Advertising and propaganda are two of the strategies used by individuals, groups and even organizations to influence the behavior of others about something. The two terms might be used interchangeably; however, they have different meanings, usage and objectives.
Advertising refers to the activity of developing advertisements for the purpose of attracting the attention of the public towards a particular product or service. Advertising involves the use of multimedia approaches to influence prospective customers. On the other hand, propaganda is a kind of promotional tool that is biased in nature and has the objective of promoting a specific product, service or a specific set of ideas because of the vested interest of the propagandist.
In rest of the article advertising vs propaganda, we will discuss the terms advertising and propaganda in further detail and explain the difference between them.
Definitions and meanings
Advertising
Advertising is one of the promotional tools used by companies to present the features, qualities and benefits of their products to the target market. The objective of advertising is to make the target market aware of the product, service, idea, places, organizations, etc. so as to increase their interest and transform them from being the target market to actual customers.
Advertising is a communication method that is non-personal and persuasive in nature and is carried out with the aim of reaching the highest number of people at the same time. It amounts to the the key promotional message that is put forward by the company or sponsor with the aim of informing or persuading the target market to take action.
In current times, a number of traditional and modern advertising approaches are available for businesses to choose from. Some examples of traditional methods are print media, including advertisements in newspapers, magazines, posters, brochures, etc., and broadcast media, including radio, television and internet. Modern techniques include advertising through emails, digital media (including social media), pop-ups, etc.
Propaganda
Propaganda is a systematic means of influencing the minds, feelings and opinions of a target group to accomplish a given objective. A typical and widely adopted approach to achieve that objective is to disseminate biased and manipulated information at large.
Propaganda refers to a non-objective group of messages that are mainly directed towards the public. These may include anything from facts to half-truths and rumors that usually have the aim of influencing the feelings, ideas, perspectives, attitudes or opinions regarding something tangible or intangible, so as to back a certain cause, modify a social trend or even to support a political agenda. This is done by implementing language-persuasive methods so as to compel the target market to react in an irrational or emotional manner.
In propaganda, the positive points and aspects of a product, idea or group are highlighted, while the facts and truths may be suppressed or distorted, and criticisms and disapprovals may be concealed. Propagandists stress on those aspects of information that support their perspectives or cause, while paying little attention to those aspects that are against their cause. Sometimes, false and/or misleading statements are also made by propagandists to obtain support for their ideas. It is this manipulative nature of information being widely disseminated by propaganda that makes it different from advertising. It may be carried out through speeches, movies, music, documentaries, artwork or any other approach that may be effective in the eyes of propagandist.
Difference between advertising and propaganda
The main points of difference between advertising and propaganda are given below:
1. Basic meaning
Advertising is a means of presenting the products and services to the target audience in a way that they are attracted to them. It seeks to influence the target market by presenting tailored messages regarding the product or service through advertisements. On the other hand, propaganda is a means of communicating information and ideas in a manipulative manner so as to obtain their support towards a given cause. Propaganda is carried out with the aim of promoting a specific idea, view or cause.
2. Objective
The objective of advertising is to draw the attention of the public towards a specific product or service and alter consumer preferences. However, propaganda follows a certain mindset and tries to distort the truth and present facts in a biased manner.
3. Intent
Advertising seeks to change the preference of consumers towards a given product or service, whereas propaganda seeks to alter the mindset of people to support a specific idea, program or cause.
4. Information presented
Advertising usually involves the presentation of factual information to the target market, with the features and benefits of the product or service specifically being highlighted to attract customers. On the other hand, the information presented in propaganda is misleading, with the propagandist only sharing those aspects that are beneficial to them, while concealing other aspects.
5. Main use
Advertising is mainly used in the consumer market for the promotion of products and services. On the contrary, propaganda can be used in a variety of fields, in addition to consumer market, including religious, political and social domains.
6. Outcome
Advertising leads to an increase in the sales of a company, because of which its market share and customer base increases. In contrast, propaganda leads to acquiring majority or superiority over something, while making the other product or aspect seem inferior.
Advertising vs propaganda – tabular comparison
A tabular comparison of advertising and propaganda is given below:
|
||||
| Meaning | ||||
| Marketing strategy used by companies to promote a product or service. | Presenting the information in a biased manner so as to gain support towards a given cause. | |||
| Objective | ||||
| Draw the attention of consumers towards a certain product or service. | Present information in a distorted and biased manner. | |||
| Intent | ||||
| Change the preferences of consumers | Change the mindset of consumers | |||
| Information presented | ||||
| Factual data and/or information | Inaccurate, biased and misleading information | |||
| Main use | ||||
| Mainly used in consumer market | Used in various fields, including consumer market, political, social and economic fields | |||
| Outcome | ||||
| Increase in company sales and market share | Gaining superiority over a product | |||
Conclusion – advertising vs propaganda
Often, advertising and propaganda are used interchangeably, with the basic difference between the two being disregarded. This is because similar methods are frequently used by both advertising and propaganda to endorse particular products or ideas.
However, it is vital to comprehend that though information is used in both the methods as a means of influencing the mindset and viewpoints of the public, in propaganda, the information is usually manipulated in accordance with the agenda of the propagandist. However, in advertising, information is presented based on facts because incorrect and distorted information will be detrimental for the advertiser’s brand power.
