[News Terms] 'Soft Cell' Propaganda Law Proposed by Hong Kong Lawmaker

"Excessive Hard Sell... Effective Promotion Method Is Soft Sell"
Restrictions on Activity Freedom, Criticism of China's Intervention Arise

A member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council has drawn attention by proposing that Hong Kong spread its national security perspective in a soft manner through films like the once highly popular espionage movie Infernal Affairs (2002), similar to how the American film Top Gun effectively incorporated patriotism.

On the 19th, Chinese-language media such as Sing Tao Daily and United Daily News reported in unison that Ma Fung-kwok, a Hong Kong legislator and a representative of Hong Kong in the National People's Congress of China, said during a discussion on promoting the Hong Kong Constitution and Basic Law the previous day, "Currently, the promotion of the Constitution and Basic Law is excessively 'hard sell,'" adding, "In fact, the most effective promotional method is 'soft sell.'"

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) is shaking hands with John Lee, Chief Executive of Hong Kong, who visited Beijing on December 18 last year.
[Photo by Beijing Xinhua/Yonhap News]

'Soft sell' is an advertising strategy that does not emphasize the usefulness of a product’s functions or features, but rather evokes positive emotions toward the brand and service. It stimulates atmosphere and sentiment to build a favorable brand image, naturally creating desire for the product. This approach is mainly used in advertisements for low-involvement products like daily necessities or luxury goods.

Conversely, advertising that strongly implants the product’s unique advantages or benefits into the consumer’s mind is called 'hard sell.'

In the advertising industry, the 1915 Cadillac advertisement by General Motors is considered the beginning of soft sell advertising. Without specific mentions of Cadillac’s convenience or performance, the slogan "the penalty of Leadership" compared Cadillac to a great work of art. The ad appealed to consumers’ emotions by conveying that a great brand transcends time and its value is eternal, significantly boosting Cadillac’s sales and being selected as "the great advertisement of this era" in 1945.

The 1931 Coca-Cola Santa Claus advertisement is also regarded as one of the most successful soft sell ads. Before this ad, Santa Claus was depicted wearing green clothes and having a thin physique, but he was reborn wearing red clothes and a plump figure. To increase sales during the winter, a low season for beverages, Coca-Cola commissioned American artist Haddon Sundblom to develop the mascot, creating the modern image of Santa Claus.

According to the media reports, Ma Fung-kwok, who has experience in the film industry, explained that the Hong Kong government previously promoted the concept of integrity through works like the drama series ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption), and that commercial productions about the police and fire services were aired to increase the number of applicants.

The media introduced his argument that "the Hong Kong government should promote the Hong Kong Basic Law in a similar way," adding, "Although such topics are serious and difficult to promote softly, it is not impossible, just as the Hollywood film Top Gun successfully incorporated patriotism into the movie."

The film Infernal Affairs is a Hong Kong noir movie depicting the intertwined fates of a gangster posing as a police officer and a police officer infiltrating the gang over a decade. When it was released in 2002, it topped the Hong Kong box office, surpassing foreign films like Harry Potter, creating a box office sensation.

Regarding this, Clement Woo, Deputy Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs of Hong Kong, responded, "The Hong Kong government has consistently carried out soft promotional work containing content about the Constitution," adding, "We will continue to promote related content in a simple and clear manner and are considering channels such as games and social media platforms."

Hong Kong completed legislation of the "Hong Kong version of the National Security Law" in March this year and has recently been driving an "emphasis on security" campaign by using this law to punish pro-democracy activists and opposition politicians. While the Hong Kong authorities, accelerating the "Sinicization" process, boast that the rule of law has been established, resistance continues, such as the resignation of a British judge who had served at Hong Kong’s highest court on the 6th of this month, citing restrictions on judicial freedom and interference from China.