To carry out propaganda effectively in the cities, it is necessary to understand the proper use of the most important methods of propaganda. It is above all essential that the propaganda warden does not follow advice coming from a desktop, but rather that he is and remains in close contact with the people. Only he who understands everyday life, and who is familiar with events in political life, will be able to speak effectively to the people he wishes to persuade. Without that contact, advertising speaks in a dead language. To see with the eyes of the masses — that is the whole secret of effective propaganda.
There are four kinds of propaganda:
1. Propaganda through the written word:flyers, leaflets, party newspapers and books, advertising circulars, apartment newspapers and factory papers, posters, stamps, other newspapers, N.S. stamps and postcards, banners and billboards, slides, and films. Remember that it is against the law to use walls, building facades, street surfaces, and so on. The following observations apply only to permitted forms of propaganda.
a) Not much needs to be said about the effectiveness of stickers. Their task is to be a constant reminder to the indifferent and to gradually unsettle them. Stickers in the wrong places are usually placed by the enemy to discredit us.
Identical stickers next to each other make a good effect. “Many drops wear away stone” applies here. Incessantly, repeatedly, people must see our stickers!
How should they look? They should be small enough so the person applying them will have enough saliva. They should be brief (few, but vivid words). The layout should be good, with no white space at the edges where graffiti can be written. Each party member should carry such stickers with him. One can apply them quickly and inconspicuously.
b) The flyer, with a few sentences, which is distributed on the street, has lost its effectiveness. It is soon thrown away, and its content, mostly only an announcement of a meeting, is hardly noticed.
Successful small leaflets (30 by 60 mm) that carry texts like this:
“National Socialists buy only in German shops. The middle class paper: the Völkischer Beobachter.”
These small leaflets can be left in shops.
Another promising innovation is flyers with caricatures. A timely sketch by our Mjölnir [a Nazi cartoonist] with an appropriate caption is effective. Good pictures are also effective (e.g., illustrations from the Angriff or from the pamphlet “Those Damned Nazis”).
Flyers in various colors, but with identical slogans, some with caricatures, spread through entire city districts are effective. For example:
Against Marxism and Reaction — the National Socialists!
For Freedom and Bread — the National Socialists!
Your greeting: Heil Hitler!
Down with the party corpses! Power to the National Socialists!
Become a National Socialist, all else is shit. The NSDAP has the welfare of the city in mind.
The slogans can be ordered from the propaganda department.
All flyers, leaflets, posters and so on that are posted should be attached in a way that makes them difficult to remove. Random application requires care, and is besides illegal. Our opponents use plate glass successfully; also display windows of German shops.
c) The leaflet should contain a brief, easily understandable idea. It should appeal to the enemy, which demands a certain skill on the part of the writer. The text can be cruder in working class districts, more subtle in the style of the Berlin democratic papers in middle class neighborhoods. The most important phrases should be in bold or larger type. Tiny text, bad organization and boring material kill interest. The interest of the indifferent, from whom one cannot expect much effort, must be awakened.
The legal issue here is important. The distributor of a leaflet is at risk when information about the printer or author is missing.
Information about distribution is given in rubrics d) and e).
d) Special issues of party newspapers have a special note in red at the top announcing a particular meeting. A rubber stamp can be used for this. Circle the date in red.
A trial subscription to our newspapers can have a remarkable effect on the average person who receives little mail.
don’t underestimate the impact of mailing advertising material and meeting invitations to those in the S-Files (Sympathizers file) maintained by local groups and sections. Mail is much more personal. Over time, it has its effects.
Each party member must ask for our newspapers in all restaurants, railway stations, newspaper kiosks and so on.
More than ever, it is important to provide reading rooms with copies of our papers.
And don’t forget the little things, to which we owe much success. One always brings newspapers (new and used), leaflets, etc. along. At appropriate times, one “accidentally” leaves them in the train, streetcar, in restaurants, businesses in which one shops, in doctor and dentist offices, at the barber, etc.
Books are such an obvious means of advertising that nothing more needs to be said.
e) The brochures, which in contrast to leaflets provide the reader with more detailed treatments of various issues, suffer the disadvantage of costing sections and local groups considerable money. The Propaganda Department tries to provide these at reasonable prices by printing large numbers. We are preparing a brief version of our party program in an edition of 150,000, which will cost 2 pfennig.
Brochures treating current issues will follow.
Party members in normal clothing are very effective when they distribute such brochures at busy corners. This propaganda is even stronger when the distributor has a sign that says something like “Free Brochure: How Long Will It Go On?” He who understands the psychology of the masses knows that people will take such brochures only when they are free.
Leaflets, free newspapers and brochures should be distributed only in such places where it is likely that they will be read immediately. Good places are in train stations, for those going to a train, not coming from one. People will read on the train, but not on the street. Another example: distribute in the morning at factory gates (notat the end of the shift). Then the material can be read and discussed during the breakfast break. Our leaflets and newspapers are also good reading for those waiting in the unemployment offices, for travelers in long distance trains, etc., anywhere where time must be killed and people will read anything.
The best success comes through the systematic distribution of advertising material from door-to-door. This should be done only on Sunday mornings so that people can read them at their leisure with their morning coffee.
Get every citizen a brochure on Sunday morning!
f) An important method of propaganda is the so-called “neighborhood newspaper,” which, following the Communist example, are produced for a specific area and distributed only there.
They contain news about our neighborhood activities and about the questions of the day. To keep the sections and local groups free from difficulty with the law, the political part is printed by a central office in the Gau. The sections and local groups need to produce only the general section, list the section meetings, the Gau meetings, and so on. An effective masthead is important.
g) The factory newspaper is modeled after the neighborhood newspapers. They are designed only for a single factory and cover work issues and political issues. To make them more interesting, events in the relevant factory are covered. These newspapers are monitored by a central Gau office. Typical mastheads: NSB-Scheinwerfer, Siemens-Lautsprecher, Lorenz-Aktie, etc.
h) Posters, despite their considerable cost, are the best form of propaganda, and in relation to their cost a cheap method of advertising.
Posters with text give a brief summary of a meeting and acquaint the reader with the goals of the speaker. It is well known that our textual posters have their own style, such that the attentive observer recognizes from a distance that it is something from the Nazis. Large posters in red must be designed so that they stand out on the poster pillar. A small poster is ineffective, and not in keeping with the significance of our movement. No one reads a poster stuffed with text. The top must be clear enough to draw attention. The bottom must also catch attention. The swastika should be used sparingly at first, particularly in middle class districts.
The headline must be large; it should dominate the poster. In general, only the name of the party should be emphasized in the text. The text should, as already mentioned, be short and make the meeting topic clear. A mention of our press is also appropriate.
Effective posters emphasize words that create a certain mood and can be noticed from a distance.
A good example was the familiar large poster of Gau Greater Berlin: Heil Kaiser Dir!, that had great success because it appeared at the right time (27. January) and at the right places in the proper size.
We are preparing examples of good posters and an article titled “Posters and leaflets from idea to reality.”
The text poster fulfills its purpose when, besides the already-mentioned clear content, there is sufficient time to read it. If not, the picture poster is better. The effect of the picture poster lies with its capacity to be understood at a glance, to get across the spiritual attitude instantly, whereas the text poster needs a certain time to read and a longer time to think about. The hurried city-dweller does not have much time. Mostly, he only catches a quick look at a poster while walking past. The picture has to instantly say at a glance everything that a longer text poster says. Herein lies the difficulty. It is hard to find a riveting picture with a few catchy words. There aren’t many Mjölnirs [a leading Nazi artist]. For us, the picture poster is simply a question of money. Here too we are limited by financial weakness.
The posters from Gau Berlin for the Reichstag election of 1928 and the city elections of 1929 are familiar. The Rathenau poster from the “Angriff,” halfway between a text and picture poster, had great effect. Unfortunately, it could be used only in a limited way. The illustration will be passed along to the individual Gau offices for use in other posters.
The advertising campaign for the “Angriff” was imitated by the Ullstein paper “Tempo,” though to a degree corresponding to the financial strength of the firm. Our posters were:
Nr. 1. The Attack
Nr. 2. When will the Attack happen?
Nr. 3. “The Attack,” the German evening newspaper.
Ullstein did it this way:
1. You lack Tempo!
2. You will soon have Tempo.
3. Tomorrow you will have Tempo.
4. “Tempo”, the daily evening newspaper.
The legal side has already been covered in section c) (leaflets).
i) Stamps can be effective when used on letters, newspapers, etc. They should use very short slogans. It’s a good idea to carry a stamp with one, in order to be able to use it whenever possible. As already mentioned, other posters may not be stamped; such stamps will be produced by the propaganda offices and distributed to subordinate units.
k) Too little attention is given to the local press, particularly in smaller towns. People learn about the NSDAP only from the standpoint of their party press. Our successes are either ignored or played down. Nonetheless, some local papers with wide readership do not oppose us. These papers are usually willing to print material we provide.
Meeting announcements in the Community Calendarare generally carried. There may be a small charge for longer notices.
Always send newspapers a brief, objective, but nonetheless informative meeting report for their local sections.
Advertisements in the middle class press are usually very expensive and only support the enemy. They should be used only when absolutely necessary. Favorable treatment of the meeting should be made a condition of buying an advertisement.
l) Stamps, which the Reich Propaganda Office produces in an attractive manner, are not lacking in effect. They can be placed on the first page of letters, on cards and so on in the bottom third. The price varies from 1/2 to 2 pfennig. The price of these stamps finances other propaganda.
Postcards of the movement should be sent to friends and acquaintances at every opportunity. They may even have an impact on republican letter carriers.
m) A simple but still effective form of propaganda is the banners with short slogans that hang in our large meetings. They can be used in smaller versions on trucks and vans. In such cases, be sure to protect them. Bicycle columns too can be used for propaganda.
n) Another method is the so-called railway track advertising. With the permission of the property owner, signs can be erected. The “Völkischer Beobachter” has won a large number of new subscriptions in this way.
Rooftop advertising is also useful, Unfortunately, it is expensive when the approval of the owner is required.
o) The use of slide shows and film depends on the available means. The party’s first films have already been produced by the central office and Gau Berlin. A major film is in the works. We too should use the most modern advertising methods to serve our movement.