When Gerald Ford was sworn in as President in August 1974, the country was already in an economic crisis with inflation at 12%.

On October 8, 1974, President Ford launched a new program called “Whip Inflation Now,” also known as the WIN Campaign, as a grassroots anti-inflation effort. It operated on the premise that the American consumer held the power to fix the declining economy and poor market conditions through discipline and collective action. The White House stressed individual responsibility for economic decisions, urging the people to work better, buy smarter, invest more, and waste less. 

The White House initially saw increased buy-in from the public in response to the White House’s suggestions. Flyers and signs were displayed in storefronts to show participation in WIN activities. Buttons, baby bibs, playing cards, and t-shirts were worn and displayed by the public to increase visibility for the program. Coworkers carpooled to work and families took vacations closer to home to save money on gas. Citizens began growing their own “WIN Gardens” following the plan of the White House vegetable garden, modeled after the “Victory Gardens” of World War II, to save money on groceries. The National Commission on Inflation received letters from the public with citizens' personal stories of how they were fighting inflation. Even children participated, writing of their own cost-saving actions like turning lights off when they weren’t in use to save energy.

A plastic sign features three large white letters enclosed in a red circle. Curvy blue text is below it.

WIN [Whip Inflation Now] Logo Sign 1987.617.2; Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum, Grand Rapids, MI

WIN [Whip Inflation Now] Logo Sign 1987.617.2; Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum, Grand Rapids, MI

A white bib features an image of two children riding a bicycle; a small child rides along in a wagon that is attached to the bike. Above the image, a red circle encloses three white letters. A horizontal line of red curvy text is below the image.

WIN [Whip Inflation Now] Bib 1987.555.3; Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum, Grand Rapids, MI

WIN [Whip Inflation Now] Bib 1987.555.3; Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum, Grand Rapids, MI

(a) A round red tray features three large white letters. (b-i) Eight round red coasters each feature three large white letters. Their rims are white.

WIN [Whip Inflation Now] Party Tray Set 1987.493.1.1 a-i; Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum, Grand Rapids, MI

WIN [Whip Inflation Now] Party Tray Set 1987.493.1.1 a-i; Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum, Grand Rapids, MI

Visit the Digital Artifact Collection to view more WIN artifacts.

Despite this initial buy-in, as time wore on and the promised economic results did not materialize, public support for the WIN Campaign dwindled. President Ford attempted to garner more support from local governments to convince the public, but this also failed to materialize. The WIN program lived only a few months and was officially halted in March of 1975.

Selected Digitized Holdings Related to the WIN Campaign