PROPAGANDA• What is it?

• What are the different types?

• Why does it matter?

“Buy from

me-even if

you don’t

need it!”

What is it?

• Propaganda: any technique that attempts to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes, or behavior of a group in order to benefit the sponsor

• Propaganda is intended to make us accept or approve something without looking closely at the evidence

• People who use propaganda use emotions to make you avoid critical thinking

Why does it matter?

• Understanding propaganda devices can help you:– Save a lot of money– Make better political decisions– Distinguish between fact and opinion– Learn how to persuade others

We will learn about 8 types of propaganda

• Testimonials• Glittering Generalities• Transfer• Plain Folks

• Bandwagon• Name Calling• Card Stacking• Repetition

Testimonials

• The use of well-known, respected people to endorse a product or service.– Celebrity spokesperson: the intent is to associate the

product or service with the famous person. If the famous person believes the product is acceptable, the idea is that the consumers will too.

– “Everyman” approach: the idea is to have consumers relate to the person describing his or her experience with the product or service. If it fills their need, it should fill the consumer’s need.

Celebrity Testimonial

• This image of Tiger Woods golfing is being used to promote Nike golf products. The consumer is made to believe that if they buy the same products that Tiger Woods uses, they will experience the same “victory”.

Celebrity Testimonial

• How about commercials on television? Do they use celebrities to advertise their products? You bet they do!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDO9hP-xKL8

“Everyman” Approach• This is an ad for the

internet dating website eHarmony. It features a happy couple in love. Near the woman’s skirt, it has their names and wedding date. The consumer is led to believe that since eHarmony matched this couple up, it would work the same for them.

Glittering Generalities

• This is the act of using words or ideas that evoke a positive emotional response from an audience. Virtue words are often used.

• They often use such intensely appealing words that are associated with highly valued concepts and beliefs that they influence the audience without using any supporting information or reason.

Glittering Generalities (cont.)

• They appeal to such emotions as love of country or home, desire for peace, freedom, glory, honor, etc.

• They ask for approval without examination of the reason. The words and phrases are vague and suggest different things to different people, but are always positive.

Glittering Generalities• Common Virtue Words

– Virtually, More, New

– Low Fat, Better, Pride

– Honor, Peace, Happiness

– Prosperity, Freedom

• Ask yourself:– What does the virtue word really mean and does it have a

real connection with the product or service?

– Leaving the virtue word out of consideration, what are the merits of the idea or product itself?

Glittering Generalities• This is an ad for Lean Cuisine

meals. It implies that the meals are inexpensive and nutritious. Notice that nowhere in the ad does it give nutritional information. This meal has 300 calories, 6 grams of fat, and 590 miligrams of Sodium (which is 50% of the recommended daily amount). Also, Lean Cuisine meals cost on average around $3.00 at the grocery store. For a ten ounce meal, that’s hardly an inexpensive price.

Glittering Generalities• Another type of ad that commonly

uses this approach is the typical political ad.

• Check out this ad for George W. Bush from 2000. It was made in Detroit, Michigan, which is now a poverty-stricken, bankrupted area. Do you think the people of Detroit still “trust” him? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FxL242-z6I

• Obama ad- “Change we can believe in”- Change? Change what? Where are the specifics? What is the plan?

Transfer

• Transfer is the act of relating something or someone we like or respect with a product. Symbols are constantly used in this form of propaganda.– Common symbols:

• The flag represents the nation.• Uncle Sam represents a consensus of public opinion.• A cross represents Christianity.• The Star of David represents the Jewish faith.

– Transfer symbols can be used both for and against causes and ideas.

Transfer

• This ad for hand sanitizer shows a doctor, a nurse, and another woman (maybe a patient, probably a mother) all promoting germ-x. The small print is very hard to read, but it tells the consumer that these people are paid actors, not real doctors and nurses. The sponsor knows that consumers will transfer their trust of doctors to these actors because of the labcoat, stethoscope, etc.

Transfer• You may be thinking,

“Hand sanitizer? It is something that helps you stay healthy! How is that propaganda?” How about this one? This is a real ad for Camel cigarettes. It shows a “doctor” promoting Camel cigarettes and calling them “Fresh”.

Plain Folks

• Plain folks is when celebrities or politicians appear to be everyday people in order to sell a product or service. Speakers and ads appear to make the person to be “one of the people.”– Propagandists use ordinary language, mannerisms, and

clothing in an attempt to identify their point of view with that of the average person.

– Using this method, the propagandist can win the approval of people who resent or distrust foreign sounding, intellectual speech, words, or mannerisms.

Plain Folks

• Examples:– Bill Clinton eats at McDonalds.– Ronald Reagan chops wood.– Jimmy Carter was a humble peanut farmer.

• Ask yourself:– What are his ideas worth when separated from his

personality?– Is he trying to cover up or hide anything by acting this

way?– What are the facts?

Plain Folks

• Former president Bill Clinton had soaring approval ratings after pictures surfaced of him in ordinary clothes enjoying a meal at McDonald’s. He’s just like everyone else, right?

Plain Folks

• Here is a picture of Governor Mitch Daniels posing on his motorcycle. Remember his campaign slogan “My man Mitch”? He was clearly using the plain folks method of propaganda.

Bandwagon

• This method attempts to persuade people to take a course of action that “everyone else is taking.” The idea is that everyone wants to join the crowd or be on the winning side. It appeals to people’s natural desire to be accepted.

Bandwagon

• Examples:– McDonalds boasts that billions have been

served.– World War II posters encouraged others to buy

bonds by showing how many other people had bought one.

Bandwagon

How are these ads examples of the bandwagon method?

Name-calling

• Name-calling is the use of names that evoke fear or hatred in the viewer. The name-calling technique links a person or idea to a negative symbol.– The most obvious type of name calling involves “bad

names.” • Fascist

• Pig

• Yuppie Scum

• Bum

Name-calling (cont.)

• A more subtle form of name-calling involves words or phrases that are selected because they have a negative charge. They make people distrustful.– Radical– Stingy– Counter-culture

Examples of Name-Calling

• This poster is a play on World War II posters. It equates communism with downloading MP3s.

Examples of Name-Calling

• This is a government advertisement promoting car-sharing clubs. If you didn’t want to carpool, the government was implying that you were a Nazi.

Card-Stacking

• Card stacking is the stategy of showing the product’s best features, telling half-truths, and omitting or lying about its potential problems.– Examples:

• Drug manufacturers do this frequently in ads in which they skim over the possible harmful side effects of the product. Facts are selected which strengthen the point of view of the sponsor and facts are diminished or omitted that don’t support the sponsor.

Card Stacking

• This print ad for cable modems uses the card stacking method. It lists facts about cable modems in comparison to DSL. The facts selected strengthen the point of view of the sponsor.

Card Stacking

• This coupon is an example of card stacking. In big, bold letters, it advertises that the consumer can save 20% off regular and sale purchases throughout the entire store. If you read the fine print, though, you will find that there are numerous brands that this sale doesn’t apply to.

Repetition• It is when the product name is repeated

many times during an advertisement. This technique may use a jingle, which is appealing to the masses and fits into their minds.– I’m sure we all are familiar with this example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_SwD7RveNE

Challenge!

• Let’s see how many different types of propaganda you can find in this advertisement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7vvqurLAWU