Using symbolism to promote yourself backfired for Trump

Using symbolism to promote yourself backfired for Trump

10955307_1663539457212603_8266961552736131391_nTL;DR Summary

  • Propaganda symbols are obvious in this classic propaganda poster. This poster could come from WW I, WW II, or the Cold War era.
  • The intent is to transfer one’s feelings about the US flag to Donald Trump. This method is known as transference.
  • Other symbols include money (implying Trump will be good for the economy), the White House (implying Trump will be presidential), and soldiers (Trump will be strong). The goal is to present Trump as Presidential.
  • The poster, however, bombed due to a serious error and was pulled within a day. Read on to learn more!


This poster backfired because the soldiers shown are World War II German Nazi soldiers. This error turns this in to a poster linking Trump with incompetence.
This symbolic error implies Trump supports Nazism and racism, or that Trump is incompetent. The text on the poster is also meaningless – these phrases mean little other than “feel good statements” that are hard to disagree with. These are what are called “glittering generalities” – shiny and pretty but pointless.
Source of original photo used in Trump poster: http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/marching-soldiers-1899529…
Text for Search Engine Indexing
A propaganda poster of the Trump campaign says “We need real leadership. We need results. Let’s put the U.S. back into business!” The poster failed because it depicts Nazi uniformed soldiers.

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