Propaganda Techniques and Fallacies

1. PropagandaTechniques and Fallacies Emotional, Rational, and Irrational Argumentation

2. What is an Advertising Appeal? • An advertising appeal refers to the approach used to attract the attention of consumers and/or to influence their feelings toward the product, service, or cause. • It's something that moves people, speaks to their wants or need, and excites their interest. • Often it is the underlying content of the advertisement; think of it as a “movie script”.. How does an advertising appeal differ from propaganda?

3. Fallacy (n) • A false idea or notion • Incorrectness of reasoning or belief

4. Associate fallacies with the three major appeals of argument: • Ethos: ethics ~ character • Ethical fallacy • Pathos: emotional • Emotional fallacy • Logos: logic • Logical fallacy

6. Ethical Fallacies: Rational/Irrational Appeals • Focus on the consumer’s practical, functional, or utilitarian need for the product or service and emphasize features of a product or service and/or benefits or reasons for owning or using a particular brand • Print media is well-suited for rational appeals. • Used by business-to-business advertisers. • Well-suited for complex and high involvement products.

7. Ethical Fallacies unjustly attack an opponent’s character rather than attacking the issue • Ad hominem • Guilt by Association • Appeal to authority • Facts and Figures

8. Ad hominem • attacks the subject personally rather than her/his argument/ idea

9. Guilt/Honor by Association • One claims that someone or something must be irreputable / reputable because of the people or organizations that are related to it or otherwise support it

10. Appeals to authority • Bases the truth value of an assertion on the authority, knowledge, expertise, or position of the person asserting it • A makes claim B; • there is something positive about A, • therefore claim B is true.

11. Facts and Figures (variation on appeal to authority) • Statistics and objective factual information is used to prove the superiority of the product • Example: a car manufacturer quotes the amount of time it takes to get from 0 to 100 m.p.h.

12. Emotional Fallacies

13. How emotional fallacies work? • They relate to the customers’ social and/or psychological needs for purchasing a product or service. • This appeal is so effective because many consumers’ motives for purchase decisions are emotional. • Many advertisers believe an emotional appeal to work better at selling brands that do not differ markedly from competing brands.

14. Emotional Fallacies and Appeals—Play on … • Safety, Security, Fear, Love, Affection, Humor, Happiness, Joy, Nostalgia, Sentiment, Excitement, Arousal/stimulation (sex), Sorrow/grief, Pride, Achievement/accomplishment, Self-esteem, Actualization, Ambition, Comfort

15. Emotional fallacies attempt to overcome readers’ good judgment with overblown or unfair emotional appeals • Magical Ingredients • Plain Folks • Snob Appeal • Bribery • Repetition—Taglines and Tunes • Sex • Bandwagon appeals • In-crowd appeal • Veiled threats • Avant Garde • Glittering Generalities • Scarcity • Humor • Fear

16. Bandwagon appeals • get on the “bandwagon” • everyone is doing it ~ or ~ • everyone supports person/cause, so should you • appeals to the conformist in all • no one wants to be left out of a popular trend

17. In-crowd appeal • If you adopt certain behaviors or beliefs, then you will be cool • GAP commercials, most clothing ads

18. Veiled threats • Adverse consequences will occur of this action is not taken, or this argument is not believed • Example: Brita water filters protect you from harmful contaminants and chemicals

19. Avante Garde • The suggestion that using this product puts the user ahead of the times • Example: A toy maker encourages a child to be the first on the block to have the new toy

20. Glittering Generalities • a generally accepted virtue is usually employed to stir up favorable emotions • problem is that these words/ideas mean different things to different people and are often manipulated • advertisers use these words/ideas in a positive sense • often include words like: • New & Improved! • family values (when used positively), youth, even the word "American."

21. Scarcity Appeals • Based on limited supply or • Based on limited time to purchase. • Often tied with promotion tools such as contests, sweepstakes and coupons. • Encourages customers to take action.

22. Wit and Humor Appeal • Consumers are attracted to products that divert them, giving audiences a chance to laugh or be entertained by clever use of visuals or language • Used in 30% of all advertisements. • Excellent at capturing attention. • Score high in recall tests. • Should be related directly to customer benefit. Or else, the joke can overpower the message.

23. Wit and Humor

24. Fear Appeal • Increases viewer interest in the ad and the persuasiveness of the ad. • Used with health and beauty products, idea marketing, insurance. • Most experts believe that a moderate level of fear is most effective.

25. Magical Ingredients • The suggestion that some almost miraculous discovery makes the product exceptionally effective • Example: A pharmaceutical manufacturer describes a special coating that makes their pain reliever less irritating to the stomach than a competitor’s.

26. Plain Folks • The product is identified with the common sense of people from everyday walks of life • comes off as grassroots and all-American • Example: A cereal manufacturer shows an ordinary family sitting down to breakfast and enjoying their product.

27. Snob Appeal • The suggestion that the use of a product makes the consumer part of an elite group with a luxurious and glamorous life style • Example: A coffee manufacturer show people dressed in formal gowns and tuxedos drinking their brand at an art gallery.

28. Bribery • Seemingly giving something “extra” • Example: Buy a burger; get free fries.

29. Repetition—Tunes and Taglines • Has intrusive value. • Gains attention and increases the retention of visual information. • Can increase persuasiveness of an advertisement.

30. Tunes and TaglinesSee if you can think of the tune that matches each of the following taglines: • Like a good neighbor, • Feel like a woman • Come see the softer side of • I am stuck on_____, cause ________is stuck on me. • State Farm is there • Revlon • Sears • Band Aid

31. Emotional/Personal—Sex Appeal • Subliminal techniques • Nudity or partial nudity • Sexual suggestiveness • Overt sexuality • Sensuality

32. Are Sex Appeals Effective? • Research Results - • Sex and nudity do increase attention. • Rated as being more interesting. • Often leads to strong feelings about the advertisement. • Brand recall is lower. • Often interferes with message comprehension • Be careful sex does not overpower advertisement. • Consider shifting to more sensuality.

33. Logical Fallacies • a component of an argument that is demonstrably flawed in its logic or form, thus rendering the argument invalid in whole • Applying logic, one can usually draw a conclusion from one or more established premises with logical fallacy, however, the premises may be accurate but the conclusion is not.

34. Logical fallacies are usually defined as errors in formal reasoning. They often sound plausible, however, and can be used to convince unwary readers • Begging the question • Hasty generalization • Card Stacking

35. Begging the question • A cyclical argument that is based on an assumption made by the advertiser. • A statement made that depends on an assumption that hasn’t been proved yet. • Example: 60 Minutes claims that it is the best show on television

36. Hasty generalization • Using stereotypes in an argument, making sweeping conclusions based on little evidence

37. Card Stacking • Stacking the cards in favor of the product; stressing the positive qualities and ignoring the negative; it gives us only a partial picture • Example: a brand of snack food is loaded with sugar and calories; so the ad boasts the product is low in fat, implying it is low in calories