As a little girl, I came downstairs one Christmas morning to find three American Girl Dolls waiting under the tree, one for each sister. We each got a historical doll whose personality description “Santa” felt was most closely matched to our own. As the American Girl Doll brand expanded, the company made movies based on the backstories of these historically dolls including the doll, Molly, whose story takes place during World War II. The movie showed the community involvement in the war efforts and the importance of patriotism and symbolism in order to support those overseas. This movie was my first exposure to propaganda in which I can remember.
From there my interest only grew. I started attending a summer camp at my town’s local historical society where I was able to learn about local history as well as how many national events effect my small coastal hometown in Maine. The camp provided me with hands-on material from my town and historical references that continued my interest in media and how it effects history. Through school, health classes began to examine advertisements and their effects on those who view them. My interest in propaganda and media was ever present. In my eyes, propaganda throughout history gave insights into how people felt during any given time period. This media was strategically directed towards the public at the time, so by understanding what propaganda was saying and why it was effective, we gain a better understanding of the public mentally, both past and present.
I came to Ithaca College in the exploratory program, completely clueless of what I wanted to do. I didn’t know what I wanted to study, but I for some reason, despite my deep interest in propaganda and strategic messaging, the field of communications never crossed my mind. After my first semester of taking classes in the Park School of Communications, my advisor mentioned Integrated Marketing Communications. IMC was the perfect mix of my interests in strategic communications, the art of advertising, and public interaction.
This interest in propaganda that sparked from an American Girl doll, followed me throughout my years, and unconsciously guided me onto my career path in Integrated Marketing. This blog acts as a platform for me to better explore these interests and gain a stronger historical background of an element so important to my field.
American Propaganda 