Advertising Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old advertising quotes, advertising sayings, and advertising proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

We need to stop interrupting what people are interested in & be what people are interested in. Craig Davis
Nobody counts the number of ads you run; they just remember the impression you make. Bill Bernbach
Nobody reads ads. People read what interests them, and sometimes it's an ad. Howard Luck Gossage
Advertisements are now so numerous that they are very negligently perused Samuel Johnson
Advertising, as a single entity capable of creating vast changes in our social structure, simply does not exist. Its impact is too diffuse, too omnidirectional. William Hesse
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
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 Femina
The most powerful element in advertising is the truth. Bill Bernbach
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
Advertising is what you do when you can't go see somebody. That's all it is. Fairfax Cone
The simplest definition of advertising, and one that will probably meet the test of critical examination, is that advertising is selling in print. Daniel Starch
Advertising in the final analysis should be news. If it is not news it is worthless. Adolph S. Ochs
The real question is, will they buy it? Noel Peebles
Creative without strategy is called art.' Creative with strategy is called advertising'. Jef I. Richards
Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it. S Leacoc
If advertising had a little more respect for the public, the public would have a lot more respect for advertising. James Randolph Adams
I have always believed that writing advertisements is the second most profitable form of writing. The first, of course, is ransom notes. Philip Dusenberry
The man who stops advertising to save money is like the man who stops the clock to save time. Thomas Jefferson
Brands are in people's peripheral vision, so they need to be blindingly obvious to get noticed at all. David Turner
Just because something is trending doesn't mean you jump on it. Nancy Hill
Brands should think of themselves not as storytellers but storybuilders. We plant seeds of content and let our community build on it. Amy Pascal
The very first law in advertising is to avoid the concrete promise and cultivate the delightfully vague. Bill Cosby
Advertising is the modern substitute for argument; its function is to make the worse appear the better. George Santayana
If people aren't going to talk about your product, then it's not good enough. Jeffrey Kalmikoff
Advertising is legalized lying. H. G. Wells
One ad is worth more to a paper than forty editorials. Will Rogers
Promise, large promise, is the soul of an advertisement. Samuel Johnson
The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself. Peter Drucker
Advertising is the greatest art form of the twentieth century. Marshall McLuhan
Advertising is a valuable economic factor because it is the cheapest way of selling goods, particularly if the goods are worthless. Sinclair Lewis
Good marketing makes the company look smart. Great marketing makes the customer feel smart. Joe Chernov
The greatest thing to be achieved in advertising, in my opinion, is believability, and nothing is more believable than the product itself. Leo Burnett
We want consumers to say, 'That's a hell of a product' instead of, 'That's a hell of an ad'. Leo Burnett
The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be. David Ogivly
For most companies, the ultimate objective for advertising should be to have a good return on the investment in the advertising campaign. J. Scott Armstrong
Comparative advertising is a source of important information to consumers and assists them in making rational purchase decisions. J. Scott Armstrong
Truth and honesty are vital for advertising, especially for organizations that desire continuing relationships. Thomas Jefferson
The applications of the principles and methods of psychology to advertising was a need which was felt by all. Walter Dill Scott
In pleasure our minds expand. We become extremely suggestible and are likely to see everything in a favorable light. Walter Dill Scott
Facts are irrelevant. What matters is what the consumer believes. Seth Godin
You can spend a fortune on your advertising, but most people will ignore it. Seth Godin
Never write an advertisement which you wouldn't want your own family to read. You wouldn't tell lies to your own wife. Don't tell them to mine. Do as you would be done by. If you tell lies about a product, you will be found out. David Ogilvy
Without promotion something terrible happens. Nothing! P.T. Barnum
Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. Stuart Henderson Britt
Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read. Leo Burnett
Any fool can write a bad ad, but it takes a real genius to keep his hands off a good one. Leo Burnett
Fun without sell gets nowhere, but sell without fun tends to become obnoxious. Leo Burnett
There was a time when I used to get lots of ideas. I thought up the Seven Deadly Sins in one afternoon. The only thing I've come up with recently is advertising. Peter Cook
The business of the advertiser is to see that we go about our business with some magic spell or tune or slogan throbbing quietly in the background of our minds. Marshall McLuhan
The modern Little Red Riding Hood, reared on singing commercials, has no objection to being eaten by the wolf. Marshall McLuhan