plumb the depths of this matter! Whether they are or are not effective political campaign tools, bumper stickers have not gone by the wayside. For nothing more than their entertainment value, would we want them too? But in terms of semiotics and slogans, they may not make ‘em like they used to.