In 2004, the low-budget documentary “SuperSize Me” caused a sensation. The director, Morgan Spurlock (RIP), filmed himself eating McDonald’s, and only McDonald’s, every day.  It was a brand disaster.  (Here's an [NYT story](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/12/dining/super-size-me-mcdonalds-fast-food.html?auth=login-google1tap&login=google1tap) on how McD's eventually beat the rap)  Today, McDonald’s is bigger, more profitable, more popular than ever.  They turned it around thanks to a change in ad strategy.  Gone was the price-value ethos (They discontinued super-sizing within a year of the film’s release).  In its place was a campaign of ideation – putting viewers back in the familiar place they’d all been before. The nuggets as a kid. The fries late at night with friends. No facts or figures, prices or health studies: just reasons folks love the place and remember it fondly. ###### *McDonalds leveraged “Nostalgia” to combat “Disgust” - no stats required, but their brand and business on the line*  #### Emotion is the key to changing behavior, either for or against. And it’s more important in political advertising than commercial: we can’t sell our french fries every day. We get one chance: election day. So: - Forget the laundry list of issues.   - Be wary of statistics for their own sake.  Use them to justify emotion - Remember, [[Humans Learn Visually]] - Ignore Sunday News shows and pundits. Elections aren't about immigration or inflation; they're about how people feel about immigration, inflation, and the choice of candidates set before them - [[Don’t Let the Pollster Write the Ads]] - Focus full attention on the emotion your target audience is experiencing, then speak to it.