In professional work - certainly in the arts and graphics - 99% of people have zero courage. They blow with the wind.
George LoisRead
You can't test great advertising. You can only test the mediocre. Not that I don't care about demographics. You have to understand who you're going after.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Great advertising cannot be measured by tests, only mediocrity can be assessed this way.
In this quote, George Lois emphasizes the idea that exceptional advertising transcends traditional measurement and testing metrics, which often only reveal the effectiveness of average efforts. He highlights the importance of truly understanding the target audience, as this comprehension is crucial for crafting impactful advertising that resonates deeply, rather than simply relying on demographic data or tests that may fail to capture the essence of creativity and effectiveness in advertising.
Themes
AdvertisingMediocreDemographicsGreatnessUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a marketing meeting to illustrate the importance of creativity over metrics.
More from George Lois
All quotes βTruly great images make all the other millions of images you look at unimportant. You gotta look at an image and understand it in a nanosecond.
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In any creative industry, the fact that others are moving in a certain direction is always proof positive, at least to me, that a new direction is the only direction.
George LoisRead
I've done truth to power all my life. It's got me into trouble, but who cares?
George LoisRead
I don't design. I get what I think is a big idea, and I put the idea down. I'm not a designer. I'm a communicator.
George LoisRead
Great advertising, in and of itself, becomes a benefit of the product.
George LoisRead
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