7 TYPES OF PROPAGANDA USED IN ADVERTISING

 Propaganda in advertising is the presentation of information carefully and plausibly stitched together in order to influence how a potential customer sees the product or service thus affecting how they act, think or feel about it. This is how advertisers encourage clients by playing with emotions, their beliefs and even ethics.

PROPAGANDA TECHNIQUE	DESCRIPTION
TESTIMONIAL	Using the testimonies of influencers, celebrities, experts to convince potential customers that their product is worth the money. WHY: This is mainly because if a famous person or one who has a lot of knowledge and experience in the certain field he/she is vouching for, there has got to be something that sets it apart from other products.

“Adam Levine has great skin. One look at his face is enough to tell you that.

He is also a huge superstar with a massive following.

So when he says that a skincare product will treat your acne AND take care of your skin at the same time, you are going to take him seriously.”

CANZ MARKETING

PROPAGANDA TECHNIQUE	DESCRIPTION
CARD-STACKING	Omitting information that could potentially affect the company's image negatively thus adding only information that can lure customers. HOW: make the product appear a lot more attractive than it actually is make the product seem more attractive than similar ones in the market. Manipulate information through the use of statistics or numbers

“This ad uses STATISTICS to portray why the product is healthy. It implies that Sun Chips are better than ‘regular chips’ because they contain 30% less fat than said chips.

But what if the amount of fat in regular chips is so high that 30% less is still very dangerous for you?

You won’t go and check the nutritional value on the back of the packet – the ad will have convinced you to buy the product and potentially cause harm to your body. “

CANZ MARKETING

PROPAGANDA TECHNIQUE

DESCRIPTION

NAME CALLING

Giving a person or an idea a bad label by using an easy to remember pejorative name.  This is used to make us reject and condemn a person or idea without examining what the label really means. This is also called stereotyping. In advertising, it is most common between two brands that are similar, well-known, and have a loyal fan base HOW: Drag competitors down using a comparison of what is NOT found there or what is found there that could be harmful Compare products by dragging the competitors product or services along theirs.

“Everyone knows that MSG is bad for your health. And Select Harvest could have promoted the fact that their

chicken noodle is free from MSG. But they didn’t do that.

Instead, they dragged their competitor down by informing consumers that their product has MSG.

Further, they asked you a question and made you choose, emphasizing that you are responsible for making a

healthy decision when it comes to food.

And that is what you will do by choosing Select Harvest!”

CANZ MARKETING

BANDWAGON

Convincing customers to buy certain products or avail of certain services because everyone else is using it. Hence, giving you the urge to avail as you don’t want to be left out or you don’t want to be missing out on something that is really good. HOW: Use of big numbers that may be good enough to indicate the majority of the populace. Use some of these lines:  "This is the wave of the future",  "Be the first on your block",  "Act Now!"

“A million of your countrymen have tried toothpastes by

this brand (this advertisement is obviously targeted towards

Australians). Don’t you feel left out?

Well, if you hadn’t before, you do after you see this ad. And an

Oral-B toothpaste finds its place in your shopping cart on your

next grocery trip.”

CANZ MARKETING

TRANSFER

Trying to transfer the good or bad feelings you might have toward something which could be associated with the brand, product or service. HOW: Uses a symbol that carries respect, authority, sanction, and prestige is used along with an idea or argument to make it look more acceptable.  Appeals to guilt or someone’s virtues Uses the American Flag, University Seal, Medical Association Symbol (or something that looks like it)

“In this advertisement, the advertiser tells the consumer that this is the

‘real American fragrance.’

What does this do?

It implies that if you buy it, you are a true American.

And if you don’t?

Well, the rest is self-explanatory.

The use of the flag in the background

obviously helps matters.”

CANZ MARKETING

PROPAGANDA TECHNIQUE

DESCRIPTION

GLITTERING GENERALITIES

The use of fancy words that elicit positive responses or feelings from the customers. Which in turn, makes whoever is watching or listening want to buy the product or avail of the services. HOW: Triggers positive reactions Uses words like hope, change, possibility, justice, and others that give off an extremely positive vibe or hype you up among other things. Use words like "Natural", "Democratic", "Organic", "Scientific", "Ecological", "Sustainable WHY:  To trick potential customers into accepting and approving things without examining the evidence carefully.

“The use of the word ‘better’ in this ad is what triggers a positive reaction.

We are always looking for ways to make things better, make experiences better. And that is what this ad promises.

And it doesn’t even stop at food – it isn’t even mentioned.

So anything, ranging from a pizza to a movie to a day out gets better with a Coca Cola.”

CANZ MARKETING

PLAIN FOLKS

Using regular people to bring value to a product or service. This presents a more relatable experience from more relatable people.  HOW: Uses the following lines:  "This is the will of the People", "Most Americans...". when the speaker tells a story about a family or people that are "just like you" to reinforce the speaker's point of view.

“Well, because the mother-child duo with a shopping cart is the perfect example of regular folks indulging in regular

activity.

Any mother who has ever done grocery shopping with their little one can relate to this picture – they see themselves in it.

Paired with the promise of saving money on groceries and gaining the ability to spend it elsewhere to improve the quality

of your life, it is the perfect message.”

CANZ MARKETING

References

Canz Marketing. (n.d.) 7 types of propaganda techniques advertisers use. https://www.canzmarketing.com/7-types-of-propaganda-techniques-advertisers-use/

Propaganda techniques to recognize. (n.d.) https://www.uvm.edu/~jleonard/AGRI183/propoaganda.html