Whoever coined the phrase “curiosity killed the cat” was—and excuse the pun—dead wrong. No one should be encouraged to downplay their inquisitive nature or stop asking questions. In fact, I would hazard a guess that many of the most profitable brands have achieved their business success through curiosity.
One of the most impressive brands in the world is literally built for curiosity. Every day, Google helps more than 1 billion people find answers to life’s questions. If Larry Page and Sergey Brin hadn’t wondered “How can we make search better?,” the world might still be thumbing through outdated encyclopedias or asking Jeeves for mildly relevant answers.
Even if your brand deals with a more tangible product than “answers,” curiosity still allows for some serious soul searching. Asking questions will lead you to valuable insights about your product and the people who buy it. You may find that you need to adjust your strategy or construct a new one entirely. The minute you stop trying to improve your connection with important audiences, your brand begins to stagnate and become irrelevant.
Similarly, you should never stop asking questions about the creative work that accompanies your strategy. Curiosity will help you refine every element of creative pieces. Why did you use that color? Is that word the most evocative option? Should you follow the conventional path or craft something completely new? Questions allow you to approach creative problems with a fresh perspective, impacting the final product significantly. However, just because “final” is mentioned, it doesn’t mean it’s time to stop the queries.
The completion of a project merely presents another opportunity to ask questions. Curiosity is an important tool in the evaluation process, allowing you to determine what’s working and what isn’t. Ask current customers to see what they think of your marketing. Talk to others who prefer your competition and see why. These and many, many other questions will provide valuable feedback that helps you improve your brand.
