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
What this quote means
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.
Themes
AdvertisingMarketingProductPerceptionFailure
In practice
Example use cases
During a marketing seminar discussing the impact of advertising on product success.
More from William Bernbach
All quotes βDon't confuse good taste with the absence of taste.
William BernbachRead
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.
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
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