Shall we analyse it? Underlined, are … to me … the key fishhooks:
Title. “One thing you can protect them from” Note the word CAN.
Implied message: “We are calling YOU, and if you love your daughter, you will protect them…..”
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First sentence. “You can’t protect them from everything, but you can help protect them from cervical cancer.” Note the addition of the word HELP, which modifies the word “can”.
Implied message. “If you didn’t get the word "protect" from the title the first time, let us help you the second time, because we don’t think you saw it the first time. This is something YOU CAN do...”
(What they didn’t tell you, or imply. “We put the word “help” in, because the there are other HPV types out there not in this vaccine, which medical literature says causes cancer too. But we won’t tell you that. Our message about 60 deaths per year, includes all types, not “just” the ones targeted by the vaccine.”)
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Second sentence: “The cervical cancer vaccine is available to all girls born on or after the 1 January 1990” (don’t you just love “the 1 January…”? Someone needs to go back to school.) Note that the words “cervical cancer” repeats right after the “cervical cancer” in the second sentence.
Two Implied messages:
1) Just in case you missed “cervical cancer”, three words back, we will repeat cervical cancer, because we’ve got to keep those loaded cervical cancer words in front of you so that we can plant cervical cancer fear into you, ensuring you don’t miss the second implied message:
2) We are making this “available” to “all” girls. Get that? We say “all” girls should have this so, don’t even think about saying no, because if you do, you don’t love your child.
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Third sentence: “This vaccine protects against the virus that most commonly causes cervical cancer.”
Implied message…big problem, cervical cancer, protect them….
BUT
….
Right here, any thinking person will spot two big LIES, which should tell you more about this poster than anything else.
1) “The virus”? “The virus”? THE….. virus?
Hello? Actually Gardasil contains FOUR HPV viruses, two of which are associated with cervical cancer and two of which are associated with genital warts.
And there’s LOTS MORE HPV viruses associated with cervical cancer, that aren’t in this vaccine.
But this poster IMPLIES that this vaccine will fix THE problem.
Lie, lie, lie. But that’s okay. WE… are the Health Department so who, except some fruitloop, will analyse the accuracy of what we write?
2) Causes cervical cancer? No. The fact is that the immune system of 99.9% of people develops immunity to all the HPV virus types which are associated with cervical cancer, but those viruses rarely “cause” cancer in the majority of New Zealand women.
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Fourth Sentence: “This vaccine is free right now, for all women born in 1990 and 1991.”
Implied messages:
1) Free. Free. Free. So you won’t have to shell out any money from your pocket. Just, ..... from your taxes instead.
What they didn’t tell you or imply: “because perhaps if you had to pay for it, you might actually think twice and investigate this vaccine further, and find out we are telling porkies.”
2) Right now. Quick! What are you waiting for? You should be rushing to join the queue!
3) “for ALL women”. That means all of you must join the queue, not some of you. Get going!
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Fifth sentence: “They can ring their doctor, practice nurse or health service, and make an appointment.
Implied message: We want you to join with us in convincing them, and then you make them actually own the decision, by participation i.e. THEY can ring us.
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Sixth sentence. “From early 2009, this vaccine is free for all girls and young women aged 12 to 18.”
Implied messages:
1) Free, Free, Free, in case you missed it on the previous two occasions.
2) All girls, in case you missed the “all” bit the first time
3) But because we are so generous, we will extend this to the 12 – 16 year olds as well.
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Seventh sentence: “Most girls will be able to get the vaccine through their schools.”
Implied message: So that will make it more convenient!
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Eighth sentence: “Where the vaccine is not offered through schools, it is available free from their doctor, practice nurse, or health service.”
Implied message: It’s free, in case you missed that on two previous occasions, and there’s no excuse to not get it at one of those four venues.”
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The Health Department uses classic propaganda tactics called “the power of three”.
Ironic then, that on the poster is a circle which says “It takes three”. Nothing truer.
Here’s how it works.
If you want to get a message across you chose three emotional concepts only, and ram them in three times:
1) Parents want to protect, so first you create fear.
Make sure the word “protect” is used three times, in the heading and first sentence.
That makes the parents ask, “Protect them from what???” while panicking inside.
2) Key into the panic by making sure that the words “cervical cancer” follows three times… straight on from protect in the next part of the first half of the poster.
(Let’s simplify everything by deluding parents into thinking that the vaccine will solve ALL cervical cancer problems, by claiming it’s only ONE virus, and this vaccine will sort that ONE virus out. But parents will be wondering what this will cost them, so next:)
3) Make sure you emphasize three times that it’s free, free, free, in the last half of the poster.
There you have it.
“It takes three” concepts ... to get you hooked.
Protect, protect, protect;
cervical cancer, cervical cancer, cervical cancer;
free, free, free.
They used your taxes, to shove classic conditioning in your face.
As to “information” What information? Enough to achieve the “lemming” objective?
And then, of course, there are the other three little needle pricks…
Paid for, out of your taxes as well.
