I recently listened to the fascinating This is Propaganda podcast mini-series by the marketing agency (and self-proclaimed propagandists), BRINK.
The thesis of the podcast is that most, if not all, of our modern marketing tactics have direct origins in propaganda techniques developed during the first World War.
In the words of the show:
“People don’t buy your product, they buy the “why” behind your product. But it doesn’t matter how much thought leadership you bury it under, the goal is still to shift the beliefs and behaviors of individuals. It’s still propaganda.“
By the end of the show, I started wondering what isn’t propaganda (the last episode is titled “Everything is Propaganda, Even You”, so you can guess what conclusion they come to).
Here’s my two cents:
- Propaganda is the propagation of a particular point of view. It always has a “right” answer implied, no matter how well hidden it may be.
- Propaganda ceases to be propaganda when there is a real and acceptable possibility of disagreement or opportunity for mutual influence through dialogue.
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So . . . what do you think?
Is your marketing propaganda?
Is this propaganda?
