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Propaganda Techniques

Propaganda aims to influence public opinion and behavior through selective presentation of ideas rather than providing the full truth. It is used to promote political ideologies, religious beliefs, and commercial products. During the 20th century, propaganda took on a more negative connotation in Western countries as a deliberate attempt to mislead people. Common propaganda techniques used in advertising include bandwagon, testimonials, transfer, repetition, emotional words, glittering generalities, name-calling, plain folks, quotes out of context, half-truths, card stacking, black and white fallacies, unstated assumptions, and demonizing opponents. Children are particularly vulnerable targets for propaganda techniques.

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752 views2 pages

Propaganda Techniques

Propaganda aims to influence public opinion and behavior through selective presentation of ideas rather than providing the full truth. It is used to promote political ideologies, religious beliefs, and commercial products. During the 20th century, propaganda took on a more negative connotation in Western countries as a deliberate attempt to mislead people. Common propaganda techniques used in advertising include bandwagon, testimonials, transfer, repetition, emotional words, glittering generalities, name-calling, plain folks, quotes out of context, half-truths, card stacking, black and white fallacies, unstated assumptions, and demonizing opponents. Children are particularly vulnerable targets for propaganda techniques.

Uploaded by

Rushdi Kho Tan
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Propaganda is a set of the messages intended to influence opinions of the masses, not

giving the opponents any opportunity to rebut the idea. Instead of telling people the
truth, propaganda often aims at manipulation of ideas to influence the behavior of a
large number of people. So, it presents ideas selectively. Propaganda is related to
advertising, where it is about promoting a product. It is also used to influence
religious beliefs of society.
During the 20th century, the term propaganda acquired a negative meaning in the
western countries. It meant, a deliberate dissemination of frequently false, but
'obligating' justifications of certain political ideologies. The propagandist seeks to
alter the way people understand an issue in favor of the interest group.

The five types of propaganda techniques used in advertising are Bandwagon,


Testimonial, Transfer, Repetition, and Emotional words.
Bandwagon
It aims at persuading people to do a certain thing because many other people are doing
it. An example can be a soft drink advertisement wherein a large group of people is
shown drinking the same soft drink. People feel induced to opt for that drink as it is
shown to be consumed by many. Snob appeal is the reverse of bandwagon. It indicates
that buying a certain product will make you stand out from the rest, as the masses
won't afford to buy it.
Testimonial
This propaganda technique uses words of an expert or a famous person to promote a
particular idea. For example, a sportsperson is shown recommending a brand of shoes.
Generally, people idealize celebrated figures. So celebrities are used to advertise
certain products. A testimonial has to be reasonable. Advertisers are cautioned not to
use false testimonials, as they lack authenticity.
Transfer
In this technique, qualities of a well-known person are associated with a product to
promote or demote it. Linking an item to a respected person is positive transfer.
Creating an analogy between a disliked person and a product is negative transfer. It is
also used during war times.
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 in their minds.
Emotional words
This is meant to generate positive feelings in the minds of the masses. Words like
'luxury' or 'paradise' are used to evoke certain feelings in the minds of the people,
which they associate with the product.
Glittering generalities is another important technique of propaganda. Generalities are
logical fallacies. They are often vague but positive ideas. An example could be, "It's
cool!" What is cool is not specified. It implies the use of appealing words giving no
concrete idea of what the words are talking about.
Name-calling, also called stereotyping or labeling is another propaganda technique.
Direct name-calling is a direct attack on an opponent. If it is likely to annoy the
audience, indirect name-calling is used. In this case, sarcasm is employed. Cartoons
and photographs are used in name-calling. This technique is often used in politics.
In the 'Plain Folks' propaganda technique, common people are attracted on the basis
of their common values. The current vernacular of the target audience is used.
Scholastic speech seems artificial. So errors are made on purpose to give the feeling
of spontaneity. 'Homey' words, as they are called, are used, so that the audience can
connect to the propagandist. 'It's Morning in America' is an example of the 'Plain
folks' strategy. This technique is used with glittering generalities.
'Quotes out of Context' is a technique of selectively changing quotes to change
meanings. It is used in political documentaries. The 'Half truth' technique makes use
of a deceptive statement. Double meaning may be used to misinterpret a truth. 'Card
stacking' is another propaganda technique, where information is manipulated to make
a product appear better. Only the facts in favor of the propagandist are used. The
advertisement of comparison between Apple Macintosh and Windows computers is an
example of card stacking. The success of this technique lies in the choice of facts or
cards and the way they are stacked by the propagandist.
'Black and White fallacy' aims at presenting only two choices to the public. At
times, direct order is used whereby decision-making of the audience is simplified by
telling them the steps they need to take. On the other hand, 'Unstated assumption' is
used when the propagandist does not want to state the concept explicitly. Here the
concept is repeatedly implied.
The technique of demonizing the enemy, makes the people with an opposing
standpoint, appear inferior. The use of the term 'gooks' for NLF soldiers during the
Vietnam War-era is an example of this type of propaganda. Obtaining disapproval is
another technique of obtaining disfavor of an idea by signifying that it is of the 'hated
lot' of the society.
Children are most vulnerable to different types of propaganda techniques. They
cannot reason to decide whether a message is propaganda or not. They are highly
fascinated by the media and influenced by the behavior of their peers. They assimilate
propaganda promiscuously. Actually, most of us, at many points of time fall prey to
propagandists and are tempted to do the things they suggest us to.

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