In 1937, the Institute for Propaganda Analysis set out to show the public how to spot propaganda. We compare how the seven techniques they identified were used both then and now.
IPA Propaganda Then and Now
This article explores all seven persuasion techniques identified by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis.
All seven techniques are discussed further down this page, plus you can also link to a separate article on each one by using the menu below.
- By Patrick
- Everyday Persuasion Articles, The Theory
- Reading Time 10 Minutes
Table of Contents
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The Evolution of Propaganda: How It Looks Now
Most people think propaganda is something that belongs in the past. Stylised posters, wartime slogans, heavy-handed speeches aimed at “the masses.”
But propaganda – the art of persuasion and shaping opinions – didn’t vanish when those images faded. It adapted, and is now a constant presence in our normal everyday lives.
Propaganda now exists in the form of marketing, public relations, branding, behavioural science, political messaging, and user experience design.
It lives in influencer feeds, product launches, charity campaigns, corporate mission statements, and even in the promotion of conspiracy theories.
It doesn’t shout. It gently leads us to opinions, viewpoints and actions. It makes certain ideas feel correct, popular, or morally settled before we’ve had time to examine them.
What once looked like persuasion now just lives quietly in the background. Not something being done to us, but just how things are.
And that’s why it goes unnoticed.
Propaganda in the Modern World
There’s a reason the word propaganda makes people uncomfortable. It suggests manipulation — intent — someone pulling levers behind the curtain.
So the word was retired. In its place came softer language. Influence became communication. Persuasion became engagement. Behavioural control became user experience. What was once warned against is now taught as a practical skill across marketing, politics, technology, and media.
Propaganda has been repackaged as a career path, a business necessity, and a life-skill we should strive to acquire.
Psychology, data analysis, and attention science are now embedded so deeply into everyday life that persuasion has become part of the infrastructure itself. Entire systems are designed not to inform, but to steer — not to argue, but to shape what feels normal and acceptable.
That’s why recognising propaganda matters more today than when the term was first coined. Not because people are more gullible, but because the techniques are smoother, subtler, and exist everywhere.
But this problem wasn’t new…
The Institute for Propaganda Analysis: Teaching the Public How to Spot Propaganda
Long before persuasion became professionalised and built into everyday systems, a small group of educators noticed the same pattern emerging.
In 1937, they formed the Institute for Propaganda Analysis to address a simple problem: ordinary people were being influenced without realising it, and had no practical way to spot how it was happening.
Rather than arguing about ideology or intent, the Institute focused on mechanics — the repeatable techniques used to steer opinion through headlines, speeches, advertising, and political messaging.
They assumed propaganda would always exist. Their aim wasn’t to ban it or moralise it away, but to give people a usable framework to recognise persuasion while it was working, and pause before accepting the message.
The result was a list of seven techniques — not academic, not exhaustive, but practical. Nearly a century later, those same techniques still operate around us every day. The language has changed. The platforms have changed. The mechanics have not.
Below are the seven techniques identified by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis, shown first as they appeared then, and as they appear now.
The original publication of the Institute for Propaganda Analysis has been made available by the Internet Archive here.
1. Name Calling
The first technique identified by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis was name calling.
It involves attaching a negative label to a person, group, or idea in order to influence opinion before any evidence is considered. The aim is to persuade by triggering an immediate emotional response that precedes logical thinking. Words like traitor, radical, parasite, or enemy were used to do this.
Once a label is applied, it primes us on how we should feel about the person in advance, with the aim of influencing how we consider their point of view.
Historically, name calling appeared on posters, newspaper headlines and in speeches. Today, it appears as hashtags, digital banners, and in introductions as a shorthand descriptor.
Disgraced. Extremist. Conspiracy theorist. Problematic. Woke. Clown.
These labels are presented as facts and casually dropped in to the conversation, but their function is to persuade.
Once a label sticks, people repeat it automatically — not because they’ve decided it is correct, but because the crowd has already has decided it will be the default opinion.
2. Glittering Generalities
The second technique identified by the IPA was glittering generalities.
These are positive, emotionally loaded words and phrases that sound big and inspiring but remain deliberately vague. They describe concepts rather than any definite action.
In the 1930s when the IPA published their bulletins, typical Glittering Generalities often heard would be A New Deal for the Forgotten Man, Building a Better Fairer America, and Your Future in Safe Hands.
Today, glittering generalities are still a favourite tool of political leaders, using words such as Hope, Together, Change.
But they have also become a constant background noise in mission statements, political branding, corporate values, and social campaigns.
Empowering People, Inspired by Nature, Making a Difference, Shaping the Leaders of Tomorrow, Innovating for a Better World.
Because these terms feel inspiring and morally “right,” people are influenced and persuaded to accept the message without asking for the concrete details of what will actually happen.
3. Transfer
The third technique identified by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis was transfer.
Transfer works by borrowing the authority, emotion, or credibility of something widely respected, and attaching it to a message in order to persuade. The goal is to make it feel legitimate by association.
A classic example from the era of the IPA was the use of doctors to advertise all types of products, even cigarettes. The authority of a medical expert was transferred to the product.
In the 1930s the transfer technique made use of national symbols, flags, religious imagery, uniforms, and revered figures.
Today, modern transfer appears everywhere — in expert endorsements, trusted media brands, national symbolism, and institutional authority — and it is especially visible in wellness and conspiracy culture, where the language of science is borrowed to lend credibility to claims that would otherwise invite scepticism.
Transfer persuades by encouraging people to accept a viewpoint based on borrowed authority or terminology rather than actual evaluation.
4. Testimonial
The fourth common propaganda technique identified by the IPA was testimonial.
Testimonial works by attaching a message to someone who people already like, admire, or trust, in order to influence opinion through association rather than evidence. The aim is to sell an idea because of who is saying it.
In the IPA’s time, testimonials often came from public figures, war heroes, or respected personalities endorsing policies, products, or causes they were not qualified to evaluate. Their personal status stood in for argument.
Today, testimonial persuasion is everywhere. It appears through celebrities, influencers, podcast hosts, founders, and “relatable” figures sharing personal stories, opinions, or endorsements.
The message is framed as experience rather than persuasion: this is what worked for me, this is how I see the world. But the function is the same — you like or admire the attributes of the person, so you are more happy to like or admire their viewpoints or opinions.
5. Plain Folks
The plain folks technique works by persuading people that the messenger is “just like them,” encouraging trust through relatability rather than evidence. The aim is not to inform, but to influence by lowering defences and creating a sense of shared identity.
Historically, this technique showed leaders, business figures, or public officials presenting themselves as ordinary people — sharing simple habits, humble backgrounds, or everyday routines to appear familiar and trustworthy.
Today, plain folks persuasion is used everywhere. We see politicians pouring drinks at a bar, CEOs wearing hoodies, influencers filming from kitchens and bedrooms, and brands adopting casual, self-deprecating voices.
The message is designed to feel informal and unguarded: I’m just like you. But the influence is carefully constructed.
Plain folks works by making the people who want to influence seem like one of us, so we question them less and accept them more.
6. Card Stacking
The sixth technique identified by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis was card stacking.
Card stacking persuades by only presenting information that supports a particular position, while omitting anything that might weaken it. The aim is not to lie outright, but to shape opinion by only showing one side of the story.
In the 1930s, this appeared in speeches, pamphlets, and newspaper articles that emphasised benefits while downplaying costs, risks, or opposing evidence.
Today, card stacking is routine. It appears in carefully chosen statistics, selective panel show guests, the promotion of conspiracy theories, and food labelling that highlights only the good parts.
The information presented may be technically true, but it deliberately shows only one side of the story.
Card stacking persuades by only showing the parts which support a particular viewpoint, while ignoring anything which may contradict.
7. Bandwagon
The seventh technique identified by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis was bandwagon.
Bandwagon persuades by suggesting that a belief or behaviour is widely shared, encouraging people to adopt it in order to feel normal, included, or on the right side of the majority. The aim is to influence through social pressure.
In the 1930s, this appeared in slogans, posters, and campaigns claiming that everyone was already on board — implying that disagreement meant isolation or backwardness.
Today, bandwagon persuasion is built into platforms themselves. It appears through likes, shares, trending lists, follower counts, polls, headlines, and phrases like most people agree, the science is settled, or the conversation is over.
Popularity is used as proof. Repetition becomes validation.
Bandwagon works because once something feels widely accepted, questioning it feels unnecessary — or socially risky. Persuasion succeeds not by changing minds directly, but by making conformity feel like the only option.
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