The use of propaganda in advertising is nothing new, but the way it is used has evolved over time.
Today, advertisers often use psychological techniques to influence viewers’ attitudes and behavior. This can be done through the use of catchy slogans, persuasive arguments, or emotional appeals.
Some common propaganda techniques used in advertising today include:
1. Bandwagon Effect: The bandwagon effect occurs when people are influenced to do something because others are doing it. Advertisers often use this technique to convince consumers that a product is popular and will be beneficial to them if they buy it.
2. Fearmongering: Fearmongering is the use of fear-based tactics to scare people into buying a product or service. Advertisers may claim that a product is the only thing that can save you from a dangerous situation, or that using a rival product will lead to disaster.
3. False Authority: False authority is when an advertiser uses a figure of authority, such as a doctor or scientist, to endorse a product even though they may have no real expertise in the area. This technique is often used to make people believe that a product is safe and effective.
4. Glittering Generalities: Glittering generalities are positive adjectives used to sell a product without providing any factual information. Advertisers will often use terms like “luxurious”, “premium”, and “exclusive” to make a product seem more appealing.
5. Slogans: Slogans are short, catchy phrases that are often repeated in advertising to create a memorable impression. They are designed to evoke an emotional response and make the viewer think positively about the product.
By understanding these techniques, consumers can be more aware of how advertising is trying to manipulate them and make more informed decisions about what products to buy.
In “Propaganda Techniques in Today’s Advertising,” Ann McClintock claims that advertising has enslaved our thoughts. She says that because of TV, radio, publications, and other forms of advertising, people were brainwashed. We allow these commercials to flood our homes without protest. They implant messages and pictures into our subconscious minds without us even noticing.
McClintock gives a few examples of persuasive techniques that advertisers use to make us believe in their message.
One example is transfer. Advertising often links an unrelated product with a desirable emotion or characteristic in order to increase the attractiveness of the product. For example, a car commercial might show a beautiful woman getting out of the car and walking away, implying that if you buy the car, you will be attractive and successful like her. Another common technique is testimonials, which use statements from real or fictional people to add credibility to the advertisement.
In order to make us feel like we need the product, advertisers also use scarcity. This means that they create a sense of urgency by suggesting that the product is limited or will soon be unavailable. For example, a yogurt commercial might say that the flavor is being discontinued and that if you don’t buy it now, you will miss out.
Advertisers also use fear to persuade us. They might create a sense of danger or insecurity by showing a scary scene or telling us that we will be left behind if we don’t buy their product. Fear-based advertising often uses images of violence, war, and disaster to convince us that we need to buy something in order to stay safe. And finally, advertisers use sex appeal to entice us into buying their products. This can be done by using attractive models or suggesting that using the product will make us more sexually appealing.
While McClintock’s article is written in the early 1990s, many of these techniques are still used today. In order to be aware of how advertisers are trying to control our minds, it’s important to understand the methods they use. So the next time you’re watching a commercial, keep these propaganda techniques in mind and see how they’re being used to persuade you.
Some of the advertisements, according to McClintock, may be deceptive or false, yet their goal is to persuade customers to buy into their products. She mentioned that some folks don’t mind the word propaganda since they believe it is a foreign term or that it’s used in politics; however, propaganda refers to marketing in general, and we see it every day on the internet. According To McClintock, research has shown that people are exposed to about five hundred advertising messages each day.
In this context, it is very hard to be immune to the propaganda techniques. One of the most common techniques in advertisement is repetition. It can be in the form of slogan, phrase or word that company wants people to remember. Advertising Agency Benton & Bowles found out that person had to see a slogan at least seven times before they remember it. Moreover, some companies use celebrities to endorse their products and make it look more appealing to general public.
The use of celebrities could be seen as an appeal to authority, because people tend to believe what celebrities say. Furthermore, advertisers also use fear appeals in order to scare people into buying their product. For example, there are many commercials that show how using a certain product can result in bad things happening to people. While this technique can be effective in getting people’s attention, it is important to make sure that the claims made in the advertisement are accurate.
Finally, one of the most common propaganda techniques used in advertising is called name-calling. This technique is when a company uses negative words to describe their competitors’ products. For example, a company might call their competitor’s product “junk” or “cheap.” This technique is often used when a company doesn’t have anything good to say about their own product. By using negative words to describe the competition’s product, the company can make their own product seem more appealing.
As we can see, there are many different propaganda techniques that advertisers use in order to get people to buy their products. It is important to be aware of these techniques so that we can be less likely to be influenced by them.
