Abstract:
Scholarly accounts of Robert Menzies¿ electoral success in 1949 and Gough Whitlam¿s victory in 1972 invariably refer to the respective victors¿ electoral campaigns. However, the analysis of the campaigns¿ innovative advertising appeals and techniques in these studies is somewhat simplistic. By comparing and contrasting the organisation and execution of the successful campaigns of 1949 and 1972, I demonstrate how these campaigns helped usher Australian politics into the modern era. More broadly, I highlight how commercial imperatives introduced during these campaigns continue to affect the conduct of electioneering in Australia.
