Shakespeare's plays went viral with people of all ages. How did he do it? Did he hire the best marketing agency in town, or was there something about his stories themselves? Let's examine.

His stories provide reasons for arguments that we accept without any question. In 'Hamlet,' the protagonist delves into the question of "To Be Or Not To Be?" In 'The Merchant of Venice,' the author torments the readers with the rationality of a written contract, but then solves the excruciating dilemma through the syllogistic reasoning of "A Pound of Flesh, but not a Drop of Blood." What we notice in these stories is that they engage both the mind and the heart.

That could be the answer to the question "Why Shakespeare's Plays are So Popular?"

Shakespeare's plays appeal to both halves of our brain. The left, reasoning brain springs-up to agree with the statement "a pound of flesh but not a drop of blood," and the right, emotional and highly imaginative brain feels relieved on overturning the inhuman clause of asking for a pound of flesh on a legal contract. This fine mix of both logic and emotion forces us to wholeheartedly agree and fall in love with the story.

You'll note that even in the love-story, 'Romeo and Juliet,' the author furnishes elaborate strings of logic and reasoning to justify the completely irrational decisions made by the protagonists. Shakespeare did not leave it to emotions alone to justify the "love's madness."

Sales, marketing and brand managers can benefit from this understanding. If you want your brand to be loved and respected, then your brand's story should appeal to both the left (logical) and right (emotional) brains.