Ask Your Developer

Read the campaign story

Twilio’s Ask Your Developer billboard invited people encountering the brand to consult a colleague rather than absorb a technical explanation on the road. In a 2021 McKinsey interview, founder Jeff Lawson recalls the origin as around 2014 or 2015 and explains the need for greater executive awareness as business relationships grew. The exact original launch year remains unconfirmed, so the catalogue leaves it undated.

Lawson describes arriving at the final invitation after reviewing proposals from a marketing firm, whose name is not established in the interview. His later book develops the same business-and-developer theme and is treated as context, not an additional campaign. The account explains the creative decision but does not isolate the billboard’s effect on contracts, adoption or company growth.

Editorial interpretation: the message changes the destination of attention. Instead of sending every viewer directly to the vendor, it activates a conversation with someone who may already understand the category. This can respect expertise that is often excluded from executive-level marketing. It also carries a dependency: if the internal colleague lacks relevant knowledge or distrusts the product, the conversation may not produce the answer the advertiser hopes for.

Editorial interpretation: brevity works here because the next action is clear, not because every complex product should be reduced to three words. The invitation assigns a role to the audience and another role to a trusted evaluator. An adaptation should identify those roles carefully and provide enough supporting material for a useful discussion. Otherwise, the campaign merely transfers the burden of explanation to a busy employee without helping them answer.

Map who influences the decision before writing the line

Identify the person who encounters the message, the colleague they would consult and the decision both need to make. Check whether that relationship exists in the target organisation. A referral-style call to action fails if it names a role with no relevant expertise or authority. Use customer interviews to understand the real conversation rather than relying on an idealised organisation chart.

Equip the colleague without scripting their endorsement

Provide a concise technical explanation, limitations and evaluation questions that an internal specialist can use independently. Do not assume they will recommend the product or reward them for doing so without clear disclosure. The value of the mechanism comes from credible judgement. Trying to control that judgement too tightly can undermine the trust that made the internal conversation worth activating.

Measure the conversation’s usefulness, not only the click

A campaign designed to prompt offline discussion may not be well assessed by immediate web traffic alone. Ask prospective customers how they evaluated the offer and which questions arose, using voluntary and non-intrusive feedback. Distinguish awareness, informed evaluation and actual adoption. A memorable instruction can start a conversation while still leaving the product unsuitable for the organisation’s needs.

A small test for another brief

Proposed adaptation: test a role-specific invitation with a small professional audience, paired with an optional evaluation guide, against a conventional feature-led message.

Measure whether people know whom to consult, can state the relevant question and find the guide useful. Record reasons not to proceed as legitimate outcomes rather than treating every internal conversation as a qualified sales lead.

Stop if the invitation pressures employees to endorse a vendor, encourages disclosure of confidential systems or creates a conversation the supporting material cannot answer responsibly.

• Choose a real evaluator role supported by customer research, not a flattering stereotype.
• Make the guide openly accessible and include compatibility, cost and implementation limitations.
• Use fictional evaluation scenarios so participants need not disclose confidential workplace information.