The archive · Marketing & Growth · Marketing decision · 2019
Zhihu 2019 Brand Film Turns “有问题” into Praise, Winning 4A Best Script
Zhihu (知乎) turned the label “有问题的人” that everyone avoids into a brand film, making curiosity an identity, and won the 4A Creative Award for Best Script/Copy.
Zhihu (知乎) · WMY
What it had to solve
The previous campaign had already made “有问题 上知乎” deeply resonate, and the community image was rational and trustworthy; this time, spokesperson Liu Haoran (刘昊然) had to show greater inclusiveness and openness.
How it works
In 2019, Zhihu and agency WMY made their first annual brand film. The slogan “有问题 上知乎” was accepted, and the trustworthy image established; the new film had to use spokesperson Liu Haoran to show greater inclusiveness — a challenge.
The team abandoned the safe route, returning to “我们都是有问题的人”. They spent 24 hours a day on Zhihu, selecting questions people took for granted: why is the steering wheel round, why can't a wedding dress be black. They shot from Guangzhou to Hong Kong over six days, letting an astrophysics PhD, a bride in black, and Chibi Maruko-chan ask these questions, proving “有问题” lets people see a world others cannot.
The film won the 2019 4A Creative Award for Best Script/Copy. It rewrote “有问题” from derogatory into a shared identity, making community values the content that spread.
Why it lands
- Claim first, then renew: “有问题的人” was originally an insult, and the film redefined it as curiosity and possibility.
- Creativity came from the real community: all questions were distilled from everyday questions asked by Zhihu users, and the content shared the same source as the platform.
- Bold tonal reversal: knowing that the safe option was to continue the rational and profound tone, the team chose to make a film that was “very Zhihu but not so Zhihu”.
- Upgrade the slogan into a value proposition: from the functional appeal of “有问题 上知乎” to the identity of “我们都是有问题的人”.
What it did
The short film won the 2019 4A Creative Award for Best Script/Copy in the Film & Craft category; “有问题” changed from an insult into the community's self-deprecation and identification, strengthening Zhihu's open and inclusive brand image.
What you can take
Claiming and redefining a biased word can build emotional identification more than functional claims, and is easier for users to share.
Since then
“我们都是有问题的人” became a line often quoted by the Zhihu community as self-deprecation and identification, and the brand film itself was repeatedly discussed in the industry as a case of “translating a brand proposition into a group identity”; Zhihu's subsequent brand communications continued to revolve around “有问题” as a core asset.
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