Persuasion can be conscience or unconscience - deliberate or not. In mass communication there are many examples where techniques of persuasion are used quite deliberately, well organised and pre-planned. Advertising is paid for, Publicity is free. Not all propaganda can be described as 'evil', most of the time its connotations is for nasty, bad, evil things. Can't talk about advertising, propaganda etc.
Advertising encourages people to buy.
Opinions can easily be changed, susceptible to manipulation, social pressure and fashion Exploit someone's values to change someone's opinions. Many years ago companies realised how powerful television was to advertise their products and services. As the theology of the status quo it aims at controlling our lives and keeping us on the canbury treadmill. This quotation is very true of advertisers. Today advertising is just as important, if not more so, as when ITV started.