Don't confuse good taste with the absence of taste.
William BernbachRead
In advertising, not to be different is virtually suicidal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Being unique in advertising is essential; without it, success is unlikely.
This quote emphasizes the critical need for differentiation in advertising. William Bernbach suggests that in a crowded marketplace, failing to stand out from the competition can lead to failure, making originality and creativity invaluable for achieving success in advertising campaigns.
Themes
AdvertisingCreativityDifferentiationSuccessCompetitionUniqueness
In practice
Example use cases
During a marketing seminar to illustrate the importance of creativity in campaigns.
More from William Bernbach
All quotes βYou cannot sell a man who isn't listening; word of mouth is the best medium of all; and dullness won't sell your product, but neither will irrelevant brilliance.
William BernbachRead
Properly practiced creativity must result in greater sales more economically achieved. Properly practiced creativity can lift your claims out of the swamp of sameness and make them accepted, believed, persuasive, urgent.
William BernbachRead
In this very real world, good doesn't drive out evil. Evil doesn't drive out good. But the energetic displaces the passive.
William BernbachRead
Let us prove to the world that good taste, good art, and good writing can be good selling.
William BernbachRead
You can say the right thing about a product and nobody will listen. Youβve got to say it in such a way that people will feel it in their gut. Because if they donβt feel it, nothing will happen.
William BernbachRead
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Personalizatio n wasn't supposed to be a cleverly veiled way to chase prospects around the web, showing them the same spammy ad for the same lame stuff as everyone else sees. No, it is a chance to differentiate at a human scale, to use behavior as the most important clue about what people want and more important, what they need.
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The mistake so many marketers make is that they conjoin the urgency of making another sale with the timing to earn the right to make that sale. In other words, you must build trust before you need it. Building trust right when you want to make a sale is just too late.
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Lewis HowesRead