Propaganda Techniques Used In Advertising Analysis

Jay Walker-Smith, the president of Yankelovich Marketing Firm has recently stated that the average person is exposed “to as many as 5,000” ads every single day (Johnson). This gigantic number shows the prevalence of advertising in today’s capitalistic, controlled world. Most people are not shocked to learn that advertisements are everywhere; however, they are often shocked to learn the amount of propaganda used in said advertisements. You, as a consumer, cannot always trust the information shown in advertisements. Many commercials often use an abundance of propaganda techniques that slip right under the radar of the views. The popular Matthew McConaughey Lincoln MKC commercial as well as the George Washington Challenger commercial both contain

McConaughey is driving the Lincoln MKC along a mostly empty highway, at night and goes on to say, “ Sometimes you've got to go back, to actually move forward” (Lincoln Motor Co,2014). Both propaganda techniques of, Glittering Generalities as well as Testimonial can be noted in this specific commercial. Towards the end of the commercial the hashtagged phrase, “#InTheMoment” (Lincoln Motor Co,2014) is flashed on the screen. This is suppose to make the viewer associate the positive phrase “in the moment,” as well as the thought of “living in the moment,” with the car they are trying to advertise. Writer Ann McClintock stated in an essay that often, advertisers will associate attractive and vague terms and slogans to their products to make them more appealing. The words will have, “strong, affirmative overtones,” and will create a positive emotional response within the viewer (McClintock). The technique of Testimonial is also heavily noted in the commercial. The Lincoln Motor Company chose to have, well-liked actor, Matthew McConaughey endorse their vehicles. Lincoln Motor Company is hoping that the public’s love and adoration for McConaughey will be linked to their products. However, this can be misleading; just because a celebrity appears in a commercial for a certain brand or product, that does not mean that the celebrity has anything to do, directly with the

The instantly recognizable, and loved first president of the United States, George Washington is the main spokesman in the commercial. Washington rides up on a troop of Redcoats in a Dodge Challenger (John Smith,2013). Dodge wants the viewer to associate the love of George Washington with their vehicles. If the car is good enough for the first president of the United States, it should be good enough for you, too! Dodge also uses the transfer technique to get the viewer to associate the ideal of “freedom” with their car. McClintock stated in her essay that “advertisers try to improve the image of a product by associating it with a symbol most people respect, like the American Flag” (McClintock). The American flag is seen at the end of the commercial, right before Dodge’s logo is shown. A narrator also cuts in to say “Here’s a couple of things America got right. Cars, and freedom” (John Smith,2013), in the hopes that consumers will associate their car with “freedom” and