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Propaganda Techniques In Advertising, Media, Politics & Warfare What is Propaganda? And why do we care? Can YOU spot the hidden messages in the examples on this page? It's not as easy as you might think! Why is it important to understand the techniques of propaganda and how they work? Because - tucked in places and designed in ways you might not notice, propaganda designers have been putting hidden messages into television commercials, news programs, magazine ads and more. These messages have been carefully designed to influence our opinions, emotions, attitudes and behavior. Their purpose is to persuade us to believe in something or to do something that we would not normally believe or do. Most importantly, these messages have been designed to benefit someone, and that someone may not be you! The techniques of propaganda are used every day, in the military, in the media, in advertising, in politics, and in all sorts of human relationships. It's not as easy as you might think to spot hidden messages. Propaganda designers know you are on your guard. To get around your guard, they don't put one message into a piece of propaganda - they put lots of messages into each piece! The more you know about propaganda techniques and how they work, the less likely it is that someone will sneak something by you! Nothing says that you can't appreciate a good piece of propaganda, and still agree with the messages hidden within it. But, you don't want to be fooled into doing something you do not wish to do, or conned into believing something that is not true, simply because you've been the target of an effective propaganda campaign. That's why it's important to understand what propaganda is and how it works. Is everything we see and hear propaganda? No, it is not. The word propaganda refers to any technique that attempts to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes, or behavior of a group in order to benefit the sponsor. But the techniques of propaganda are used every day, in the military, in the media, in advertising, in politics, and in all sorts of human relationships. You can even use these techniques on yourself to help you accomplish a goal. For example, if you are on a diet, you might post a picture of a very slim person on your refrigerator door. That might help you to eat less and lose weight. Someone else might be so depressed by that picture that they would actually eat more than they normally would. Someone else might laugh, another might ignore it, although it might affect their behavior anyway. To protect yourself against the techniques of propaganda, three good questions to ask yourself are:
A "Sound" Example! The secret messages in propaganda can be hidden in many ways! Some propaganda is structured using sound. One of my favorite examples of the use of sound was accomplished by the U.S. Army in December, 1989. At that time, there was a dictator, named Manuel Noriega, who lived in Panama (a country in Central America.) The United States wanted Noriega to surrender to the U.S. Armed Forces who had invaded Panama to find Noriega. Noriega was a wanted criminal. They had been sent to Panama to bring Noriega back to the United States, to stand trial for drug smuggling. Noriega did not especially wish to do this. He went into hiding, in Panama. From information the U.S. Army received from their field agents, they knew where Noriega was hiding. They knew he was hiding inside the Nuncia, which is a Catholic retreat, in Panama. They also knew that Noriega hated rock'n roll music. It drove him crazy! The U.S. Army could have stormed the Nuncia. Instead, using the information they had received from their field agents, the U.S. Army shipped specially designed vans down to Panama. These vans were rigged to play rock'n roll music, quite loudly. These vans were positioned right outside the Nuncia, where Noriega was hiding. The sound systems were turned on and left on. Rock'n roll music thundered the Nuncia, 24 hours a day, day after day, unrelentingly. The U.S. Army kept this up until Noriega finally surrendered less than two weeks later. (Click here to learn more about Noriega's crimes and the sentence he received.) This is not to imply that rock'n roll music, played loudly around the clock, was the reason Noriega surrendered, but it certainly helped. To you, or to someone else, this technique might have been an emotional booster, but to Noriega, it was a hateful experience! This was a very effective use of the techniques of targeted propaganda using sound. The sound of the music itself wore him down, but what other messages did this music signal? (Click here for the answer) Follow-up: In January, 2001, we received a most interesting email about this section of our propaganda site. We found it so interesting, that - with the permission of the author - we posted it here.
Note to our students: We have no idea if Manuel R Valenzuela is currently or has ever been associated with the US Department of State. We found his note, however, to be most interesting! As some of you know, before he became a teacher, Mr Donn spent a career in Naval Intelligence, as a member of the SSA at NSA (the National Security Agency, or the No-Name Agency, as they like to say in the movies.) The story we reported is the story he heard. That does not mean that Mr. Valenzuela is incorrect. It means - we don't know. Your mission: Is there an Office of Intelligence and Threat Analysis, at the US Department of State? Hidden Messages Self Test Your Skills! Propaganda does not rely on pictures or words or sound
or scent. Color and design can carry many hidden messages. Remember: The word
propaganda refers to any technique that attempts to influence the opinions,
emotions, attitudes, or behavior of a group, in
order to benefit the sponsor. The
purpose of propaganda is to persuade. Can YOU spot the secret messages BACKGROUND:
Propaganda Literature: Desert Storm/Desert Shield
1990/1991 PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE
IN THE PERSIAN GULF WAR, DID SADDAM HUSSEIN USE PROPAGANDA? Absolutely! Here are two examples. This one backfired. Topic: Hussein "showed" U.S. POW's on Baghdad television. It was obvious from the appearance of our POW's that they had been beaten. They also appeared drugged. (Our POW's were released after the war and came home safely.) Purpose: (by Hussein): To encourage U.S. citizens to protest against the war. He expected our reaction to be one of fear. Result: This did not instill fear in Americans. It made us angry, and bolstered American support for this war. This shows how propaganda can backfire if you don't understand your audience. This one was more successful. Topic: One of the many highly publicized incidents during this war was the U.S. bombing of what Saddam Hussein announced was an infant milk factory. Did the U.S. bomb a milk factory? Our intelligence agents reported that this was a chemical warfare factory. The Iraqi government insisted it was a milk factory. To prove their point, they escorted the CNN news team to the site of this bombing. The CNN team was not allowed inside the building as it was severely damaged. However, on the outside of the bombed building, hanging on the outside wall, was a big sign (huge sign, undamaged) that said MILK FACTORY. Oddly, this sign was not written in arabic. It was written in english! Purpose: (by Hussein): This clever piece of propaganda by Hussein was designed to encourage english speaking people to protest the war, or, at the very least, to feel guilty (and thus less likely to fight) or to blame the United States for needless acts of aggression. What else might this imply? How about: Does the United States take responsibility for their actions? Do we realize what we're doing to people? Do we care? (Does this sound familiar?) Result: Our eyes are used to reading things in the english language. Some Americans, who watched the CNN broadcast, might overlook the fact that this sign was posted on a building in Iraq, and might react with their hearts and not their heads. Certainly, this sign might have been specially posted so that the cameras could easily identify the bombed building as a "Milk Factory" to english speaking viewers. But, because the sign was written in english, instead of arabic, it clearly shows it was a staged effect. However it got there, this sign, this staged piece of propaganda, personalized the war via the association of babies, of innocents. Thus, for many Americans, it was an effective piece of propaganda whether you believed the infant milk factory story or not. IS PROPAGANDA ALWAYS NEGATIVE? People often think of propaganda as something negative, as in a con or a lie. But propaganda really doesn't have anything to do with negative or positive. It's a technique. The word propaganda refers to any technique that attempts to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes or behavior of a group in order to benefit the sponsor. In a war, when you use propaganda to encourage your own side, this technique is often called reverse propaganda or reverse psychological warfare. If propaganda is negative, then "reverse propaganda" must be positive, right? Nah. No matter what you call it, it's still propaganda, and its purpose is unchanged. The purpose of propaganda is to persuade (in order to benefit the sponsor.) Here are two examples of "reverse" psychological warfare. Can you spot the secret messages hidden in these pieces of propaganda? Let's see! REVERSE PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE Self Test Your Skills EXAMPLE OF REVERSE
PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE This very clever piece of reverse psychological warfare was a postcard, created by the U.S. Army, and freely distributed to U.S. troops. It had three main purposes. Purpose #1: It was created to encourage soldiers to write. Soldiers who write and receive mail are happier. Purpose #2: It was designed to instill confidence and a warlike spirit to people who see them. The use of a circle around a map implies global effort and containment. This emblem or logo-like design also images global power and world leadership. Purpose #3: It was worded to provide a touch of humor to lighten the mood of those sending and receiving these postcards. What messages do you think are hidden in this card that might support the phrase "Summer Tour 1990"?
A Little Quiz ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF REVERSE
PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE This piece of propaganda is extremely well done. It was produced by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information. This postcard was freely distributed to all english speaking troops in Saudi Arabia, including U.S. military personnel. It is bordered with the flags of the many countries who supported Kuwait during this conflict, and is a great example of reverse psychological warfare. This particular postcard has been though a lot. It has also been reduced in size, to save loading time, as have all the examples in this section. We've typed the poem in the box on the right, next to the card, so that you can read it more easily. This is the same poem (if you could read it) that is printed on the card itself.
Do you think this striking border display of national flags (of the many countries who supported Kuwait in this conflict) was designed for a purpose other than color? What do you think about the contents of the poem? Do you think it's important to emphasis that our troops are there for some other purpose than protecting our oil supplies? How about the use of the words heroes, Valentine's Day, or our name for this conflict, Desert Storm? Why do you think they used a picture of a jet flying overhead? Why do you think they used a dark sky at the top of the card, compared to the bright clear sky over a Kuwaiti mosque in the picture in the bottom left hand corner? How about the shape drawn around the poem? Is this the shape of the country of Kuwait? (Is it a coincidence that the country of Kuwait is shaped like our Liberty Bell, or has the country outline been alerted slightly?) The more you look, the more you see! Some of what you see may not have been intended by the propaganda designer, but it still affects you! What's important to remember is that propaganda is designed to benefit the sponsor. The sponsor in this example is Kuwait. The benefit to Kuwait is freedom. The overall goal is to encourage (to persuade) continued help to gain and maintain that freedom. Your job is to identify three messages you see hidden in the design of this postcard and what you think the purpose of each of those messages might be. (Hint: There are messages in the poem, the pictures, the colors, the shapes!) Message/Purpose #1. _______________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Message/Purpose #2. _______________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Message/Purpose #3. _______________________________________________ BONUS QUESTION: Choose the best answer. Propaganda is designed to _____.
BONUS QUESTION: Choose the best answer. The messages in propaganda can be hidden in _______.
Hidden Messages! Answer Section Hidden Messages (Rock'n Roll Music, around the clock): How about: We know you're there. Take your time. No rush. We'll wait. You might as well give up and come out because we are not going to go away. Hidden Messages (Cartoon of Hussein) This one is devious. Did you notice the use of the english words "oops" and "THUD"? Arabic has words that mean the same thing, so why the use of english? Are we laughing at Hussein? Certainly we don't expect the Iraqi soldiers to laugh with us, but ... have you ever had someone tell you something rotten about a person you deeply honored and respected? It probably made you mad, so mad that you kept thinking about it. Later on, if this person you looked up to, did something that upset you, what might come to mind? This cartoon uses the propaganda technique of name-calling, through pictures. It implies that Hussein is a showboat, a fool. He's such an idiot that he cut off his own head. This is your leader. Do you really think he has any idea of what he is doing? There's more! Look at the use the shadows around Hussein's feet. This is not one moment in time; this cartoon implies that he has been a fool more than once. Look at the body shape, especially the arms. Does he have any muscle? What is Hussein wearing? Is he wearing anything? Stripped down, take a look at the real Hussein. What is important to him - his rank or his people? This piece of propaganda is loaded! Yet, it is deceptively simple in appearance, as if its only purpose is to make you laugh. That is possibly why they used "oops" and "THUD". Remember, we air dropped this piece in huge numbers over Iraqi troops. If an Iraqi soldier found one of these pieces on the ground and picked it up, it would probably make him angry. He might think that this was something we first distributed to ourselves, to have a good laugh. He might show it to another soldier, to share his anger. In the process, he would be helping to distribute this incredibly well done piece of carefully designed propaganda. In fact, we did not first distribute this piece to ourselves, but you can see why an Iraqi soldier might think that we did. These are only some of the secret messages hidden in this piece. (With all the messages packed into each piece, you can see why a good propaganda campaign might work. Spooky, isn't it?) Try putting your arms and hands in the same position that Hussein's arms and hands are positioned in any one of these three cartoon images of Hussein. How does it make you feel? Hidden Messages (Carpet bomb) If you guessed - We don't want to hurt you. We're nice guys - you're right! But the real purpose of this piece was to encourage Iraqi soldiers to desert. Hidden Messages (Summer Tour 1990). How about: the sea, the sand, the red, white & blue banner colors in the lettering? This was also designed to appeal to the musical interest of young U.S. troops. Bands have "Summer Tours". Propaganda does not rely on pictures or words or sound. Color and design can carry many hidden messages. Answer to bonus questions on this page: (1) Propaganda is designed to
persuade. Keep your eyes and ears open and question everything. Three good questions to ask yourself are:
Definitions of Propaganda Types of Propaganda There are many techniques commonly used in the dissemination of propaganda. Use this handout to help you identify different types of propaganda throughout Cold War. BANDWAGON: The basic idea behind the bandwagon approach is just that, "getting on the bandwagon." The propagandist puts forth the idea that everyone is doing this, or everyone supports this person/cause, so should you. The bandwagon approach appeals to the conformist in all of us: No one wants to be left out of what is perceived to be a popular trend. EXAMPLE: Everyone in Lemmingtown is behind Jim Duffie for Mayor. Shouldn't you be part of this winning team? TESTIMONIAL: This is the celebrity endorsement of a philosophy, movement or candidate. In advertising, for example, athletes are often paid millions of dollars to promote sports shoes, equipment and fast food. In political circles, movie stars, television stars, rock stars and athletes lend a great deal of credibility and power to a political cause or candidate. Just a photograph of a movie star at political rally can generate more interest in that issue/candidate or cause thousands, sometimes millions, of people to become supporters. EXAMPLE: "Sam Slugger", a baseball Hall of Famer who led the pros in hitting for years, appears in a television ad supporting Mike Politico for U.S. Senate. Since Sam is well known and respected in his home state and nationally, he will likely gain Mr. Politico many votes just by his appearance with the candidate. PLAIN FOLKS: Here the candidate or cause is identified with common people from everyday walks of life. The idea is to make the candidate/cause come off as grassroots and all-American. EXAMPLE: After a morning speech to wealthy Democratic donors, Bill Clinton stops by McDonald's for a burger, fries, and photo-op. TRANSFER: Transfer employs the use of symbols, quotes or the images of famous people to convey a message not necessarily associated with them. In the use of transfer, the candidate/speaker attempts to persuade us through the indirect use of something we respect, such as a patriotic or religious image, to promote his/her ideas. Religious and patriotic images may be the most commonly used in this propaganda technique but they are not alone. Sometimes even science becomes the means to transfer the message. EXAMPLE: The environmentalist group PEOPLE PROMOTING PLANTS, in its attempt to prevent a highway from destroying the natural habitat of thousands of plant species, produces a television ad with a "scientist" in a white lab coat explaining the dramatic consequences of altering the food chain by destroying this habitat. FEAR: This technique is very popular among political parties and PACs (Political Action Committees) in the U.S. The idea is to present a dreaded circumstance and usually follow it up with the kind of behavior needed to avoid that horrible event. EXAMPLE: The Citizens for Retired Rights present a magazine ad showing an elderly couple living in poverty because their social security benefits have been drastically cut by the Republicans in Congress. The solution? The CRR urges you to vote for Democrats. LOGICAL FALLACIES: Applying logic, one can usually draw a conclusion from one or more established premises. In the type of propaganda known as the logical fallacy, however, the premises may be accurate but the conclusion is not. EXAMPLE:
We can see in this example that the Conclusion is created by a twisting of logic, and is therefore a fallacy. GLITTERING GENERALITIES: This approach is closely related to what is happening in TRANSFER (see above). Here, a generally accepted virtue is usually employed to stir up favorable emotions. The problem is that these words mean different things to different people and are often manipulated for the propagandists' use. The important thing to remember is that in this technique the propagandist uses these words in a positive sense. They often include words like: democracy, family values (when used positively), rights, civilization, even the word "American." EXAMPLE: An ad by a cigarette manufacturer
proclaims to smokers: Don't let them take your rights away! ("Rights" is a
powerful word, something that stirs the emotions of many, but few on either side
would agree on exactly what the 'rights' of smokers are.) |
