Propaganda Techniques

Propaganda Techniques

Bandwagon “Everyone is doing it, so you should too!” In other words – you should “jump on the bandwagon” and think/do/act/look a certain way. This technique is very much like peer pressure.

Testimonial Used when a famous or important person endorses a product or idea. The underlying message is that if this important/famous person believes something is a good idea, it must be! This is often used in commercials when showing a famous person using a product.

Transfer The technique of using symbols that evoke a very strong emotion- usually something people either widely respect or despise. For example, the American flag. EX: political candidates in front of the flag. They are trying to “transfer” the good feelings people have about the flag onto themselves.

Repetition This is based on the idea that if you repeat something over and over again, people will believe it. Whether or not it’s true – people often start believing it after hearing it over and over.

Plain Folk A technique that uses ordinary people or “plain folk” to gain trust and confidence with the audience. Plain folk advertising uses words such as “family”, “home”, “children”, or “neighbors” to create a down-home feeling.

Propaganda Techniques