“Spinning Sin”
spin, v. tr.
- To provide an interpretation of a statement or event, especially in a way meant to sway public opinion
spin doctor, n. slang
- A person who publicizes favorable interpretations of the words and actions of a public figure, especially a politician.
- A spokesperson for a political party or candidate who tries to forestall negative publicity.
The following is a list of formal definitions of these propaganda techniques:
1) Appeal to Fear:
seeks to build support by creating fear in the general population. An example is Squealer’s statement that if the pigs don’t get to eat the apples, Mr. Jones will return.
2) Bandwagon:
attempts to persuade the audience to do something “everyone else is doing.” This “join the crowd”/"Everyone else is doing it" approach is seen in advertisements for products like Coca-Cola, in which a large portion of the population is seen drinking the product. For more info, google "bandwagon"; if need by, add "technique" or "fallacy."
3) Obtain Disapproval:
persuades the audience to support an action or product by convincing them that undesirable people support an opposite action or product. If you wanted to get someone to shop at Park ‘n Shop instead of Wellcome, you might tell them that “only nerds shop at Wellcome.” Since no one wants to be identified as a nerd, they’d switch to Park ‘n Shop!
4) Testimonial:
attempts to build support by having a celebrity endorse a product. This can be seen in many of the cigarette ads that include pictures of and quotes by famous people supporting that brand of cigarette.
5) Repetition:
repeats the name of the product or action. When the sheep go around saying “Four legs good, two legs bad, four legs good, two legs bad” over and over, they are using (or rather, Napoleon is using) repetition.
6) Slogans:
persuade by using a short, striking phrase. If ideas can be put into slogans, they should be. The phrase “Come to where the flavor is. Come to Marlboro country” is a slogan, as is “Four legs good, two legs bad.”
7) Emotional Words:
use strongly worded language to appeal to the audience. Often, American companies will use phrases like “I love my country” to sell products.
Potential Assignment:
In groups of four, you will create an advertising campaign for a certain product aimed at a target audience (group of people you want to buy the product). Though you know your product is harmful, you must use propaganda to sell it anyway. The following are the steps you will take in developing and presenting your project:
1) After I have assigned your product, do research on the Internet and in newspapers and magazines to find out more about your product and how it is currently being marketed. What are the risks associated with the product? How do advertisers sell the product, even if it is generally known to be harmful? What propaganda techniques are used?
2) Create a collage that displays current ad campaigns for the product or related products, and produce a one-page essay that explains how the product is sold now, who it is sold to, and what propaganda techniques are used.
3) Then, think about how you will need to adapt current ads for your product to the target audience you have been given. You will definitely need to change the type of propaganda techniques used and the ads themselves so that you can effectively reach the new audience. You will also need to be aware of the risks the product poses to the audience.
4) Design and create two new, original advertisements for your product and target audience. The two ads should be in two different media. For instance, you may have one glossy magazine ad and a billboard, a brochure and a television commercial, or an Internet ad and a McDonald’s Happy Meal promotion.
5) Present your advertisements to the class in an oral presentation between 10 to 15 minutes. In your presentation, you should discuss your research, present your collage of current advertisements of your product, discuss how you came up with your new ad campaign, and share with the class the different ways you used propaganda techniques to reach the target audience. Each member of your group must take part in the presentation.
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