I Can:
Identify the targeted audience for a selected
passage.
Identify examples of persuasive devices (i.e.,
bandwagon, loaded words, testimonial, namecalling, plain folks, snob appeal).
Identify instances of bias and stereotyping in
print and non-print texts.
Propaganda Techniques
What you should know!
How do you decide who is the best
candidate…
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or which is the
best toothpaste ?
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Looking for facts to back up your choice
is an excellent idea, but find out who is
presenting those facts.
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Are they facts at all, or is the
advertiser using propaganda
techniques to persuade you?
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2002
What are Propaganda
techniques?
• Propaganda is designed to
persuade.
• Its purpose is to influence your
opinions, emotions, attitudes,
or behavior. (It appeals to the
emotions not the intellect.)
• It can be negative or positive.
• The purpose is to benefit the
sponsor.
• It seeks to “guide your choice.”
Characteristics of Propaganda
• In advertising the purpose is to
claim “superiority” in order to
sell product.
• Weasel Words - modifiers that
look substantial but are
meaningless.
• Makes audience believe in
something or want to do
something.
Who uses Propaganda?
•Military
•Media
•Advertisers
•Politicians
•You and I
What are some of the techniques
used to persuade us?
•Bandwagon
•Name-calling
•Testimonial
•Glittering Generality
•Plain-folks appeal
•Emotional words (Loaded
Language)
•Faulty Reasoning
•Fear
•Snob Appeal
• Transfer
• Slogan
• Wit and Humor
• Rewards
• Big Lie
• Scapegoat
• Patriotism
• Advertisers know how to
• target their audiences
• use appropriate persuasive
technique
Audience?
Audience?
Bandwagon
•Everybody is doing this.
•It aims at persuading the people to do a certain
thing because many other people are doing it.
•If you want to fit in, you need to “jump on the
bandwagon” and do it too.
•The implication is that you must JOIN in to FIT in.
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Bandwagon
• Gives impression that you will be
left out if you don’t do what you
are being persuaded
• Example: “See why so many
women have switched”
(Shampoo advertisement)
• Often uses weasel words
For example:
If the whole world
uses this VISA card,
you must need one
too.
Bank of the World Visa CardYou can use it from Tennessee to
Timbuktuanywhere you travel in whole wide
world !!
Sign up today at www.bowvisa.com
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Everyone in Auburn is supporting Bob Riley.
Shouldn’t you be part of the winning team?
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 soft drink as it is shown to be consumed by
many.
Now it’s your turn:
Write two examples of Bandwagon
technique.
Pass your paper to the person in front of
you. Read the examples and determine if
they are Bandwagon technique examples.
Name-calling
•A negative word or feeling is attached to an idea,
product, or person.
• If that word or feeling goes along with that person
or idea, the implication is that we shouldn’t be
interested in it.
Name - Calling
• A way of smearing an
opponent
• Intent is to damage
opponent
• It also arouses suspicion
of opponent
• Intention is to create an
uneasy feeling
• Used by politicians and
product companies
Name - Calling
In a campaign
speech to a logging
company, the
Congressman
referred to his
environmentally
conscious opponent
as a "tree hugger."
For example:
Do we want a mayor who will leave us in
debt?
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Spending grew 100%
under Mayor Moneybags!
Now it’s your turn:
Write two examples of Name-Calling
technique.
Pass your paper to the person behind
you. Read the examples and
determine if they are Name-Calling
technique examples.
Testimonial
•A famous person endorses an
idea, a product, a candidate.
•If someone famous uses this
product, believes this idea, or
supports this candidate, so should
we.
Testimonial
• Statement endorsing an idea/product by a prominent
person.
• Product can be inside or outside particular field.
• Musical artists,
• Sports giants,
• Actors/actresses
For example:
If we drink milk we
will all be as
famous as Molly
the model.
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Molly the Model
asks, “Got Milk?”
Now it’s your turn:
Write two examples of Testimonial
technique.
Pass your paper to the person in front
of you. Read the examples and
determine if they are Testimonial
technique examples.
Glittering Generality
•A commonly admired virtue is
used to inspire positive feelings
for a person, idea, or product.
•Words like truth, democracy,
beauty, timeless are examples of
those general terms.
Glittering Generalization
• Weasel words used.
• Statement jumps from
a few cases to all.
• “Glittering” because
it’s falsely attractive
• Often used by
politicians
• Uses a “positive”
connotation to
encourage audiences
to accept the product
or person without
examining the
evidence.
Glittering Generalization
Have it
your
way!
This slogan
implies
“choice” which
is a founding
principle of
democracy.
For example:
If you want to
be brighter,
you’ll support
Bill Brite.
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Look on the bright
side!
Vote for Bill Brite !
Now it’s your turn:
Write two examples of Glittering
Generalization.
Pass your paper to the person behind you.
Read the examples and determine if they
are Glittering Generalization technique
examples.
Plain-folks appeal
This idea, product, or person
is associated with normal,
everyday people and
activities.
Plain Folks
• Identifies product/idea with a locality or
country
• Practical product for ordinary people.
Like a good neighbor…
For Example:
We want a Jim Smith, a mayor who
supports the regular American worker.
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Vote for Smith
Now it’s your turn:
Write two examples of Plain Folks
technique.
Pass your paper to the person behind you.
Read the examples and determine if they
are Plain Folks technique examples.
Transfer
•Symbols, quotes, or images of
famous people are used to convey a
message.
•The message may not necessarily
be associated with them.
•Using the names or pictures of
famous people, but not direct
quotations
Transfer
• Using the product
will make you look
or feel like the
people in the ad
Transfer
• Love/ Popularity
• Fame
• Wealth
• Power
Transfer
This technique relies heavily on symbolism.
*Love/ Popularity
*Fame
*Wealth
*Power
During the Kerry vs. Bush
campaign an e-mail
through the internet
showed similar physical
characteristics between
John Kerry and
Frankenstein.
For example:
Joe uses symbols of
America to tie his
restaurant to
American values for
Independence Day.
Celebrate
the American
Way this 4th
of JulyEat at Joe’s
Joe’s Barbeque
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Now it’s your turn:
Write two examples of Transfer technique.
Pass your paper to the person in front of
you. Read the examples and determine if
they are Transfer technique examples.
Emotional words
(Loaded Language)
•Words that leave us with positive
feelings are used to describe a
product, person, or idea.
•We associate those words and,
therefore, those positive feelings
with the product.
•A person is made to have strong
feelings about a situation or product
Emotional Words (Loaded Language)
• Words that will make you
feel strongly about
someone or something
(fear, desire for success,
excitement, being part of
a group)
• “If you want to be cool,
wear this jacket”
Emotional Words (Loaded
Language)
For example:
What feelings
are inspired by
the words “true
love”? If you
wear this
cologne will
someone fall in
love with you?
True Love
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Now it’s your turn:
Write two examples of Loaded Language.
Pass your paper to the person behind you.
Read the examples and determine if they
are Loaded Language technique examples.
Faulty Reasoning
•Factual supporting details are
used though they do not
support the conclusion. It
works like this:
•Christians believe in God.
•Muslims believe in God.
•Christians are Muslims.
For example:
Does this mean
that teachers
need medication
to keep their cool
during the school
day ?
More teachers
recommend Calmme to help them
make it through the
day
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Now it’s your turn:
Write two examples of Faulty Reasoning.
Pass your paper to the person behind you.
Read the examples and determine if they
are Faulty reasoning examples.
Fear
•Our fears are displayed.
•Ideas, candidates, or
products are shown to put
our fears to rest.
For example:
If you use Safety
Ware it will keep
people from
stealing your
identity-or will it?
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Guard against
Identity theft
Use Safety Ware
www.safetyware.com
Now it’s your turn:
Write two examples of Fear.
Pass your paper to the person behind you.
Read the examples and determine if they
are Fear technique examples.
Snob Appeal
• Snob appeal is reverse of plain
folks.
• It indicates that buying a certain
product will make you stand out
from the rest, as the masses won’t
afford to buy it.
Snob Appeal
• Aims to flatter
• Makes assumption/ insinuation
that this product/idea is better
than others…
• Thus, those that use it are too.
• “Avant Garde” ahead of the
times.
Example
The Ultimate driving machine
Examples:
• Dog food is served in a crystal goblet.
• A credit card company offers gold and platinum cards
rather than the original yellow, blue and red.
• The family passes the word that “He went to Jared.”
Now it’s your turn:
Write two examples of Snob Appeal.
Pass your paper to the person behind you.
Read the examples and determine if they
are Snob Appeal technique examples.
Slogan
• A catchword or phrase loaded with emotion
• Often sells through repetition
• Clever and easy to remember
• Stays with you a long time
• Often a melody you already know
“Trust Sleepy’s
For the ‘rest’
Of your life”
Slogan: “Can you hear me
now?”
Relevant facts
• Advertisers spend about $200 billion a year on
TV advertising
• The average cost for Super Bowl ads is $2.6
million per 30 second spot
• The average American watches about 24,000 TV
commercials a year
http://television-commercial.net/
Making Connections
• What is your favorite jingle?
• What slogan for a product do you find yourself
saying?
• What TV commercial has influenced you to make
a purchase?
• Since Taylor Swift and Lady GaGa shop at
Kroger, does that mean we should too?
Reflection
“Persuasion is all around you”
In addition to TV commercials, where else
do you see persuasion all around you? Is
that persuasion influencing you or your
family in any way? Explain.
How do we make sure that we are
making informed choices,
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instead of allowing others to sway us in
our decision-making?
We make our own choices
when …
•we read and listen to reliable sources,
•we watch for combinations of truths
and lies,
•we check for hidden messages,
•we watch for use of propaganda
techniques,
and, most importantly,
www.scottish.parliament.uk/ educationservice
WHEN WE LISTEN TO OUR OWN
VOICES !
1)
Audience?
Purpose?
Persuasive
technique?
2)
Audience?
Purpose?
Persuasive
technique?
3)
Audience?
Purpose?
4)
Audience?
Purpose?
5)
Audience?
Purpose?
Persuasive
technique?
6)
Audience?
Persuasive
technique?
Get out one sheet of paper and
copy the following chart.
The End
Whose Voice Did You Hear?
AD #
1
2
3
4
5
WHO
published this ad?
WHAT
is it about?
WHERE
did you find it?
HOW
did the advertiser
use propaganda
techniques to
persuade?