Lesson 14: The Power of Asking Questions

The Power of Asking Questions in Your Story

There are a few ways to use your archetype to capture someone’s attention. Some of the best slogans are specifically designed to do exactly that. Think about the “Got Milk?” campaign. That campaign is 25 years old and is still parodied to this day. The slogan was phrased as a question for a reason. You’re exposed to advertising messages every day as you commute or walk around town. Like most people, you ignore most of that messaging. Questions force you to break your pattern of thought and process them. It’s just human nature and there are plenty of great examples of “question” ad campaigns that made a lasting impact.

“Can you hear me now?” You don’t need any context for that question or any hints. You know exactly what company created that message and why it’s so endearing. Verizon ran that campaign for 13 years and made actor Paul Marcarelli nationally famous. Paul went from event to event, sometimes to the ends of the earth, to confirm that he still had cell service. The question spoke loud and clear to customers. Choose Verizon, and you’ll always be covered by the company’s cell phone network. This spoke to customers during the early period of cell phone adoption when cell phone coverage was patchy and dropped calls common. Verizon encapsulated that frustration (and the promise that it would never happen again) with a simple, catchy phrase.

In 1984 Wendy’s launched an ad campaign calling on customers to ask, “Where’s the Beef?” The campaign was simple and brilliant. Wendy’s gave you a larger, more filling burger when the competition tried to short-change you with smaller and smaller patties. TV ads even had the Wendy’s founder using the phrase before highlighting the size of Wendy’s own burgers. This campaign forced customers to ask if they were getting their money’s worth and if not, why eat at that establishment? That simple question helped Wendy’s draw a fine line between itself and other fast-food outlets.

The final example traces back to the 1970’s. Dog food company Purina used a clever new slogan to sell Alpo, its new brand of dog food. Purina asked owners “Doesn’t your dog deserve Alpo?” This message was designed to trigger a powerful emotional response from pet owners. Alpo was a higher quality dog food, and maybe pet owners were guilty about not treating their pets as well as they should. The word deserve is often used in marketing messages for this same reason. “Doesn’t your wife deserve nice jewellery?” “Don’t your kids deserve the safest minivan on the road?” These questions pressure customers to re-evaluate their purchasing decisions and commit to spending more on a product.

Some of the most powerful messages are framed as questions. They cut through the chatter and command the audience’s attention. Those questions often ask different things. “Are you getting the most value for your money?” Are you spending enough on loved ones?” “Are there better alternatives out there?” The messages vary but they often boil down to those questions. A question-based message lets you tap into the mindset of your audience and pressure them to re-evaluate their purchasing decisions. A good question can compel customers to change their habits or reconsider what attributes they look for in a product. You might not compel a purchase today, but you’ll at least raise questions that needed to be answered later…hopefully at the cash register.

1) Matthew Daddona, “Got Milk? How the iconic campaign came to be, 25 years ago,” Fast Company, https://www.fastcompany.com/40556502/got-milk-how-the-iconic-campaign-came-to-be-25-years-ago. 

2) Dave Nemetz, “The Inside Story of Wendy’s ‘Where’s the Beef?’ Ad,” February 1, 2017, Yahoo News, https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/the-inside-story-of-wendys-wheres-the-beef-ad-140051010.html.