Isn't it easier to see the evil parts of advertising if one calls it a form of propaganda than the other way around?
In my opinion: using the first sentence of the wikipedia articles for advertising and propaganda, I would argue that advertising is a sub-set of propaganda:
Propaganda is information that is used primarily to influence an audience and further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be presenting facts selectively to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded language to produce an emotional rather than a rational response to the information that is presented.
Advertising is a marketing communication that employs an openly sponsored, non-personal message to promote or sell a product, service or idea.
In my view any form of political advertising is in fact propaganda. If it sells ideas and world views as a prepackaged product, it's an attempt at indoctrination, and thus propaganda.
> or using loaded language to produce an emotional rather than a rational response to the information that is presented.
All commercials do this. Just think of Apple ads...
Why is it that advertising is (in your opinion) only openly sponsored and non-personal? I receive plenty of targeted, personal messages which I consider advertising, from mail to abandoned cart notifications. And there are definitely adverts online which do not make the sponsored aspect clear.
And the 3rd sentence on that page is: "It differs from personal selling in that the message is non-personal, i.e., not directed to a particular individual."
I would probably say that it is still advertising if it is using some form of automated targeting, such as: buying a list of people who just got kids and sending them a letter with their name printed on it.
But If someone stopped me on the street and asked if I have heard about the latest pyramid scheme, I would not call advertising but rather "personal selling"
In my opinion: using the first sentence of the wikipedia articles for advertising and propaganda, I would argue that advertising is a sub-set of propaganda:
Propaganda is information that is used primarily to influence an audience and further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be presenting facts selectively to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded language to produce an emotional rather than a rational response to the information that is presented.
Advertising is a marketing communication that employs an openly sponsored, non-personal message to promote or sell a product, service or idea.