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“Got Milk?”
“What’s in your wallet?”
“Are you a Mac or a PC?”
Promotional phrases consisting of a simple question have often been successful in the marketplace, but are they more effective than a simple statement? That depends, according to Carroll School of Management Associate Professor of Marketing Henrik Hagtvedt, whose recent research project examines whether replacing a period with a question mark, or vice versa, in an advertising slogan affects whether a consumer makes a purchase.
“I’ve long been interested in ambiguity and uncertainty,” says Hagtvedt, whose study has been published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology [available at http://bit.ly/1HZMJPV]. “Raising a question has that kind of connotation to it – a little bit of uncertainty because you’re asking the consumer to think about this, and to reach his or her own conclusion.”
Hagtvedt looked at this phenomenon through the lens of one’s level of stimulation: If someone was excited or nervous, does he or she respond more favorably to a question or a statement? Conversely, if a prospective consumer is calm, which type of phrase does he or she prefer?
Using pens, strawberries, pictures, and an ad display with music and visual images, Hagtvedt compiled data from more than 400 prospective consumers over the course of three studies. He measured how participants in various states of arousal responded to promotional phrases framed as questions (“The Pen For You?”) or statements (“The Pen For You”). Hagtvedt also used exciting or dull photographs and various kinds of music to help induce different degrees of stimulation, from low to high.
He found that marketing statements were more effective and well-received if the consumer was stimulated or excited in some way, because he or she preferred clear, straightforward communication. “Maybe the person is at a sporting event, watching TV or some kind of action movie, or looking at a magazine or web page that is stimulating – he or she will respond less favorably to a question. If you are highly aroused, you tend to want clear information and know exactly what’s going on – you don’t really want to think about it. So the promotional phrases that were statements led to more purchases than the questions did.”
Under low arousal, questions were received more favorably because the phrase caught the respondent’s interest, Hagtvedt notes. “Questions often engage the mind more than straightforward statements do, and even rhetorical questions can enhance consumer elaborations on a given message.
“A question mark can pique interest because you’re asked to think about things on your own. You’re so used to getting all these statements that being asked to actually think about it on your own might be slightly more interesting. Under normal circumstances, where consumers might be relatively relaxed or calm, marketers may therefore benefit from framing their promotional phrases as questions rather than statements.”
Given the takeaway of the research – aroused consumers appreciate clarity, while calm consumers appreciate stimuli – the lesson for marketers is this, he says: Know where your message is being seen.
“If it’s a supermarket or shopping center on a typical, slow-moving day, then it may make sense to spark the consumer’s curiosity a little bit by framing promotional phrases as questions. A question mark can cause the consumer to wonder ‘What’s this about?’”
However, if the ad display is in the middle of the holiday hustle and bustle or a big sale that’s creating a frenzy, a simple declarative statement is best, according to the research.
Says Hagtvedt, “Aroused consumers don’t want to think about it. They just want simple information that they can act on. Consumers tend to experience questions as less clear communication than statements. Hence, they have an adverse reaction. It doesn’t have to be strong, and consumers might not even be aware of it, but it can nonetheless be enough for them to have a slightly lower evaluation of the brand or product than they otherwise would have.
“It might cause them not to purchase just because that little uncertainty is slightly disturbing to them.”
Using this approach, he says, advertisements might be customized for magazines, television or the Internet, depending on the level of arousal they encourage: “If the ad itself or the material in which it is imbedded involves topics of a sexual, competitive, dangerous, or thrilling nature, the current research suggests that a statement style is likely to be more effective, even if a question style could appeal to consumers’ curiosity under other circumstances.
“The same logic holds for public policy communications. A question style regarding behaviors to achieve desirable health outcomes might draw consumers in under calm conditions, but it may be less effective at the physician’s office if they are feeling nervous.
“Consumers may not always consider the implications of language details of this kind, but it can make a big difference in the efficacy of marketers, whether they are business managers or politicians.”