1. The Art of Propaganda

2. The Intent
1) Propaganda is the use of arguments to convince someone of something
a) Whether it is to vote for them (campaign sings), buy their product (advertisements), or convince us that their point of view is right (Public Service Announcements).
2) Propaganda is a way of manipulating people.
3) Regardless of the Propaganda’s intentions—and they can be good—Propaganda is ALWAYS bad:
a) It is designed to do your thinking for you.
b)It is designed to discourage you from digging deeper.

3. The Intent (cond.)
4) Propaganda clouds reality and gets in the way of clear and honest thinking.
5) Blind acceptance of Propaganda is the objective of those perpetuating it.

4. Ten Commandments of Propaganda
1) Divide and Conquer
a) More small groups are easier to pit against each other
2) Tell the people what they want
a) Pander to the masses
3) The bigger the lie, the more people will believe it
a) Make statements grandiose and loud
4) ALWAYS appeal to the lowest common denominator
a) It’s O.K. to “dumb it down”

5. Ten Commandments of Propaganda (cond)
5)Generalize as much as possible
a) Paint in broad strokes
6) Use "expert" testimonial
a) Have someone known or relatable “pitch” it
7) Refer often to the "authority" of your office
a) Remind public of knowledge and power

6. Ten Commandments of Propaganda (cond)
8) Stack the cards with "information"
a) Use as much supportive evidence as possible
9) A confused people are easily led
a) More informed means more skeptical
10) Get the "plain folks" onto the "bandwagon"
a) Appeal to the common man & he will follow

7. Propaganda Techniques
The following is a list of Propaganda Techniques that are commonly used in advertising, politics, etc.
Techniques can be used in combination, or individually. Here are the most common methods:

8. Propaganda Techniques
Testimonial: people endorsing certain idea or belief
a. Tiger Woods & Nike

9. Propaganda Techniques
Euphemism: used in order to make a blunt or unpleasant truth seem less harsh.
Examples of euphemisms that fall into this category include:
Passed away instead of died
Correctional facility instead of jail

10. Propaganda Techniques
Plain Folks: use of ordinary people to portray “common man” a. Every Wrangler Jeans commercial EVER made

11. Propaganda Techniques
Bandwagon: encourages immediate support a. “don’t be left out”, “for 2 days only”

12. Propaganda Techniques
Name Calling: attacks someone’s reputation, actions or record a. See most any “negative” campaign commercial

13. Propaganda Techniques
Fear; plays on deep-seated fears; warns the audience that disaster will result if they do not follow a particular course of action. Example: an insurance company pamphlet includes pictures of houses destroyed floods, followed up by details about home-owners’ insurance.

14. Propaganda Techniques
Glittering Generalities; use of virtue words; the opposite of name calling, i.e., links a person, or idea, to a positive symbol. Examples: democracy, patriotism, family

15. Propaganda Techniques
Logical Fallacies; making huge predictions about the future on the basis of a few small facts. Example: If the U.S. approves NAFTA, thousands of jobs and factories will move to Mexico

16. Propaganda Techniques
Rewards ; propaganda that gives a reward. This will make the customers more interested because of the reward.

17. Propaganda Techniques
Testimonial; a public figure or a celebrity promotes or endorses a product, a policy, or a political candidate. Examples: an athlete appears on the Wheaties box; an actor speaks at a political rally

18. Propaganda Techniques
Transfer; a device by which the propagandist links the authority or prestige of something well respected and revered, such as church or nation, to something he would have us accept. Example: a political activist closes her speech with a prayer

19. Campaigns