In advertising, not to be different is virtually suicidal.
William BernbachRead
Advertising doesn't create a product advantage. It can only convey it.
Interpretation
Advertising helps communicate the value of a product rather than changing the product itself.
In this quote, William Bernbach emphasizes the role of advertising in highlighting the existing advantages of a product rather than implying that it can generate new benefits or enhancements. It suggests that effective advertising is about showcasing what a product already does well, thereby informing and persuading consumers rather than inventing value artificially.
In practice
A marketing manager might use this quote during a training session to emphasize the importance of authentic messaging.
In advertising, not to be different is virtually suicidal.
Don't confuse good taste with the absence of taste.
You 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.
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.
In this very real world, good doesn't drive out evil. Evil doesn't drive out good. But the energetic displaces the passive.
Let us prove to the world that good taste, good art, and good writing can be good selling.
What you say in advertising is more important than how you say it.
The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be.
Kodak sells film, but they don't advertise film; they advertise memories.
Virality is not an accident. It is engineered. And that's why growth hackers beat traditional marketers.
Content is king, but marketing is queen, and runs the household.
Between two products equal in price, function and quality, the one with the most attractive exterior will win.
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