Abstract The article presents the comparative analysis of social advertising use as the state instrument of patriotic promotion. The source basis for the analysis is the posters and videos of patriotic orientation of different periods of history. For direct consideration advertising products from the USA, China, Germany, Israel and Russia were taken. The influence of the dominant ideology on the formation of patriotic advertising images is traced. Special attention is paid to the formation of an image of the enemy through advertising and the national specifics of its visual representation. Patriotic advertising relates to the specific interpretation of patriotism in various ideological and national contexts. The conclusion is drawn about the most consistent distinction between patriotism and nationalism in the tradition of forming a political advertising product in Russia. The practical significance of the article is determined by the possibilities of using the results obtained in forming the modern Russian social advertising in the field of patriotic education.