In advertising, not to be different is virtually suicidal.
William BernbachRead
A great ad campaign will make a bad product fail faster. It will get more people to know it's bad.
Interpretation
Effective advertising can amplify the shortcomings of a poor product, leading to its quicker failure.
William Bernbach's quote highlights the power of advertising in influencing consumer perception. A well-executed ad campaign can draw attention to a product, even one that is subpar, thereby accelerating its recognition as inadequate. This underscores the idea that marketing is not just about promoting quality, but also about the consequences of poor products being exposed to a wider audience.
In practice
During a marketing seminar discussing the impact of advertising on product success.
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.
Advertising has always been the 'head boy' of the communications industry, but not anymore. Now the rest - creative, digital, and media - is just as important.
Nobody has ever built a brand by imitating somebody else's advertising.
Provide good content and youβll earn the right to promote your product.
Too many ads that try not to go over the reader's head end up beneath his notice.
Free publicity and word of mouth is probably the best and cheapest form of advertising. Learn to use it to your advantage.
Advertising is only evil when it advertises evil things.
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