Television ads reinforce a belief among Americans, especially adolescents and young adults, that the products they see will make them "cool " and be accepted by their peers. As advertising rose throughout the mid to late twentieth century, television advertising has completely immersed viewers in the American consumer culture.
The same goes for life insurance ads that try to draw a sense of guilt from the viewer if they do not buy a life insurance plan so that their families won't be burdened. Television ads can have more direct messages as well such as "Say no to tobacco " or "Vote against Mary Landrieu because she supports ObamaCare ". Ads such as these overtly tell the viewer to do or don't do something for their own benefit under the guise of a "public service announcement " which are paid for by interest groups and lobbyist groups. Other ads encourage Americans to give money to help causes such as the American Cancer Society and SPCA. While I'm not suggesting these are unworthy causes, the fundamentals of propaganda still apply: the ads use music that invoke a response of sadness or even guilt on the part of the viewer. They also emphasize that the amount they are asking for is very small whether they ask for ten cents or fifteen dollars, but it is very much needed to make the viewer more comfortable with giving them their money. The organizations may also offer free literature or merchandise to keep their organization on a potential donors mind for future contributions.
Advertisements are not the only forms of Propaganda on television. Mainstream news outlets have become the center stage for political and at times philosophical views to be fed to the viewing public; or they may simply feed preconceived notions and merely reinforce them by framing. Framing is defined as "presentation of the news and the public's perception of the news " as well as The most basic examples are CNN vs FOX news.