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Subjective-Objective-Subjective: The Science Of Propaganda
This thesis discusses the following: 1. That, while advertising practitioners employ various levels of scientific endeavour (particularly strategic insight development, but also research, demographic data collection, and other objective tools of the trade), its final output is ultimately nonscientif...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Private Law
2020
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| _version_ | 1867613218515451904 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Bain, Jonathan |
| author2 | Salazar, Philippe-Joseph |
| author_browse | Bain, Jonathan Salazar, Philippe-Joseph |
| author_facet | Salazar, Philippe-Joseph Bain, Jonathan |
| author_sort | Bain, Jonathan |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | This thesis discusses the following: 1. That, while advertising practitioners employ various levels of scientific endeavour (particularly strategic insight development, but also research, demographic data collection, and other objective tools of the trade), its final output is ultimately nonscientific, i.e. subjective creative ideation. (In this way, advertising is not dissimilar to the classic ‘art' of propaganda.) 2. That, for reasons of business necessity, creative ego and a latent form of ‘inferiority complex' the advertising industry describes its work in presentations to more scientifically-orientated clients as a more scientific proposition. 3. That, in contrast, as evidenced by the physical production process of the advertising idea (post the client presentation) – as well as in industry texts, award ceremonies, and selected case studies – advertising practitioners effectively acknowledge the subjective nature of their work. 4. That further evidence of this scientific ‘terministic screen' (Burke 1950, pp. 26-27) is also revealed in the failure of some television commercials to profitably ‘connect' as intended with an audience – thus undermining claims to the objective approach that preceded these commercials. 5. That, possibly, as is implied in at least one ethnographic case study, not even clients are necessarily convinced by advertising science: the ‘screen' may be a two-way mirror. 6. That there is, more broadly, a constant dialectic between right-brained creativity and the left-brained business project. 7. That this tension is a microcosm of the capitalist enterprise, and, in an increasing number of present examples, is perversely reflected in the advertising industry's output as anti-capitalist brand messaging. 8. That it is possible to think of advertising as a sub-set of a more consumer-orientated ‘design'. 6 9. That, admittedly within limited confines of my research, there is a tantalising indication that, generally, advertising artefacts were historically more logos-led, are currently more pathos-led, and may in future benefit from a more ethos-led orientation. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/32197 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:39.476Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publishDateRange | 2020 |
| publishDateSort | 2020 |
| publisher | Department of Private Law |
| publisherStr | Department of Private Law |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/32197 Subjective-Objective-Subjective: The Science Of Propaganda Bain, Jonathan Salazar, Philippe-Joseph Private Law This thesis discusses the following: 1. That, while advertising practitioners employ various levels of scientific endeavour (particularly strategic insight development, but also research, demographic data collection, and other objective tools of the trade), its final output is ultimately nonscientific, i.e. subjective creative ideation. (In this way, advertising is not dissimilar to the classic ‘art' of propaganda.) 2. That, for reasons of business necessity, creative ego and a latent form of ‘inferiority complex' the advertising industry describes its work in presentations to more scientifically-orientated clients as a more scientific proposition. 3. That, in contrast, as evidenced by the physical production process of the advertising idea (post the client presentation) – as well as in industry texts, award ceremonies, and selected case studies – advertising practitioners effectively acknowledge the subjective nature of their work. 4. That further evidence of this scientific ‘terministic screen' (Burke 1950, pp. 26-27) is also revealed in the failure of some television commercials to profitably ‘connect' as intended with an audience – thus undermining claims to the objective approach that preceded these commercials. 5. That, possibly, as is implied in at least one ethnographic case study, not even clients are necessarily convinced by advertising science: the ‘screen' may be a two-way mirror. 6. That there is, more broadly, a constant dialectic between right-brained creativity and the left-brained business project. 7. That this tension is a microcosm of the capitalist enterprise, and, in an increasing number of present examples, is perversely reflected in the advertising industry's output as anti-capitalist brand messaging. 8. That it is possible to think of advertising as a sub-set of a more consumer-orientated ‘design'. 6 9. That, admittedly within limited confines of my research, there is a tantalising indication that, generally, advertising artefacts were historically more logos-led, are currently more pathos-led, and may in future benefit from a more ethos-led orientation. 2020-09-09T15:53:33Z 2020-09-09T15:53:33Z 2020 2020-09-09T15:53:11Z Master Thesis Masters MPhil http://hdl.handle.net/11427/32197 eng application/pdf Department of Private Law Faculty of Law |
| spellingShingle | Private Law Bain, Jonathan Subjective-Objective-Subjective: The Science Of Propaganda |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Subjective-Objective-Subjective: The Science Of Propaganda |
| title_full | Subjective-Objective-Subjective: The Science Of Propaganda |
| title_fullStr | Subjective-Objective-Subjective: The Science Of Propaganda |
| title_full_unstemmed | Subjective-Objective-Subjective: The Science Of Propaganda |
| title_short | Subjective-Objective-Subjective: The Science Of Propaganda |
| title_sort | subjective objective subjective the science of propaganda |
| topic | Private Law |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/32197 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bainjonathan subjectiveobjectivesubjectivethescienceofpropaganda |