There are thousands upon thousands of metal statues around America. They can be found in town squares, schools, churches, museums, government buildings, etc. Sometimes we admire their beauty and appreciate their historical nature. But mostly, they’re just there.

However, there’s one that really stands out among the metallic crowd. There’s one that’s held the attention of thousands of people around the globe for 32 years. 

It’s called Kryptos. 

You can find it outside of the CIA building in Langley, Virginia. It’s 12 ft tall and 20 ft wide. It’s made of two curved planes that connect to make an S-shape. Here’s what makes it so special: punched out of these copper pieces are 869 characters and 4 question marks… that look like gibberish. 

It’s not gibberish, though. It’s a giant cryptographic puzzle. Simply put, you can uncover the four clear messages hidden under all the characters with the right clues and tools. 

Kryptos was created as a fun challenge for CIA employees to solve. But when the general public caught wind of it, they wanted to solve the puzzle too. Now, it continues to hold the attention of thousands because no one’s been able to solve the fourth and final passage. 

In the case of Elonka Dunin, she’s been unable to figure out the last line for 23 years. And get this, she’s taught U.S. government agents how to crack the codes of foreign adversaries. So, it’s a tough puzzle.

What relevance does this story have for marketing? We believe it proves the power of mystery to capture and hold an audience’s attention. This will help a business to market its product or service in a way that cuts through all the noise.

So, let’s look at some examples of how the creation of mystery has been used in marketing. 

 

Where’s Paul?

 

Paul Harnden is an England-based designer and maker of clothing and shoes. Brand new, his coats and jackets sell for $3,500 – $4,000, or you can buy them second-hand for about $500 – $800. Pricey! Not to mention, all sorts of A-list actors (talking ‘bout you Brad Pitt), high-end retailers, and fashion enthusiasts ADORE his items.

However, if you go to his website, you’ll find a white page with “PaulHarndenShoemakers.com” written across the top, and underneath it, the characters: ^8m*+,J1/4%?@p=~#3Kf. There’s no bio to read, contact form, or section to shop for any of his work. 

What’s more, not many people can say they’ve ever met or spoken to him. And there are A LOT of journalists, celebrities, and fashion lovers who have tried. The few people who have met him don’t say much. Either because they follow the unwritten rule that you don’t discuss Paul, or they’re legally obligated (NDAs) to stay quiet. Seriously.

All this mystery and secrecy surrounding Paul, its marketing. 

Respectively, the creatives Andrew McDonald and Stuart Pitkin have had the opportunity to work with Paul professionally and have said that his being mysterious and secretive is intentional. 

And it works well for his brand and product because people are obsessed with mysteries. Admittedly, this example is on the extreme end. So let’s continue with some more down-to-earth examples.

 

Ads That Make You Question Things

 

In 1960, William Bernbach, a now deceased advertising creative director, made one of the most well-known and successful ads in the history of marketing. The ad was for the Volkswagen Beetle (VW). It featured a large beautiful picture of the car with the word “Lemon” (a car with problems) written underneath it in big, bold letters. Underneath this were a few paragraphs telling you about the car.

The mystery created by this ad prompted the audience to ask, “Why would someone say this nice-looking car is a lemon?” Then people were compelled to read the text underneath, which told them about the superior quality of the VW.

This next example comes from the clothing brand Buck Mason. By the way, when they were only 6 years old, they managed to sell 1,000,000+ clothing items. In our opinion, one of their most effective ads ran on their Facebook and Instagram pages. It featured a somewhat candid yet artful photo of a suit with a caption that read, “Buck Mason Made the Perfect Suit.” This compelled people to ask, “Who’s Buck Mason, and how did they manage to do that?” This caused the audience to click the ad, which took them to Buck Mason’s website, where they were briefly told why their suit is the best. And they were given the option to purchase it along with accessories complimenting the look.

That’s our case for incorporating thoughtful mystery into your marketing. It’s a very powerful tool if you learn to use it correctly. 

If you’re a business owner needing marketing to capture and retain your desired audience’s attention, look to Big Deal Marketing. Click here to contact us!