This document discusses various propaganda techniques used to influence opinions and behaviors, including bandwagon, name-calling, testimonial, glittering generality, plain-folks appeal, transfer, emotional words, faulty reasoning, and fear. It provides examples of how each technique may be used in advertising to persuade consumers. The key techniques are designed to make people feel like they need to join or fit in with others, attach negative labels to ideas or people, endorse products through famous people, inspire positive feelings through commonly admired values, present ideas as relatable to everyday people, inappropriately transfer positive associations, use emotionally charged words, make logical leaps, and play on fears. The document stresses the importance of making informed choices

1. Propaganda techniques in the
media
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002
Whose voice guides your
choice?

2. How do you decide who is the
best candidate…
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002

3. or which is the
best toothpaste ?
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002

4. Looking for facts to back up
your choice is an excellent
idea, but find out who is
presenting those facts.
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002

5. Are they facts at all,
or is the advertiser
using propaganda
techniques to
persuade you?
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002

6. What are Propaganda
techniques?
• Propaganda is designed to
persuade.
• Its purpose is to influence your
opinions, emotions, attitudes,
or behavior.
• It seeks to “guide your choice.”

7. Who uses Propaganda?
•Military
•Media
•Advertisers
•Politicians
•You and I

8. What are some of the techniques
used to persuade us?
•Bandwagon
•Name-calling
•Testimonial
•Glittering Generality
•Plain-folks appeal
•Transfer
•Emotional words
•Faulty Reasoning
•Fear

9. Bandwagon
•Everybody is doing this.
•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.
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002

10. For example:
If the whole
world uses
this VISA
card, you must
need one too.
Bank of the World Visa Card-
You can use it from Tennessee to
Timbuktu-
anywhere you travel in whole wide
world !!
Sign up today at www.bowvisa.com
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002

11. 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.

12. For example:
Do we want a mayor who will leave us in
debt?
Spending grew 100%
under Mayor Moneybags!
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002

13. 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.

14. For example:
If we drink milk we
will all be as
famous as Milly the
model.
Milly the Model
asks, “Got Milk?”
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002

15. 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.

16. For example:
If you want to
be brighter,
you’ll support
Bill Brite.
Look on the bright
side!
Vote for Bill Brite !
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002

17. Plain-folks appeal
This idea, product, or person
is associated with normal,
everyday people and
activities.

18. For Example:
We want a Jim Smith, a mayor who
supports the regular American worker.
Vote for Smith
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002

19. Transfer
•Symbols, quotes, or images of
famous people are used to
convey a message.
•The message may not
necessarily be associated with
them.

20. For example:
Joe uses symbols of
America to tie his
restaurant to
American values for
Independence Day.
Celebrate
the American
Way this 4th
of July-
Eat at Joe’s
Joe’s Barbeque
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002

21. Emotional words
•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.

22. 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
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002

23. 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.

24. For example:
Does this mean
that teachers
need medication
to keep their cool
during the school
day ?
More teachers
recommend Calm-
me to help them
make it through
the day
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002

25. Fear
•Our fears are displayed.
•Ideas, candidates, or
products are shown to put
our fears to rest.

26. For example:
If you use Safety
Ware it will
people from
stealing your
identity-or will it?
Guard against
Identity theft
Use Safety Ware
www.safetyware.com
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002

27. How do we make sure that we are
making informed choices,
instead of allowing others to sway us in
our decision-making?
Clipart-Microsoft Office XP 2002

28. 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,

29. and, most importantly,
www.scottish.parliament.uk/ educationservice
WHEN WE LISTEN TO OUR OWN
VOICES !