Latest / Hustle Minds / 12: The Power of Phrasing Questions Statements in Marketing

Transcript

12: The Power of Phrasing Questions Statements in Marketing · Hustle Minds

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: All right, so get ready for today's deep dive. We're
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: diving into the power of words again. Well yeah, kind of.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: It's always about words in a way, right, true enough,
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: but today is going to be a bit different.
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: Promise Okay, you got me intrigued. What's on the agenda today?
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: We're going to unpack how something as simple as a question.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: Mark A question mark?
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you know those little curly things.
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: Uh huh. I know what a question mark is. I
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: just didn't expect them to be the star as of
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: today's show.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: They're about to be. They can totally change how persuasive
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: a message is, especially in marketing.
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: Now that is interesting. Tell me more.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Okay, So we found this research paper. It's called a
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: Promotional Phrases as Questions Versus Statements an Influence of Phrase
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: style on Product Evaluation kitchee.
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: Right, So this paper is all about how we react
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: to questions versus statements in advertising, You got it.
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: And they're saying that sometimes a question can actually be
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: more effective than just coming out and making a statement.
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: Now that does make you, I know, right, Like, are
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: they saying that the best coffee is somehow more persuasive
• 1:07
  Speaker 3: than the best coffee?
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: It seems counterintuitive. We always hear that being clear and
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: direct is key in advertising exactly.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: But this research is saying maybe not always. Sometimes a
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: little mystery can be really powerful.
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: So instead of telling someone what to think, a question
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: makes them think for themselves.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: That's the idea. It's about sparking that thought process, you know,
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: like is this the best coffee for me?
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: Psychologists call this elaboration. You see a question, your brain
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: automatically starts analyzing, comparing, and then boom, you come to
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: your own conclusion.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: And we all know there's nothing quite as convincing as
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: our own conclusion exactly.
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: If you tell me something is amazing, I might be skeptical.
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: But if I convince myself it's amazing, well then I'm
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: sold exactly.
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: And that's what's so cool about questions and advertising.
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: But of course it's not as simple as just slapping
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: a question mark on everything.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: Oh there's always, but isn't there.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: Our reactions to questions versus statements, Well, they actually shift
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: depending on our emotional state.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: Okay, now you're really making me think. We're talking about
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: how our emotions play into all of this too.
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, buckle up, because it's about to get really interesting.
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: So a question mark can be like this secret.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: Weapon, well sort of, but.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: It all depends on our mood, it really does. All right,
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: I'm hooked. Lay it on me. How do our emotions
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: play into this whole question mark thing.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: Let's say you're walking through the grocery store. Okay, just relaxed,
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: taking it easy, yep, I'm with you, and you see
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: this big display of let's say fresh berries, berry is
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: my favorite, and the sign just says berries with a
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: question mark. You got it.
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: I think I'd be more likely to stop, yeah, right,
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: than if it just said berry. Is like a statement.
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: Exactly, because when we're relaxed in that low arousal state,
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: our brains they actually crave a little curiosity.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: So that question mark becomes like an invitation exactly.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: He's like, oh, what's going on here?
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: Tell me more about these berries? Yes, but what about
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: when we're like, not in a chill grocery store mood.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: What about when you're stressed out and everything's chaotic?
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: Yeah?
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: Yeah, question isn't going to be as helpful, then.
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: Is it. You're absolutely right. When we're in those high
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: arousal situations, our brains they want clarity, no time for games.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: Look, if I'm trying to find my way around a
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: new city and I'm already late, the last thing I
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: want is a sign that's like, need directions.
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: Exactly, I need a sign that just screams.
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: Map, yes, just give it to me straight. So in
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: those moments, our brains prioritize that clear direct information over
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: anything that requires too much thinking.
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: Precisely, it's about survival almost.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: Wait, survival. Are you saying there's an evolutionary reason for this? Oh?
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you better believe it. Think about our ancestors if
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: they're being chased by a tiger, A question like hmm,
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: I wonder if that's a dangerous animal, isn't going to
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: be very helpful?
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: Not helpful at all? Run would be much.
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: More effect Exactly. We evolved a crave curiosity when we
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: have the mental space for it, but when things get real,
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: our brains they just want those clear, actionable instructions.
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: So this instinct, it affects how we react to marketing
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: messages even today.
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: You got it. And this research, well, they wanted to
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: see just how much these subtle cues really.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: Impact us, so they didn't just talk about it. They
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: actually did experiment three. In fact, oh man, I love
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: when we get to the experiments. All right, hit me
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: with study number one. What did they do? Okay, laid
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: on me. What kind of experiments are we talking about?
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: They designed three different studies three.
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: Wow, they really won for it.
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: They wanted to see how questions and statements landed in
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: different situations. And they didn't just want to know what
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: people said they thought. They wanted to see how they behaved.
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: Okay, now you're talking, give me the details. What was
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: study number one?
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: So study one? It was all about the power of
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: a question to get us thinking. They showed people and
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: add for a pen a pen. Yeah. Sometimes the the
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: ad was phrased as a question like the pen for you? Okay,
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: and sometimes this statement just the pen for you. But
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: here's the thing. What before they even saw the pen ad,
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: the researchers messed with their arousal levels.
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: Hold on, hold on, how do you mess with someone's
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: arousal level?
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: It sounds more complicated than it is. For low arousal,
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: they had people look at these really calm images like
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: nature scenes, peaceful.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: Stuff makes sense, And for high arousal, they use these.
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: Super exciting images, think sporting events, that kind of thing.
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: Ah, so they're priming their brains to be other relaxed
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: or amped up clever. What happened next?
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: Then they showed them the PEN ad. Yeah, the people
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: who had seen those calming images, you know, the low
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: arousal group, they wrote way more about the PEN when
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: the ad was phrased as a question.
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: They were more intrigued you're saying exactly.
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: The question made them think more deeply about it.
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: Fascinating. But did they actually end up liking the PEN
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: brand more or was it just all on their heads?
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: That's what steady two is all about. Hit me with it,
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: same basic setup, Yeah, pen ads, arousal manipulation, the whole
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: nine yards. But this time they measured how much people
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: liked the brand afterward.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: All right, what were the results? Did the question mark.
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: Win when it came to the low arousal group?
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: You bet you uh huh, I knew it.
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: They were way more positive about the brand after seeing
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: the question based ad.
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: But what about the high arousal group. Did they still
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: prefer the question?
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: Actually? No, when people were feeling more amped up, the
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: statement the pen for you, it actually worked better.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: It's like their brains were like less talk more pen Exactly.
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: They wanted the direct approach.
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: So we've got pens and arousal. What was studying number three?
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: Did they branch out from office supplies?
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: They took it to the grocery store.
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: Ooh, finally, some real world application would they do follow
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: people around with pens?
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: Not this time, this one involved that's strawberries.
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: Strawberries. Okay, you've officially piqued my interests. Tell me everything.
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: Thus this. You're walking through the produce section and you
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: see this beautiful display of strawberries.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: I'm there, I'm there.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: But here's the catch. Some shoppers are hearing this calming music,
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: you know, really mellow stuff setting the mood. I like it,
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: and others they're hearing this upbeat, high energy music.
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: So they're manipulating the shopper's moods without them even knowing
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: it exactly.
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: And get this, there's more. The strawberry display itself it
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: either said berries or berries.
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: Come on, you can't stop there? Or what happened?
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: Just as we thought, people were way more likely to
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: buy strawberries when the display matched the music.
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: So calm music plus berries equals a shopping cart full
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: of deliciousness.
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: You got it. But if they had the upbeat music. Yeah,
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: they went for the berries.
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: Wow, that is amazing. We really do respond to these
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: tiny cues in such powerful ways.
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: And most of the time we don't even realize it's happening.
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: This is blowing my mind. So to sum it all up,
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: if we really want to get someone's attention, especially if
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: they're feeling relaxed and open, a well placed question mark
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: can be incredibly effective. There's always a butt.
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: If it's an urgent situation or you really need someone
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: to take action quickly and decisively, then skip the question mark.
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: Go with a clear, direct statement.
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: It's all about reading the situation right, or maybe reading
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: the brain state exactly. This has been such a fascinating
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: deep dive. Thank you so much for joining us today
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: and sharing all this incredible research with us. Thanks for
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: having me and for everyone listening. Keep an ear oute
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: for those question marks. You might just be surprised at
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: how much they're influencing you. See you next time.