Advertising Quotes For Daily Inspiration

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There is something about a pithy quote that inspires you more than a thousand books.  Advertising legends have compressed years of experience into short witty quotes to serve as a compass for younger advertisers. From the likes of Leo Burnett and David Ogilvy to Stuart Britt and Robert Fleeg, here is a list of some of the most inspiring advertising quotes (No 1. has got to be my favorite):

  1. “Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but no one else does.”- Stuart Britt
  2. “The man who stops advertising to save money is like the man who stops the clock to save time.” -Thomas Jefferson
  3. “I am one who believes that one of the greatest dangers of advertising is not that of misleading people, but that of boring them to death.”- Leo Burnett
  4. “Lack of money is no obstacle. Lack of an idea is an obstacle.” – Ken Hakuta
  5. “If you’re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language, the language in which they think.” – David Ogilvy
  6. “In the advertising din of today, unless you make yourself noticed and believed, you ain’t got nothin’.” – Leo Burnett
  7. “There is a great deal of advertising that is much better than the product. When that happens, all that the good advertising will do is put you out of business faster.” – Jerry Della Famina
  8. “The most common trouble with advertising is that it tries too hard to impress people.” -James Randolph Adams
  9. “When executing advertising, it’s best to think of yourself as an uninvited guest in the living room of a prospect who has the magical power to make you disappear instantly.” -John O’Toole
  10. “If an ad campaign is built around a weak idea — or as is so often the case, no idea at all — I don’t give a damn how good the execution is, it’s going to fail.” -Morris Hite 
  11. “The product that will not sell without advertising will not sell profitably with advertising.” -Albert Laske
  12.   “An ad is finished only when you no longer can find a single element to remove. “- Robert Fleeg
  13. “The biggest mistake young designers make is that they try to make their advertising look like advertising” – Jeff Goodby
  14. “Advertising should say, ‘Here’s what we’ve got. Here’s what it will do for you. Here’s how to get it.’ – Leo Burnett
  15. “Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.” – Leo Burnett
  16. “Sometimes, the advertising is better than the product. Nothing kills a bad product faster than good advertising. Everyone tries the thing and never buys it again.” – Jerry Della Famina
  17. The consumer isn’t a moron. She is your wife. –David Ogilvy
  18. “Advertising may be described as the science of arresting human intelligence long enough to get money from it.” – Stephen Leacock
  19. “Emotion. Passion. Ideas. Simplicity. These are the big things that big business needs from its creative agencies. No one else is going to provide these essential elements for business” –  Kevin Roberts