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There’s a lot of talk about sustainability and ethics these days, with many companies claiming to put people first. But while some genuinely try, the reality is that most corporations prioritize profits above all else.

To keep the money flowing, they rely on clever marketing, subtle manipulation, and outright lies—so much so that many of their ideas become so ingrained in society that we don’t even question them.

Curious about these hidden agendas, one Redditor asked others to share the most successful cases of corporate propaganda that have become widely accepted as normal. Scroll down to see what they had to say, and let us know your thoughts in the comments!

#1

30 Corporate Marketing Tactics That Shaped How We Live Without Us Realizing That suing McDonalds for spilling hot coffee on yourself is a frivolous lawsuit and an example of why corporations need more protection against lawsuits

To clarify the point--the hot coffee lawsuit was not frivolous and thinking it is is corporate propaganda.

solicitorpenguin , 𝒮 𝐴 ℛ 𝐴 ℋ ✿/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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SAF saf
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one should be higher up and it still irritates me when people repeat the claim. I make it an effort to clarify them every chance i get. The coffee was soo hot that she required skin grafts on her thighs and surrounding skin. That's why McDonalds lost the law suit.

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    #2

    Three people in an office setting discussing topics related to corporate propaganda. The idea that workers discussing their salaries is impolite.

    are_motherf*cker , TienDat Nguyen/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #3

    30 Corporate Marketing Tactics That Shaped How We Live Without Us Realizing Oil corporations have convinced millions of Americans that there is doubt about climate change. They used the same tactic that the tobacco industry used to sow doubt about the harmfulness of smoking cigarettes.
    Cigarettes are deadly and so is climate change.
    Now they have retreated to OK there is climate change but it’s just a natural cycle. That’s not what scientists say, but unfortunately for us all there are millions of Americans who believe Sean Hannity over scientists.

    CreativelySeeking , Zbynek Burival/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    Tamra
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Oil corporations have not only launched propaganda campaigns, but they have also funneled a LOT of money to politicians to further that aim. The Environmental Protection Agency is currently in the process of being gutted, and the USDA has been ordered to eliminate their websites that reference or discuss the current climate crisis. All of this is being done by the current administration.

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    Bored Panda reached out to marketing psychologist Akash to get his take on the topic and ask whether companies can market their ideas ethically.

    “Every organization or company has business ethics and a code of conduct, and they do follow it,” Akash said. “But in the end, the thing that matters most is profit. That’s the ultimate goal of every business, except for NGOs and the government.”

    However, he explained that while profit is the driving force, not everything companies do is unethical. “If businesses focused only on profit, they would resort to unethical practices. But today, many companies shape consumer behavior in ways that aren’t necessarily deceptive—just strategic. Take Uber, Zomato, or Flipkart, for example. These companies didn’t exploit consumers; they identified pain points and gaps in the market and provided solutions.”

    On the other hand, many corporations uphold ethics through corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. “For instance, Reliance’s Vantara initiative and the Tata Group’s donations help build consumer trust while balancing ethics and profits,” Akash added.

    “Ethics = Trust = Profits.”

    #4

    30 Corporate Marketing Tactics That Shaped How We Live Without Us Realizing That we the consumers are at fault for all of the plastic waste in the world. It is a free rider problem — and the corporations are not paying for the harm they have done and are continuing to do to the world.

    throwaway-permanent , Antoine GIRET/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #5

    Placing a ring on a finger, symbolizing engagement or commitment, often influenced by corporate propaganda. The need for diamond engagement rings.

    kniblack , Andre Jackson/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    Zephyr343
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Lab created ones are much more ethical if you have to have a diamond ring. Exactly the same chemical composition as natural diamonds but not made from the blood of children

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    #6

    30 Corporate Marketing Tactics That Shaped How We Live Without Us Realizing Fast fashion. it needs to die. not only is it an overheating unsustainable system. it promotes waist, and you end up spending more money on them anyway in the long run. it is better to make a small wardrobe of a few well-made clothes that fit you well and will last a long time over sometimes literal plastic.

    ExaemTurkey , Becca McHaffie/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    Akash also highlighted that a company’s success isn’t just about the market they serve—it’s about how well they tap into emotions, habits, and decision-making patterns to create an irresistible connection with their brand.

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    Big brands are particularly skilled at using psychology to influence consumers:

    1. They make it personal. Ever seen an ad that feels like it knows you? That’s data-driven personalization at work.
    2. They sell a feeling, not a product. Apple doesn’t just sell tech—it sells innovation and creativity.
    3. They create urgency. Limited-time offers make people act fast.
    4. They hook you with small steps. Free trials or introductory deals get customers invested.
    5. They make themselves familiar. The more you see a brand, the more you trust it.
    6. They remove friction. One-click checkouts make buying effortless.
    #7

    Person playing frisbee on a hill at sunset, illustrating normalized activities influenced by corporate propaganda. “Warning, this product may cause bleeding, swelling, hair loss, thoughts of s*****e depression, cancer, anal leakage, and death”

    Meanwhile it shows a bunch of happy people playing frisbee in the park with grandma

    Steff_164 , Josh Rocklage/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    The Scout
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The whole ads for prescription meds are crazy. Like "OK, you might be a medical professional, but I know better than you what to prescribe because I have seen this ad..."

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    #8

    30 Corporate Marketing Tactics That Shaped How We Live Without Us Realizing American exceptionalism and individualism

    Also, the idea that your work ethic (or rather how much time you give your job) is what gives you value.

    surrrah , cottonbro studio/pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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    Earonn -
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The USA were so drunk with their own "WE ARE THE GREATEST! FREEEEDOOOHHHHM" that they refused to admit that they could fall prey to authoritarianism, too. Now they pay the price. Sorry for you guys, hope you get out as lightly as possible.

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    #9

    Assorted brunch dishes on a round table, highlighting corporate propaganda's influence on dining habits. Breakfast foods are only for breakfast and that's all you're supposed to eat in the morning. I had clam chowder for breakfast my first day living alone at 17. F**k the system.

    Ubermassive , Ali Inay/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #10

    Laptop and tablets on a wooden table, highlighting corporate propaganda's impact on technology normalization. Planned obsolescence in technology.

    whymypersonality:
    You mean how most technology literally quits working every few years? Cause I'm getting sick of being literally forced to buy a new phone every 2-3 years because the old one wont turn on anymore.

    Inferi82 , Pixabay/pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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    Mike Goslin
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Choose your technology more carefully. Certainly some (many) tech companies plan obsolesce (You have some pictured here) by trapping you in their ecosystem.. BUT, many tech companies are truly competitive and that includes longevity. Avoid techno-hype and choose stuff that works well with stuff from other manufacturers.. The competition will keep your gear running and useful for 10+ years easily.

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    #11

    30 Corporate Marketing Tactics That Shaped How We Live Without Us Realizing Separate toys for boys and girls.

    Unleashtheducks , Vika Glitter/pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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    #12

    Food pyramid illustrating normalized dietary choices due to corporate influences. The food pyramid was created in 1977 as the (heavily influenced by companies) USDA made new dietary recommendations to cut out fat and replace it with “heart healthy” starches and carbs. It actually led to a growth in obesity rates.

    xxi_tmid , freepik (not the actual photo) Report

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    SAF saf
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    (heavily influenced by companies)....let's call it what it is coporations bribed the politicians at the USDA and the Federal govt. looked the other way.

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    #13

    Clover leaves with morning dew, illustrating natural elements beyond corporate propaganda influence. Clovers being weeds I read a while back that most w**d killers can't differentiate between clovers and other weeds they just k**l all of them so companies began emphasizing clovers as a w**d so they could still sell their chemicals

    I learned this fact on reddit tho so take it with a grain of salt.

    panties_in_my_a*s:
    You may have learned it on reddit, but it’s true. Clover and other common, lawn-healthy broadleaf plants were demonized by agrichemical companies so that they could sell herbicide chemicals. Here is a wonderful, readable source that will make you and your green space more healthy.

    Clover is great for your lawn because it fixes nitrogen. Farmers rotate nitrogen-fixing plants into their fields because grains (like grass) gradually deplete nitrogen. Nobody would need to fertilize their lawn if they just left the f*****g clover there.

    Fun fact (not actually fun) is the herbicides were designed to k**l German potato crops and Japanese rice crops in World War II. They were never used that way in the end, but to this day we are spraying our lawns with chemicals originally designed as weapons to threaten civilian food security. WWII was f*cked up.

    mdoktor , Caroline McFarland/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #14

    30 Corporate Marketing Tactics That Shaped How We Live Without Us Realizing Valentine's day!

    Thanks-Noob_noob , freestocks/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    Sarah Kathrin Matsoukis
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'll go for any excuse to get bf a gift and a special date, let me enjoy Valentine's Day

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    #15

    30 Corporate Marketing Tactics That Shaped How We Live Without Us Realizing Sorry, I keep writing these because I can't sleep.

    The whole notion that government is inefficient and incompetent, a drag on business.

    I'm no communist, but there is always a role for government in a well-run economy. Business may be more efficient, but why do we focus on efficiency to the exclusion of all other considerations? What about robustness? What about fairness? Businesses are not incented to improve society, only their position within it. Government should act as counterweight to ensure a Leviathan like Amazon does not sink us.

    As for the incompetence of government, all I will say is this. I've worked as a consultant to government and now in Big Tech. I've seen as much, if not more, incompetence here than I worked in the public sector.

    LongHello , Ian Hutchinson/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    Toothless Feline
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Government’s most important role in the economy is to ensure an even playing field between businesses and customers. The US government has failed hard on this.

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    #16

    Soldier in uniform with US flag backdrop, illustrating themes of corporate propaganda. Y'all don't hate me for this - US military commercials.

    mismiami97 , Sharefaith/pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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    Hmmm hmmmm
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Not as good as the British navy adverts. I can still recite some of those from memory. Born in Blythe but raised in the royal navy

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    #17

    Modern suburban house with white picket fence, reflecting corporate propaganda influences in architecture. The white picket fence American dream. It was actually a propaganda campaign on the 50s to try and get women out of the workforce so men returning from war would have jobs to go back to.

    lil_bway , Get Lost Mike/pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    #18

    Two people sitting in a graffiti-covered alley, highlighting impacts of corporate propaganda normalization. The war on d***s.

    Donilltrump , Linda Xu/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    Michael Goldsberry
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Originally, way way back, the war on d***s was planned to have sufficient money for rehab, that of course never happened

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    #20

    30 Corporate Marketing Tactics That Shaped How We Live Without Us Realizing Women’s razors. Marketing shaving to women and convincing them and the rest of the population that being hairless was more feminine.

    no_seas_carepicha , Kaboompics.com/pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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    Toothless Feline
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The worst propaganda about women’s razors is that they will take the exact same razor they would sell a man, make it pink, and hike the price.

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    #22

    Airplane cabin interior showcasing closely arranged seats, typical of corporate propaganda normalization. "Premium economy" seating in airplanes. It's what regular economy seating should be.

    sampaggregator , Jeffry S.S./pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    #23

    Person in a bathrobe, towel on head, applying skincare, highlighting corporate propaganda's influence on beauty routines. Expensive skincare.
    That $300 moisturizing cream doesn't necessarily have better ingredients than a $10 cream.

    anon , Miriam Alonso/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #24

    Two women in a corporate setting, engaging in conversation near a window. The fact that sharing your salary with your colleagues in the same position as you is taboo.

    Some companies I've worked for have gone so far as to put it in their handbook as a rule. It's just them trying to cheap out as much as possible. Because when I bring up the fact that the new hire makes more than I do after gaining seniority, suddenly they want to be mad at me.

    reejimusprime , Christina @ wocintechchat.com/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    Warren Peece
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    In the USA, it is illegal under the The National Labor Relations Act for a company to forbid workers from discussing salaries or other job conditions among themselves.

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    #25

    30 Corporate Marketing Tactics That Shaped How We Live Without Us Realizing The concept of waking up at 6-7am to go sit in a desk and be stifled of your creativity and personal experiences for 6-8 hours a day. This is an outdated system to get people trained and docile to work in factories, and now successfully causes generations of kids to be depressed.

    PandaChristinab , Getty Images/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    CP
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have pointed out before that the 40 hour work week is not written in stone. We as a society should be always working to get that number down.

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    #26

    Person wearing gloves using ATM, holding cash; corporate propaganda influence on financial transactions. Service charges and ATM fees at banks.

    Limp_Distribution , RDNE Stock project/pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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    Lost Panda
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    In Japan, ATMs are not 24/7 and are not open on Sundays/holidays (depending on the institution). The whole country has missed what the purpose of an automated teller was invented for. Oh... and services charges, they did adopt that part though.

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    #27

    Pharmacist showing medication to a customer, highlighting normalized practices through corporate propaganda. Those who sell top cash Ibuprofen or Paracetamol. Normal cheap/store brand stuff works just as well. Just very good marketing.

    NarrativeScorpion:
    The vast majority of d***s have store brand varieties. People just need to learn to look at the active ingredients.

    DavosLostFingers , National Cancer Institute/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #28

    Fast food meal with fries and chicken, highlighting corporate propaganda influence on diet norms. People eating KFC during Christmas time in Japan because of KFC's marketing campaign that promoted their products as a traditional Western Christmas treat.

    MurlocsNo1Stan , Aleks Dorohovich/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #29

    30 Corporate Marketing Tactics That Shaped How We Live Without Us Realizing Cotton instead of hemp.

    anon Report

    #30

    30 Corporate Marketing Tactics That Shaped How We Live Without Us Realizing Women's jeans without pockets so you have to go buy purses.

    billyandteddy , Lucas Lenzi/unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    April Pickett
    Community Member
    3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The outrage women have about this is making headway. I have pockets in my pajamas now, what a delight.

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    Note: this post originally had 60 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

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    Poll Question

    Why do you think corporate propaganda becomes ingrained in society?

    Effective advertising

    Lack of public scrutiny

    Economic dependency

    Cultural adaptation