Soft Sell

In advertising, a soft sell is an advertisement or campaign that uses a more subtle, casual, or friendly sales message. This approach works in opposition to a hard sell.

Theorists have examined the value of repetition for soft sell versus hard sell messages to determine their relative efficacy. Frank Kardes and others have concluded that a soft sell with an inferred conclusion rather than an overt hard sell can often be more persuasive. Soft sell is also less likely to be irritating to consumers