Mr. Harding
A.P. Language & Composition
03/11/2014
Period 3
Advertisements: Just Another
Form of Propaganda
Advertising has been around for centuries. People view advertising as calling attention to one’s product, service, or need. It is often seen in the form of newspapers, magazines, over the radio, television, and billboards. Companies use it to influence consumers to buy products or services that they may want or need. Although companies’ idea behind advertisement is to promote a product or service through fostering free trade and promoting prosperity, advertising is a form of propaganda for the most part. Some may believe that advertising adopts free trade and affluence. Advertising promotes its products through many forms of publications. They’re used to get people to buy different products. Companies become affluent due to these forms of advertising and its consumers. The American Red Cross poster is a form of advertisement in which it promotes free trade and affluence. It encourages people to give blood because they want to be able to help other people by allowing someone else to utilize their blood for something unexpected. However, it is also a form of propaganda. Propaganda is a form of advertising that is biased or promotes a certain point of view. The Red Cross poster is a form of propaganda because it uses diction in a way that only promotes the giving of blood, however it doesn’t show what could be wrong with that. It isn’t a simple action people can take to help prepare others for the unexpected. There are side effects to having blood drawn, yet this isn’t written on the poster. This form of propaganda is bad for communities because it doesn’t show insight on the bad aspects. It just says that it’s good because it can save lives and that’s the only reason they give. Most forms of advertisements are forms of propaganda. Companies use pathos to show that everyone uses their product or to show that it is beneficial to