The Politics of Propaganda: Advertisement
I. What is an advertisement?
A. sells a product
B. sells an idea
C. consumer/dealer relationship
D. images, sounds, words
II. Why is it propaganda?
A. Definition of propaganda —let's look again at our definition of propaganda as we presented it last week.
B. Sway people to a product
C. Sway people to a point of view
D. Purpose —ethos, logos and pathos—this is the fun part about looking at advertisements. Many advertisements do not really have a "logic" to their argument.
Where's the evidence? Some, like dentyne commercials say "4 out of 5 dentists" while others use the advertising modifying words like "nearly" or "virtually." Even political advertisements take such seeming objective evidence out of context. What about ethos? Think about all of the advertisements that show someone official. Why would we believe that a bug be gone or an allergy medication is BETTER simply because someone appears on the advertisement with a white jacket? Why do people look more official when they have phone headsets attached to their heads?
Why do we think we can trust a law office because an ACTOR is sitting on a desk with books behind him? This is the logical fallacy of appealing to the authority of the speaker —ethos—to get people swayed to that point of view. The list continues. We use people with English accents to help sell everything from toothpaste to cars. We use TV and movie stars to sell ideas, products, politics. Again, use (or misuse) of ethos. What about pathos? It's EVERYWHERE in advertisements. It's not just something that makes you cry, but that is very much a part of advertising's way of reeling us in. Every mother's day I bawl at the Kleenex "Love is touch" commercial sung by Kenny Loggins and featuring a mommy and baby. Do I immediately go out and buy kleenex? probably not, but the hope is to keep it in our memories.
III. Why is it "political"?
A. Can we make this claim —absolutely we can make this claim
B. Political functions of ads
1. direct politics/ campaigns--obviously
2. ideology
—there is now a commercial on television hoping to fuel support for
Alzheimer's research. It sparks our fear of losing family members. The effective
MADD campaigns that show video and still footage of happy people killed by drunk drivers also serves as a political ad that plays on our emotions. also, the anti-cigarrette advertisements very much have a political component. so do the ads about Kraft family (a division of philip Morris) and the community.
3. consumer culture —there's something called the politics of personal life where what we wear or how we present ourselves takes on political significance. We need only look at the recent political controversy over store chains like JC
Penney's selling their hip jeans and PACs / family-oriented political organizations opposed to the ads to see how this is so. Several years ago there used to be a vibrating beeper poster and a woman straddled the beeper —in a red dress and spike heels in winter and a red bikini and spike heels in summer. Think about what this advertisement suggests. Many feminist organizations pushed to have

the advertisements removed. And right now there is the mass protest against the racism of Abercrombie and Fitch —not in their ad campaigns, but in their apparel that also helps "sell" a company.
4. But sometimes we can combine the last two together. Sometimes advertisements which appear to be for one thing, are also selling another. Take the recent coca-cola commercials taking place in some region of the middle east, perhaps north africa (morocco, libya, etc.). The boys talk longingly about a longawaited truck. the other questions him furiously. what's it like? it tingles, like a kiss, etc. then we see it, coming over the horizon bringing ice-cold coca-cola to these kids without technology. what's being sold here? Yes, Coke, but what else?
Print advertisements do the same thing. On Wednesday I will bring in some advertisements showing a political purpose and a consumer purpose. We will unpack these ideas in class and show how advertisements are both reflective of our culture (what is acceptable, etc.) and help to shape or influence it as well.
IV. Other functions / discussion