Strategy trivia: 10 marketing and advertising questions (with answers)

New year, new strategy trivia. Every Tuesday I share a #tuesdaytrivia question for strategists, marketers and creatives. The rules: do not Google, do not use AI, use your superhuman brain. Here are 10 of my favourite marketing trivia questions, with the answers underneath each one, so you can test yourself or your team.

10 marketing trivia questions

1. 1. In which decade, and in which city, was account planning born?
   Answer: The late 1960s in London. Stanley Pollitt at BMP and Stephen King at J. Walter Thompson are credited as its founders.
2. 2. Which car did the famous “Think Small” ad campaign of 1959 advertise?
   Answer: The Volkswagen Beetle.
3. 3. In which year did Nike launch “Just Do It”?
   Answer: 1988.
4. 4. Who introduced the 4 Ps of marketing: product, price, place and promotion?
   Answer: E. Jerome McCarthy, in 1960.
5. 5. In which Australian city is the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, home of How Brands Grow author Byron Sharp?
   Answer: Adelaide, at the University of South Australia.
6. 6. Which drink did “Got Milk?” advertise, and when did it launch?
   Answer: Milk, for the California Milk Processor Board, in 1993.
7. 7. Who wrote Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind?
   Answer: Al Ries and Jack Trout.
8. 8. In which year was the Coca-Cola contour bottle designed?
   Answer: 1915.
9. 9. Which film director made Apple’s “1984” Super Bowl ad?
   Answer: Ridley Scott.
10. 10. In which country did Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign start?
    Answer: Australia, in 2011.

How did you score?

• 8 to 10: strategy legend. You should be writing the questions.
• 5 to 7: sharp strategist. A few more history lessons and you are there.
• 0 to 4: perfect excuse to read more. Start with my guide to account planning.

Why trivia makes better strategists

Trivia is a fun way to learn the history of our industry, and history is full of strategy lessons. Knowing why “Think Small” worked, or how positioning changed marketing, gives you a richer toolkit for today’s briefs. It is also a great team warm-up before a workshop.

Play more strategy trivia

Take the weekly quiz on The Smiling Strategist trivia page, or practise real strategy challenges in Brand Game™.