The human brain is a beautifully messy place.

It’s said the left side handles logic, language and structure, while the right deals with emotions, visuals and creativity. That’s not the whole picture – both hemispheres are involved in most things we do – but some tasks do light up one side more than the other.

Marketing is one of those rare jobs that asks a lot from both sides of the brain. Writing a media plan? Mostly left-brain territory. Coming up with the campaign idea in the first place? Likely the right’s domain. Presenting it to a room full of C-suiters who haven’t had lunch yet? Somewhere in between.

Most marketers lean naturally to one side or the other. You might be more at home crunching campaign data than doodling on a whiteboard – or the exact opposite. Either way, knowing which side you favour can help you understand your strengths – and build better working relationships with people who think differently.

This quiz isn’t exactly peer-reviewed hardcore science. But it is a fun way to figure out what kind of brain you’re bringing to the job – and what that might mean for how you work.

Ready? Let’s see where you land.

1. You’re solving a jigsaw puzzle. How do you approach it?
   A) Sort all the edge pieces, then group by colour.
   B) Do a bit of both – edge first, but grab pieces that stand out.
   C) Just start sticking down pieces that look interesting.
    
2. You’re writing a birthday card. What do you write?
   A) “Happy birthday! Hope you have a great day.”
   B) Something warm with a touch of humour.
   C) A short poem that rhymes, but is slightly unhinged.
    
3. Which of these feels most satisfying?
   A) Balancing your bank account to the penny.
   B) Tidying a messy room and making it look nice.
   C) Starting a sketch and getting totally absorbed in it.
    
4. You hear a song you like. What’s your first reaction?
   A) “I wonder what that sample is taken from.”
   B) “Nice beat, catchy chorus, I’m adding it to my playlist.”
   C) “This reminds me of driving at night through a Cornish village.”
    
5. A friend texts you: “Want to go on a spontaneous road trip tomorrow?”
   A) “Where are we going? How long? What do I pack?”
   B) “Sure! Just let me check a few things.”
   C) “Absolutely. Sod it, let’s leave now.”
    
6. You’re asked to name your favourite colour. You say:
   A) “Blue – it’s calming, and you can’t really go wrong with it.”
   B) “Depends on the context. Clothes? Design? Paint?”
   C) “That sort of mossy green that you can almost taste when you see it.”
    
7. You’re given a logic riddle. You:
   A) Roll up your sleeves and methodically work through it.
   B) Read it twice, try a couple of ideas, then Google it.
   C) Declare that riddles are for nerds and go back to doom-scrolling.

8. You’re shopping for a gift. How do you decide?
   A) Make a mental list of your giftee’s likes, set a budget, do some searches, read reviews,  compare prices, perform a final analysis. 
   B) Walk around the shops/aimlessly search online until something feels ‘right’.
   C) See one thing, immediately know it’s perfect, buy it.

9. You’re packing for a holiday. What’s your style?
   A) Spreadsheet. Categories. Zip bags. No chaos.
   B) Start with the essentials, add as needed.
   C) Pack at midnight with a fingers-crossed that hope that your passport’s still in your backpack.

10. You’re in a team brainstorm. What’s your role?
    A) The one writing everything down, spotting gaps and redirecting tangents.
    B) Jumping in with ideas and building on others’.
    C) Coming up with weird stuff that makes colleagues pull faces but still somehow ends up in the final deck.

All done! Now for the moment of truth… 

Mostly A answers? You’re a Left-Brain Marketer.

You like structure, strategy, and knowing where things are going before they get there. You’re probably great at campaign planning, data analysis, budget handling and keeping projects on track. You’re the one who reads the brief, sticks to it, and makes sure ideas actually see the light of day.

Creativity doesn’t scare you, but you do prefer it with guardrails. You’re a safe pair of hands – the kind that makes clients feel confident and teams feel supported.

Mostly B answers? You’re a Balanced-Brain Marketer.

You shift gears depending on what’s needed: analytical one moment, imaginative the next. You’re likely the bridge between creatives and strategists – good at spotting connections, translating between styles and keeping everyone on the same page.

You’re the kind of marketer who sees the full picture and makes sure all the puzzle pieces fit: audience, message, budget, timing –  and all the bits that don’t show on the surface, but that actually make the work work.

Mostly C answers? You’re a Right-Brain Marketer.

You thrive on ideas, intuition and gut instinct. Your brain is a moodboard. You’re probably the first to sketch something on the wall, pitch a wild concept or spot a tone that doesn’t quite sit right. You bring the spark, the magic, the angle nobody else had thought of.

You might need a bit of structure to get your big ideas over the line – but if you’re any good at what you do, you’re fully aware that you’re not good at everything.

So, why does all this matter?

A good marketing agency doesn’t lean just one way, brain-wise. It needs vision, rigour, adaptability – and people who can do things you can’t. The best ideas are often the result of friction and flow between different types of thinkers.

At Lesniak Swann, we believe in using the full brain. Logic and emotion. Analysis and imagination. Left Brain, Right Brain and Balanced-Brain Marketers, all in the same room – solving problems, shaping campaigns, and making the complex feel simple.

In fact, this balanced approach led to the agency’s official value proposition: ‘Technical credibility and proven creative effectiveness’. 

Need help making your marketing more joined-up, grounded or human? You know where we are!