Which of these ads do you ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐Ÿ๐ž๐ซ? | Nudge Newsletter


Barnum Effect

โ€‹Read onlineโ€‹


Why does the ad on the ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ capture attention?

Well, it might be down to the question.
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Rohini Ahluwalia and Robert Burnkrant's studyยน in 2004 tested two types of ads.
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Statement-based ads: "You haven't had a pear in a while."โ€‹
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And...
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Question ads: "When was the last time you had a pear?" โ€‹
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The researchers found that ads using questions are rated 14% ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐š๐ฏ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐š๐›๐ฅ๐ฒ than statement-based ads.
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So, why not turn your statement into a question?


I tested this myself in two Reddit ads.

I spent $100 on each ad, targeted both at the same audience, used the same image and CTA, but changed one thing.

One ad was a statement: "Ditch boring business podcasts. Try Nudge."

The other contained a question: "Bored of boring business podcasts? Try Nudge."

Asking that open question boosted the clicks by 15%.

Not bad, right?

Hope you enjoyed today's newsletter โ€” Phillโ€‹

ยนยนAnswering Questions about Questions: A Persuasion Knowledge Perspective for Understanding the Effects of Rhetorical Questions (2004)

As a behavioural science practitioner, I believe in the peak-end rule.

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