For educators · Lesson plan

Propaganda in advertising

Grades 6–12 Duration One 50-minute period, with homework Standards DE, NJ, TX, CA, IL
Objectives
  1. Explain how advertising differs from propaganda and where the line is crossed
  2. Identify bandwagon, testimonial, transfer, glittering generalities, and card stacking in current advertisements
  3. Recognize native advertising and undisclosed endorsements as hidden sponsorship
  4. Evaluate an advertisement by what it says about the product once the techniques are removed
Procedure

Before class

Students bring three advertisements they have seen in the past week: one print or video, one social media post from a brand, and one from an influencer or creator. Read the compare page on propaganda and advertising.

Procedure

  1. The line (10 min). Ask: is advertising propaganda? Take positions. Then present the distinction from the compare page: advertising names its sponsor and declares its purpose; propaganda hides one or both. Use the Torches of Freedom in three sentences as the case where an advertiser crossed the line.
  2. Five devices (10 min). Review Bandwagon, Testimonial, Transfer, Glittering Generalities, and Card Stacking with one advertising example each, from the technique pages.
  3. Sort (15 min). In groups, students lay out their advertisements and mark the devices on each. Then they sort the advertisements by a second question: is the sponsor clear? The influencer posts are where this gets interesting; look for the disclosure, or its absence, and discuss Native Advertising.
  4. Strip it (10 min). Each student takes one advertisement and writes what it says about the product with every device removed. Many will find there is nothing left; that is the finding.
  5. Close (5 min). Return to the opening question. Has anyone changed position?

Homework

Find one advertisement that gives a genuine reason to buy, with evidence, and one that gives none. Write a paragraph on each. The site's editorial policy explains why the reference uses commercial examples: they are the clearest.

Assessment

Marked advertisements with devices identified, a paragraph stripping one advertisement to its claim, and the homework pair. Assess for correct identification of the devices and for the distinction between a disclosed and a hidden sponsor.