There are very few men of genius in advertising agencies. But we need all we can find. Almost without exception they are disagreeable. Don't destroy them. They lay golden eggs.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Why, I ask, isn't it possible that advertising as a whole is a fantastic fraud, presenting an image of America taken seriously by no one, least of all by the advertising men who create it?
Advertising is salesmanship mass produced. No one would bother to use advertising if he could talk to all his prospects face-to-face. But he can't.
I have learned that any fool can write a bad ad, but that it takes a real genius to keep his hands off a good one.
I've learned any fool can write a bad ad, but it takes a real genius to keep his hands off a good one.
You can't make money on advertising; you just have to seed the clouds. What you're after is word of mouth.
Advertising: the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it.
If you ever have the good fortune to create a great advertising campaign, you will soon see another agency steal it. This is irritating, but don't let it worry you; nobody has ever built a brand by imitating somebody else's advertising.
I'm sounding like an old fart talking about how bad advertising is today, but it's true. Advertising sucks. Guys like me and Bob Gage and certainly Bill Bernbach and two or three other guys, we exemplified and led the creative revolution.
We are pushing hard to find quality advertising clients.
I wish all consumers were as gullible as advertising's biggest critics. Anyone who believes advertising is that powerful will believe almost anything.