In
advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
, a soft sell is an
advertisement
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
or
campaign
Campaign or The Campaign may refer to:
Types of campaigns
* Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed
*Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme
* Bl ...
that uses a more subtle, casual, or friendly sales message. This approach is the opposite of a
hard sell
In advertising, a hard sell is an advertisement or campaign that uses a more direct, forceful, and overt sales message, as opposed to a soft sell.
The term is also used to describe aggressive sales techniques used by company representatives, par ...
.
Theorists have examined the value of repetition for soft sell versus
hard sell
In advertising, a hard sell is an advertisement or campaign that uses a more direct, forceful, and overt sales message, as opposed to a soft sell.
The term is also used to describe aggressive sales techniques used by company representatives, par ...
messages, in order to determine their relative efficacy. Frank Kardes and others have concluded that a soft sell, with an implied conclusion rather than an overt hard sell, can often be more persuasive.
Soft sell is also less likely to be irritating to consumers.
See also
*
Hard sell
In advertising, a hard sell is an advertisement or campaign that uses a more direct, forceful, and overt sales message, as opposed to a soft sell.
The term is also used to describe aggressive sales techniques used by company representatives, par ...
*
Advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
*
Psychological manipulation
Manipulation in psychology is a behavior designed to exploit, control, or otherwise influence others to one’s advantage. Definitions for the term vary in which behavior is specifically included, influenced by both culture and whether referring t ...
Notes
References
*Herbert E. Krugman. An Application of Learning Theory to TV Copy Testing. ''The Public Opinion Quarterly'', Vol. 26, No. 4 (Winter, 1962), pp. 626–634
*Frank R. Kardes. Spontaneous Inference Processes in Advertising: The Effects of Conclusion Omission and Involvement on Persuasion. ''The Journal of Consumer Research'', Vol. 15, No. 2 (Sep., 1988), pp. 225–233
*
David A. Aaker, Donald E. Bruzzone. Causes of Irritation in Advertising. ''Journal of Marketing'', Vol. 49, No. 2 (Spring, 1985), pp. 47–57
*Frank R. Kardes, Maria Cronley, Thomas Cline. ''Consumer Behavior,'' p. 212
Advertising techniques
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