This study examined the differences in the use of language in television commercials from the United States, Japan, South Korea, and China to persuade viewers (consumers) to buy a product. Because cultural norms in these East Asian nations favor indirectness when suggesting or recommending, it was hypothesized that: 1) suggestions would be more frequent in commercials from the United States than in commercials from the Asian countries; and 2) imperatives would be the most frequent form of suggestion used in American television commercials, but not in the Asian commercials. A full evening's broadcast of television commercials from China, Japan, Korea, and the United States formed the research sample for this study, and the resulting data supported both hypotheses. American television commercials employed stronger suggestions and far more imperatives than Asian commercials. While this phenomenon (directness in American advertising versus indirectness of Asian advertisers) mirrors cultural norms, it may also be the result of selling in a market economy, or a refection of advertising conventions in each country. (JL)