# Quirky Questioning Ads The DirecTV 'What, Why, When, How' Spot is Side-Splitting By Vivian Lau | Published 2012-07-31 | Marketing Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/directv-what-why-when-how References: [adverblog](http://www.adverblog.com/2012/07/27/video-of-the-day-directv-questions/) & [youtube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4hfUR-oLdM&feature=player_embedded) The [DirecTV](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/live-television-streaming) 'What/Why/When & How' spot features a quirky John Cleese as its leading man in a quick-paced short. Though there is supposedely no such thing as a stupid question, the spot shows there is in fact such a thing as too many questions. Cleese is seen incessantly asking 'Who, What Where When Why and How' throughout the commercial -- all in a ridiculously penetrating tone and set against totally random backdrops. Creativity is key when it comes to a commercial's execution. With the viral potential of videos nowadays, a really great one could make a world of difference. After the release of [Old Spice's](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-witcher) 'The Man Your Man Could Smell like,' many companies found themselves scrambling to create a character and persona that would evoke a similar reaction. This DIRECT TV ad is an example of such an ad that hopes to gain wide audience attention. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.4/10 - Popularity: 30% | Activity: 35% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/marketing) > [Commercials](https://www.trendhunter.com/commercials) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Quirky Questioning Ads:** Ads that incorporate unique and odd questioning can go viral and gather greater audience attention. - **Viral Ads as Business Strategy:** Companies are recognizing the power of creating viral videos and are leveraging creativity in their advertising strategies to boost brand recognition. - **Personalized and Memorable Ads:** Customizing ads with unique characters or personalities can make them more memorable to audiences and generate greater brand engagement. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Advertising:** The advertising industry can incorporate uniquely-questioning ads as well as more personalized characters into their campaigns. - **Entertainment:** The entertainment industry can use quirky questioning to create memorable and engaging trailers for films, TV shows, and web series. - **Consumer Electronics:** The consumer electronics industry can experiment with different ad concepts, like DIRECTV's 'What/Why/When & How,' to create more memorable and effective commercials. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Comedic Groundhog Day Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lays-for-days.md) - [Humorous Menswear Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mens-wearhouse.md) - [Breaking News-Styled TV Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tyrrells-chips.md) - [Humorous Automotive Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/where-have-you-been.md) - [Comical Love-Inspired Food Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/burger-king-loveinspired-ads.md) - [Humorous Drink Cart Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/titos-spokescart.md) - [Meat-Free Deli Product Commercials](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/meatfree-campaign.md) - [Humorous Star-Studded Chip Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/call-of-the-mustaches.md) - [Playful Alcohol Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/aviation-gin-commercial.md)