Transcript File

PROPAGANDA
• What is it?
• What are the
different types?
• Why does it matter?
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:
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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
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Testimonials
Glittering Generalities
Transfer
Plain Folks
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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
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“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
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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 povertystricken, bankrupted area. Do you
think the people of Detroit still “trust”
him?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F
xL242-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:
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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.”
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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_SwD7Rve
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Challenge!
• Let’s see how many different types of
propaganda you can find in this
advertisement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7vvqur
LAWU