Author: Marc Jampole

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They say the devil is in the details, and all too often, so is the propaganda.

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The old expression, “the devil is in the details,” certainly applies to propaganda.  Writers, editors, publishers, photographers, filmmakers and illustrators often will pretend to be objective in their communication while loading up the details with images, statements and facts that support the hidden message they want to make.  As frequent OpEdge readers will note, the […]

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Some examples of how to control the outcome by controlling the selection of the facts or options.

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This weekend brought two classic examples of controlling the outcome by controlling what facts are selected for consideration or what options are available for action. The first example began a week ago, when The New York Times presented readers with the opportunity to develop plans to eradicate the deficit.  In its “Week in Review” section, […]

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Study shows that Americans vote against their basic beliefs but no one cares because no one finds out.

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Professors from Duke and Harvard recently completed a study of Americans’ knowledge of and attitudes towards the unequal distribution of wealth that has developed in the United States since about 1980. Professors Michael I. Norton and Dan Ariely find that Americans are not aware of how bad the distribution of wealth is in the United […]

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Parade Magazine asks 3 celebrity chefs to plan a Sunday dinner that raises cholesterol and pads tummies.

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In its latest issue, Parade Magazine features an interview of three female celebrity chefs, Daisy Martinez, Lidia Bastianich and Paula Deen, on how to make Sunday dinner more meaningful for the family.  Just in case we didn’t notice, the article starts by pointing out that the chefs represent three of the most popular cuisines in […]

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Debt panel more interested in cutting the taxes of the wealthy than in balancing the budget.

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Last Friday, I analyzed the tax proposals that the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform put in the outline of the plan it presented last week.  As it turns out, I was among the first but not the only observer to notice the subtle shift in the tax burden that the National Commission proposes, […]

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Debt Commission plan: Everyone gets less, middle class pay more, wealthy pay less, poor come out even.

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I’ve taken a look at the plan outline that the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform released yesterday.  The final plan will include a lot of details that may change my view of it, but the plan looks to me to be a very subtle shell game that results in smaller government for which the […]

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American Express steps into the deep fertilizer big-time by making outrageous claims for a savings account.

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Yesterday, I analyzed an ad in which, by selecting the value to attach to its product, Home Depot communicates the ideological American imperative of mindless over-consumption. Let’s turn now to a print ad by American Express that tries to fit the round peg of a set of values into the square hole of its product/service.  […]

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Advertisements try to sell values that enhance products, but do they reflect the market’s values or shape them?

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Most advertising, no matter what the medium, tries to attach a value beyond the inherent value of the product or service being shilled.  According to standard ad theory, you do research to find out what values are of importance to the target market and work on connecting one or a few important ones to the […]

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Is 11% of maybes that important to drug manufacturers, or can they just lower prices and give more away?

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The latest issue of AARP Bulletin has a survey on the awareness by consumers of advertising for prescription drugs.  The poll contrasts the percentage of peoples 18-49 and 50+ who experience different types of advertising for prescription drugs.    Although supposedly focused on the concerns of those more than 50 years of age, AARP Bulletin once […]

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Voters reject Tea Party extremists but embrace mainstream media’s glorification of Republicans.

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I am dismayed by the number of house seats that fell to Republicans in yesterday’s election, and a little surprised.  Although I study the impact of propaganda every day, it still befuddles me whenever I see people falling for a line of hooey, even if it is fed to them in large doses day after […]

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