Propaganda Analysis: Testimonial
--
How testimonials can enhance your message
Last time, I discussed the ad nauseum technique in propaganda and related it to the ads we see of Olympians drinking milk. That ad, shows us another powerful propaganda techniques… Testimonial.
You’ve seen them. Testimonials are everywhere in our lives. Businesses use them to establish social proof, so that you will feel more comfortable buying their products or services.
Governments use testimonials to convince you that their initiatives are working and are beneficial.
Individuals use testimonials as social proof to get seats on corporate and non-profit boards, to get into college, and to improve their social standing.
Testimonials are also a propaganda technique. Usually we use them for their positive attributes. The quotes talk about how great we are, and they are ideally from an authority, so our station in life is enhanced just a little bit.
But we can use the negative version — usually out of context — to kill a policy, smear a candidate, or decrease trust in an individual or organization.
Testimonials do a couple of things:
1. They appeal to authority
We typically trust experts, public figures, and other authority figures. So, when we see that they appear to endorse something, we will take a good hard look at what they endorsed, and will often feel the same way.
One example of this trust in authority is through Chamath Palihapitiya (Full disclosure, I am a huge fan of his). On Twitter, Chamath talks about investments, business, and technology. He provides sound analysis, hype, and other insights for us to consume and think about.
What do you think happens to the public investments he talks about? They generally see a spike in stock price.
Chamath is an authority figure, and can make logical arguments. Which is what makes his testimonial so powerful. Just writing positively about these investments is generally enough for his audience to purchase the investment and drive the stock price up.
Some thing similar happens with the olympian milk ad, the olympians are the pinnacle of athleticism, and are the authority. The fact that they drink milk is a testimonial that someone could one day become like them by drinking milk. Their testimonial is authoritative, so we trust it. This results in an increase in milk sales.
2. They provide powerful social proof
This is insanely powerful. Social proof is part of the reason why things go viral, it is why products on Amazon that have 10,000 reviews are more likely to be purchased and it’s why influencer marketing exists.
Social proof essentially tells us, “these people like this, so I should like it too”.
When we see someone we know, like, and/or trust endorse something or disprove of something, we take note, and are more likely to copy that behavior. When we see someone who is remotely like us endorse something, we take note.
That’s why some companies include the company name from an individual testimonial; and it’s why some websites include client lists, or “featured on:” sections with logos. They want to be tied to that authority, and receive that proof that they are killing it in their field.
Social proof lowers our guard because other people have already endorsed, purchased from, or voted for whatever/whomever we are considering
Ultimately social proof provides evidence that we are who we say we are, and it validates the decision to agree with us.
At the end of the day, testimonials are a powerful tool to influence people to buy what you’re selling, to strike down a law, or to build a following. Use it wisely.
