Please Skip This Ad — Does Trust and Honesty Beat Technique?

 Trend Desk on honesty stepping into the ring with persuasion.

I keep seeing it everywhere: brands either trying to butter me up with “trust us, we’re real” or jabbing with a quick one-liner to get me to click. It’s honesty versus persuasion, and it feels like watching two very different fighters step into the same ring.

Let's have them fight

Round One:

The Slick Talker and Stoic Challenger

In the red corner: persuasion.

It walks in like it owns the place. It is smooth, rehearsed, dripping with psychology. It whispers: "I was made for YOU. This is why you need ME." You flinch, pull back, but can’t help looking again. Every line is a jab, every call-to-action a hook. It knows how to get applause—oh, and you like the attention too.

In the blue corner: honesty.

No swagger, no shadowboxing. It doesn’t rehearse, it doesn’t beg. It just says: “This is me. I’m here if you want me.” You half expect it to get knocked out—but it doesn’t move. No tricks, no noise. Just a stare that lands heavier than any punch.

Round Two:

The Crowd Goes Wild

Persuasion doesn’t just talk—it bends reality. It can make you believe you’re incomplete without a new phone, that water tastes better in a bottle, that your life will be transformed if you add one more serum to the shelf. It doesn’t wait for you to trust it; it hacks your brain chemistry in real time. Persuasion is dopamine with gloves on. And we let it work. We want to be convinced.

Round Three:

Why Persuasion Works

Persuasion has history on its side. Aristotle broke it down into ethos, pathos, and logos—and brands have been remixing that trio ever since. It works because our brains crave shortcuts. Scarcity makes us panic-buy, authority makes us listen, emotion makes us act. Persuasion is efficient. It’s the fast talker who knows exactly which buttons to press.

But honesty throws a curve. You don’t need to be tricked if you already believe. Once trust is built, the shortcuts become unnecessary—you’ll choose the brand without the pitch. 

Before we go to final round, and because we want to see people who are good at their jobs, do their job.... Let's take a look at some of the classic persuasive campaigns we all know too well.

“Got Milk?” (California Milk Processor Board, 1993)

A simple question turned into a cultural reflex. It didn’t persuade with product features, it persuaded by planting a little itch: imagine being caught without milk when you need it most. Instant craving, instant buy.

“Just Do It” (Nike, 1988–)

Not a shoe ad, a life philosophy disguised as a tagline. It persuades by collapsing performance anxiety into three words: don’t overthink it, just move.

Volkswagen “Think Small” (1960s)

At a time when America worshipped big cars, VW flipped the script. Minimalism became a flex, and suddenly the tiny Beetle was the smartest choice in the room. Persuasion by contradiction.

So who wins? The slick talker with the fast jabs—or the one who just stands there, unbothered, and still earns your loyalty?

Final Round:

No Knockout

Truth is, no one wins. Not honesty, not persuasion. The real strategy is in the combination: saying less, meaning more, and letting the truth punch just as hard as the hook. Technique with trust.

My thoughts?

Persuasion isn’t the villain and honesty isn’t the saint — they’re sparring partners. Technique without truth is a cheap trick, and truth without technique is a whisper in a stadium.

Think smarter. Mean more. And yes, technique matters. Hire someone if you need help, I promise it will be worth it.

Stay honestly persuasive kids,

Thank you for spending time at the Trend Desk