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Advertising doesn't create a product advantage. It can only convey it.

William Bernbach

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William Bernbach
Age: 71 †
Born: 1911
Born: August 13
Died: 1982
Died: October 2
Art Director
Economist
Entrepreneur
The Bronx
New York City
Create
Business
Doesn
Convey
Advertising
Product
Advantage
Products

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Creativity is the most practical thing a businessman can employ.
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No matter how skillful you are, you can't invent a product advantage that doesn't exist. And if you do, and it's just a gimmick, it's going to fall apart anyway.
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Because an appeal makes logical sense is no guarantee that it will work.
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Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these things abut a person, you can touch him at the core of his being.
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Word of mouth is the best medium of all.
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Find the simple story in the product, and present it in an articulate and intelligent, persuasive way.
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A principle isn't a principle until it costs you something.
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Is creativity some obscure, esoteric art form? Not on your life. It's the most practical thing a business-man can employ.
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It may well be that creativity is the last unfair advantage we're legally allowed to take over our competitors.
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In communications, familiarity breeds apathy.
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Our job is to sell our clients' merchandise... not ourselves. Our job is to kill the cleverness that makes us shine instead of the product. Our job is to simplify, to tear away the unrelated, to pluck out the weeds that are smothering the product message.
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Nobody counts the number of ads you run they just remember the impression you make.
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There is no such thing as a good or bad ad in isolation. What is good at one moment is bad at another. Research can trap you into the past.
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The difference between the forgettable and the enduring is artistry.
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Today's smartest advertising style is tomorrow's corn.
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Forget words like 'hard sell' and 'soft sell.' That will only confuse you. Just be sure your advertising is saying something with substance, something that will inform and serve the consumer, and be sure you're saying it like it's never been said before.
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Rules are what the artist breaks the memorable never emerged from a formula.
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It's not just what you say that stirs people. It's the way that you say it.
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Those who are going to be in business tomorrow are those who understand that the future, as always, belongs to the brave.
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Good advertising does not just circulate information. It penetrates the public mind with desires and belief.
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