Notable quotes about advertising: Difference between revisions

| image = henrysteuart-fordhenderson-britt.jpg

| author = {{HenrySteuart FordHenderson Britt/attribution}}

| text = In good times people want to advertise; in bad times they have to.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Bruce Barton ClassicLetter Quotations|publisher=SOFII |date=1925 |url=httphttps://wwwsofii.ravintokirja.fiorg/T_Superlist.pdf |website=The Superlist |publisher=Christer Sundqvistcase-study/the-bruce-barton-letter-the-classic-long-copy-letter-from-1925-that-pulled-a-100-per-cent-response |access-date=2025-12-19 |date=1955 |author=Barton, Bruce21}}</ref>

| text = A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ogilvy |first=David |title=Confessions of an Advertising Man |publisheryear=Atheneum1963 |datepublisher=1963Atheneum}}</ref>

| text = Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.<ref>{{cite webbook |title=The100 LEO's: Wit and Wisdom from Leo Burnett Story |url=https://leoburnett.com/about |publisher=LeoNTC BurnettBusiness WorldwidePress |access-dateyear=December1995 19, 2025|page=47}}</ref>

| text = Advertising is the ability to sense, interpret... to put the very heart throbs of a business into type, paper and ink.<ref>{{cite book |last=BurnettKufrin |first=LeoJoan |title=100 Leo's Burnett: TheStar AdvertisingReacher Philosophy of Leo Burnett|year=1995 |publisher=Leo Burnett Company, Inc. |datepage=196154}}</ref>

| text = People screen out a lot of commercials because they open with something dull...When you advertise fire-extinguishers, open with the fire.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ogilvy |first=David |title=ConfessionsOgilvy of anon Advertising Man|year=1983 |publisher=AtheneumCrown |date=1963Publishers}}</ref>

| text = Nobody reads ads. People read what interests them. Sometimes, it's an ad.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gossage |first=Howard Luck |title=The Book of Gossage |year=1995 |publisher=Copy Workshop |date=1995}}</ref>

| text = Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.<ref>{{cite book |last=Godin |first=Seth |title=TribesAll Marketers Are Liars: WeThe NeedPower Youof toTelling LeadAuthentic UsStories in a Low-Trust World |publisheryear=Portfolio/Penguin2005 |datepublisher=2008Portfolio}}</ref>

| text = Tell the truth, but make the truth fascinating.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ogilvy |first=David |title=Confessions of an Advertising Man |publisheryear=Atheneum1963 |datepublisher=1963Atheneum}}</ref>

| text = No one wakes up excited to see more advertising, no one goes to sleep thinking about the ads they'll see tomorrow.<ref>{{cite webnews |title=WhyThe weCEO don'tof sellWhatsApp adsHates Advertising |url=https://blogwww.whatsappbusinessinsider.com/whythe-weceo-dontof-sellwhatsapp-adshates-advertising-2014-2 |websitework=WhatsAppBusiness BlogInsider |publisherdate=WhatsApp20 Inc.February 2014 |access-date=24 December 2025-12-19 |date=2012-06-18 |author=Koum,Jay JanYarow}}</ref>

| text = If it doesn't sell, it isn't creative.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ogilvy |first=David |title=Ogilvy on Advertising |year=1983 |publisher=Crown Publishers |date=1983}}</ref>

| text = Advertising tries to be a pyromaniac, igniting conflagrations of desires for instant gratification.<ref>{{cite booknews |last=Will |first=George F. |title=The MorningMadison AfterLegacy |publishernewspaper=FreeThe Washington PressPost |date=19861981-12-07}}</ref>

| text = Much of the messy advertising you see on television today is the product of committees. Committees can criticize advertisements, but they should never be allowed to create them.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ogilvy |first=David |title=Confessions of an Advertising Man |publisheryear=Atheneum1963 |datepublisher=1963Atheneum}}</ref>

| text = If dogs don't like your dog food, the packaging doesn't matter.<ref>{{cite book |last=Denny |first=Stephen |title=Killing Giants: 10 Strategies to Topple the Goliath in Your Industry |publisheryear=Portfolio2011 |datepublisher=2011Portfolio}}</ref>

| text = Every single element in an advertisement must be put there because testing has shown that it works best!<ref>{{cite book |last=Caples |first=John |title=Tested Advertising Methods |edition=5th |year=1997 |publisher=Prentice Hall |datepage=1997Chapter 2}}</ref>

| text = Regardless of =the Dishonestymoral issue, dishonesty in advertising has proved very unprofitable.<ref>{{cite bookweb |lasttitle=BurnettQ&A |first=Leo |title=100with Leo's: TheBurnett AdvertisingStrategy PhilosophyHead ofJoy Leo BurnettSantos |publisher=LeoJosiah BurnettGo Company|url=https://josiahgo.com/qa-with-leo-burnett-strategy-head-joy-santos/ |access-date=19612025-12-21}}</ref>

| text = Never write an advertisement which you wouldn't want your own family to read. You wouldn't tell lies to your own wife. Don't tell them to mine.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ogilvy |first=David |title=Confessions of an Advertising Man |publisheryear=Atheneum1963 |datepublisher=1963Atheneum}}</ref>

| text = There is a great deal of advertising that is much better than the product. When that happens, all that the good advertising will do is put you out of business faster.<ref>{{cite book |last=Della Femina |first=Jerry |title=From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor: Front-Line Dispatches from the Advertising War |year=1970 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |date=1970}}</ref>

| text = The best advertising is done by satisfied customers.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kotler |first=Philip |title=Marketing Management: Millennium Edition|edition=15th |publisheryear=Prentice Hall2016 |datepublisher=1999Pearson}}</ref>

| text = Content is king, but engagement is queen, and the lady rules the house!<ref>{{cite bookweb |last=Smith |first=Mari |title=TheWe NewLong Relationshipto Belong – Why Community is the Last Great Marketing Strategy |publisher=WileyBG5 Business |url=https://bg5business.com/we-long-to-belong-why-community-is-the-last-great-marketing-strategy/ |access-date=20112025-12-21}}</ref>

| text = A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is — it is what consumers tell each other it is.<ref>{{cite newsweb |title=Building A Brand Campaign For Success: What Marketing inPros theShould AgeKnow of|publisher=Forbes SocialCommunications MediaCouncil |date=2023-10-13 |url=https://hbrwww.orgforbes.com/2011councils/12forbescommunicationscouncil/2023/10/13/building-a-brand-campaign-for-success-what-marketing-ispros-dead |work=Harvard Business Review |date=December 2011should-know/ |access-date=December 19, 2025 |author=Scott Cook-12-21}}</ref>