The Propaganda Function in Marketing

Abstract

Advertising is more than a mere extension of personal selling techniques to the printed page or the television screen. The author maintains that it is a special form of propaganda, designed to gain and hold the allegiance of a mass market. He contends that its function is to persuade, not to present a balanced judgment. Advertising must convey its message through the use of symbols which stir the emotions and lead to action; but it forces the improvement of products to fit the changing needs of consumers.