Your Call is…
Propaganda or promotion? Where’s the line?
When I lived and worked in Moscow, I witnessed how propaganda seeps into every layer of life. And once you’ve seen it—really seen it—you can’t unsee it.
Since then, I’ve developed a kind of radar. Whether it’s a political ad or a corporate slogan, I find myself asking: What’s really being said here?
Take the classic customer service line: “Your call is very important to us…”
Is it really? Then why have you outsourced and reduced call center staffing?
That phrase isn’t customer care. It’s corporate propaganda. It’s a script designed to soothe while signaling indifference.
The subtext: “Your time doesn’t matter. Ours does.”
Wouldn’t it be refreshing to hear the truth? “Thanks for calling. To reduce costs, keep our prices affordable, and bring you the products we hope you love, we’ve cut back on call center staffing. Thanks for holding. Your call should be answered shortly.”
Much of modern marketing is about shaping consumer behavior to conform to the needs of companies selling stuff. If we changed that to read, "shaping political behavior to meet the needs of those in power,” we’d call that propaganda.
So here’s the line of questioning I keep circling back to: What’s the responsible way to promote a mission, product, or service? How do we win the fiercest competition, for attention, without manipulating people with propaganda?
Curious to hear from fellow communicators, strategists, and leaders: Where do you draw the line?