🧠 Hard sell vs Soft sell = Left brain vs Right brain? Fiona van Iersel MSc Marketing — King's College London Module: International Marketing (7QQMO500X) Date: 21 July 2025 https://keats.kcl.ac.uk/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=764026 🧠 Hard sell vs Soft sell = Left brain vs Right brain? Submitted: 21 July 2025 5:27 AM So I started this thinking, “Okay, maybe different countries respond to different ad styles because of how they think. For instance, maybe the UK uses the ‘right side’ of the brain — all feelings and slow violins — while the Netherlands is totally ‘left-brain’ — facts, price tags, and practical shoes.” But then I realised
 wait. Do we really switch brains depending on what country we’re in? Or do we all use both — just with slightly different preferences and vibes? Because when you really start watching ads , not just half-glancing during a break but the kind everyone and your mother forwards to you and asks if you've seen it yet— you see the same thing over and over: 💡 We feel something first (emotion, laughter, belonging, connection), 💡 And then we think (“Can I afford this?” “Do I need it?” “Is this me?”). So I picked three countries I know well — Mexico, the Netherlands, and the UK — that are day and night in approach and cultures and did a little comparison. Each has a distinct cultural style, buuuuut
They all play with both hard-sell and soft-sell advertising sometimes ever a 2 for 1 . Just in very “them” ways. đŸ‡ČđŸ‡œ MĂ©xico Known for emotional warmth, dramatic storytelling, family values, and the national sport of turning anything into a heartfelt moment. You’d think it’s all telenovela-style tearjerkers — and a lot of it is! But there’s also plenty of ads that are as direct and urgent as a michelada on a hot day at the same time! 🔊 Hard-Sell Example: Elektra – “PrĂ©stamo Elektra: Pagos Semanales” These ads are all bold fact delivering quests and weekly payments. With a pinch of fluff, plus backstory. “Buy it because your family needs it. Pay later in installments. Best pricing comparison. This is how you can maken it happen” đŸ“ș Watch it here The Finance info is left-brain stuff logic. Yyyeeet! 🧡 Soft-Sell: Cerveza Victoria – DĂ­a de Muertos Now this one. It’s beautiful. It taps into Mexican identity, tradition, memory, and cultural pride — and then reminds you the brand was there for all of it. đŸ“ș Watch it here 🧠 Full right-brain. No price. No urgency. Just intense emotion, music, visuals — goosebumps and yes I cried and saw myself in it as I’m sure many people do, but it’s not a big purchase and we all know what the price of a beer is in Mexico we don’t really have to break bank for it so I don’t think you need a hard cell in this, not because of the culture, but because people know the price and won’t be put off by a few pesitos but differentiator's would be the flavor and if people identify with the brand. đŸȘ…There is a common tether though: I just realized it’s the Catholic guilt trip they’re hooking people on! Mexicans love emotion. But even here, there’s space for a “show me the money!!” ad — when it comes to big purchases. đŸ‡łđŸ‡±The Netherlands- Nederland oh Nederland jij bent de kampioen Known for: Logic, straight-talking, being very “doe normaal (act normal its crazy enough)” practical. Dutch ads are usually pretty no-nonsense funny — but that doesn’t mean they’re boring. In fact, when they do show emotion, it’s often wrapped in dry humour or something endearingly awkward. But I wonder if all cultures watching it feel the same way about the ads? Does it hit the same cord for everyone? Or is Dutch emotional, not emotional at all for a Brit? 💾 Hard-Sell: Blokker – “Prijsdaling!” Massive text. Big prices. Partners celebrating something everyone in NL does story. “€2.99! NU!” đŸ“ș watch “Blokker reclame Prijsdaling” on YouTube Sooooo not 100% left brain 🧠 It has fast facts and Dutch efficiency. But still connects with Dutch people emotionally. It makes people laugh (which is the best way to make people connect) at the silliness of the situation the couple is in that are celebrating something they can relate to. But while dutch audiences would laugh I'm sure this does not hit the funny scale in other cultures. 🎂 Soft-Sell: Dutch bed store Beter Bed runs blunt ads that can be emotional: Loads of advice on how to sleep better, showing empathy for people that have struggled with getting enough rest but with an irony that makes you laugh. Then giving them the feeling that they’re taking care of them by saying: “Nu slapen, pas in 2026 betalen. En ja, het bed is ook nog lekker!” (“Sleep now, pay in 2026. And yes, the bed is also comfy!”) Often accompanied by deadpan delivery, bargain signs, and overly informative eager sales staff, it’s like the Calvinist version of a hard sell. So Im confused. The lines are blurred. đŸ“șWatch it here 🧠 Soft-sell Just life, humour, and warmth. But really for non-Dutch people perhaps it seems pretty hard sell. đŸšČ : Even in the land of logic and directness, ads can (and do) use emotion — just
 in their way. So it’s starting to feel like a matter of cultural perspective of what’s hard or soft. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom Known for Irony, polite emotional repression, and losing our collective minds when the John Lewis Christmas ad drops. Hahahah UK ads are probably the most emotionally schizophrenic of the three. You’ve got zombies selling phones and sad moons at Christmas. It’s? đŸ‘» Hard-Sell ?: Phones 4U – “Haunted by Missed Deals” This is peak weird-British humour. A creepy girl ghost moans “phones
 for youuu
” to sell you a discount SIM. đŸ“ș Watch it here 🧠 It’s a hard-sell strangely, but wearing a Halloween costume. Funny and informative. 🎄 Soft-Sell UK: John Lewis – “Man on the Moon” It’s sweet, slow, and sad in that way only British emotional content can be. There’s no in your face sales pitch. Just a telescope and some subtle branding. đŸ“ș Watch it here 🧠 Right-brain in full swing(get it swinging on the moon?) It doesn’t sell you anything. It just sits in your chest for a bit. Sneak attack. 🎁: Brits love a good story — especially if it’s a bit sad. But even the emotional stuff leads to product love in the end. Id like to see if this translated into sales. ✍ sooo yeah
 it’s not really a “right brain vs left brain” thing. It’s more like: 🎯 First, ads hook our feelings
 🧠 Then, they close the deal with logic every time every culture but in their cultural way. It may look dry or not according to the culture that’s observing it. It’s all about the observer!!! In the psychology sense not the quantum mechanics way. And the really clever ones? They do both at the same time — even if they hint it or scream it. Every culture does this, just with its own language. In Mexico, it’s passion and, practicality. In the Netherlands, logic, and humour capture the audience. In the UK, we need jokes and tears and reason — to love it. References Okazaki, S., Mueller, B. and Diehl, S. (2013) ‘A multi-country examination of hard-sell and soft-sell advertising: Comparing global consumer positioning in holistic- and analytic-thinking cultures’, Journal of Advertising Research, 53(3), pp. 258–272. https://doi.org/10.2501/JAR-53-3-258-272 Petty, R.E. and Cacioppo, J.T. (1986) Communication and Persuasion: Central and Peripheral Routes to Attitude Change. New York: Springer-Verlag. Arnould, E. and Thompson, C. (2005) ‘Consumer Culture Theory (CCT): Twenty years of research’, Journal of Consumer Research, 31(4), pp. 868–882. 1225 words