Since it’s been a few weeks when Quotes last appeared, I thought it was time to bring them back. Mostly advertising folks below but a few that are just as memorable. Everyone comes from a different perspective. Enjoy!
Conceit is God’s gift to little men. — Bruce Barton, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance. — Bruce Barton, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
A good ad should be like a good sermon: It must not only comfort the afflicted, it also must afflict the comfortable. — Bernice Fitz-Gibbon, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
It is easier to tone down a wild idea than to think up a new one. — Alex Osborne, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Some questions don’t have answers, which is a terribly difficult lesson to learn. — Katharine Graham, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
The heart of creativity is discipline. — William Bernbach, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
If you can’t turn yourself into your customer, you probably shouldn’t be in the ad writing business at all. — Leo Burnett, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information. — David Ogilvy, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Advertising, to be successful, must understand or anticipate basic human needs and wants and interpret available goods and services in terms of their want-satisfying abilities. This is the very opposite of manipulation. — Charles H. Sandage, Advertising Hall of Fame
What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? – Vincent Van Gogh
Creativity Tip #34: Start fooling around. Splash the paint on. Scribble the words down. Sing.
Hopefully making a ruckus, one blog post at a time!
Be sure to check out my other blog,Joe’s Journey,for personal insights on life and its detours.
From Steinem to Van Gogh to Serling and more, these quotes cover a multitude of personalities and perspectives. Enjoy as you read through the history makers, some of our time, some not.
Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning. Gloria Steinem
You cannot rely upon what you have been taught. All you have learned from history is old ways of making mistakes. There is nothing that history can tell you about what we must do tomorrow. Only what we must not do. Edwin H. Land
What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? Vincent Van Gogh
It isn’t enough for a sole voice of reason to exist. In this time of uncertainty we’re so sure that villains lurk around every corner that we will create them ourselves if we can’t find them. For while fear may keep us vigilant, it’s also fear that tears us apart. Rod Serling
Rod Serling
An important idea not communicated persuasively is like having no idea at all. William Bernbach, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
In writing advertising it must always be kept in mind that the customer often knows more about the goods than the advertising writers because they have had experience in buying them, and any seeming deception in a statement is costly, not only in the expense of the advertising but in the detrimental effect produced upon the customer, who believes she has been misled. John Wanamaker, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom while discouragement often nips it at the bud. Alex Osborn, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Good advertising is written from one person to another. When it is aimed at millions, it rarely moves anyone. Fairfax M. Cone, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
The scientist has marched in and taken the place of the poet. But one day somebody will find the solution to the problems of the world and remember, it will be a poet, not a scientist. Frank Lloyd Wright
Creativity Tip #36: If you can’t explain your idea to an 8-year old, it’s too complicated.
Hopefully making a ruckus, one blog post at a time!
Be sure to check out my other blog, Joe’s Journey, for personal insights on life and its detours.
As it has been some time since a post was published with nothing but quotes, I thought we’d resurrect the form. Whereas in previous posts there has been a variety of authors quoting something not necessarily pertaining to advertising or the industry. This time, however, I thought we go with an emphasis on advertising, at least from people from within the ad biz. Enjoy!
When we are too timid to risk failure, we reduce the opportunities to succeed. And we eliminate the chance to learn. Keith Reinhard, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Remove advertising, disable a person or firm from proclaiming its wares and their merits, and the whole of society and of the economy is transformed. The enemies of advertising are the enemies of freedom. David Ogilvy, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Creative imagination — the lamp that lit the world — can light our lives. Alex F. Osborn, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Let us blaze new trails. Let us prove to the world that good taste, good art and good writing can be good selling. William Bernbach, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
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. Leo Burnett, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
An important idea not communicated persuasively is like having no idea at all. William Bernbach, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
When we are too timid to risk failure, we reduce the opportunities to succeed. And we eliminate the chance to learn. Keith Reinhard, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Creativity is no longer about grabbing attention or raising consumer awareness. Its goal is to remind consumers about what is fundamental and gratifying about a brand. Peter A. Georgescu, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Rules are for people who don’t know what to do. AND I don’t like closed doors. Creativity flourishes best in an environment of open doors and open minds. Keith Reinhard, Advertising Hall of Fame
It is by logic that we prove, but by intuition that we discover. To know how to criticize is good, to know how to create is better. – Poincaré
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. – Marie Curie
Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things. – Bruce Barton, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
A good ad should be like a good sermon: It must not only comfort the afflicted, it also must afflict the comfortable. – Bernice Fitz-Gibbon, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
I have learned that trying to guess what the boss or the client wants is the most debilitating of all influences in the creation of good advertising. – Leo Burnett, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Nobody counts the number of ads you run; they just remember the impression you make. – William Bernbach, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Fun without sell gets nowhere, but sell without fun tends to become obnoxious.– Leo Burnett, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will. – George Bernard Shaw
Hopefully making a ruckus, one blog post at a time!
Be sure to check out my other blog, Joe’s Journey, for personal insights on life and its detours.
My my, what will they think of next? I learned something . . . that, evidently, a pubic hair can sing! I did not realize that. What else did I not realize, Gillette?
Now, I know what you must be thinking: “What in the hell kind of blog post is this?!” It’s, uh, well, different.
This blog sets out each week to present thoughts and ideas about various aspects of creativity; those that touch directly on advertising and those that do not. This is one that does.
According to AdAge, marketers increasingly have dared to defy traditional taboos when it comes to personal care, as we’ve seen in more pushes around menstruation, breastfeeding and grooming. In the case of the latter, brands such as Billie razors andVeet razors have given the thumbs up to having hair wherever you want it, while EOS recently celebrated a TikTok creator who has been teaching her fans the best way to shave their lady parts. Now, Gillette Venus is jumping into the bikini line fray by encouraging consumers to “say pubic.”
The centerpiece of the campaign from Grey is an animated film starring a singing pubic hair. Yes, you heard me right.
“Hi, I’m a pube!” she announces before breaking into a Broadway-style tune, singing of her plight as a lowly, gnarly curl, hoping to be treated like her colleagues who spring forth from other parts of the body. As the tune ramps up, she’s joined by other pubettes in a Busby Berkeley-style routine.
For those of you unable to log into the AdAge site to view the animation, here are the lyrics to Gillette’s latest.
I’m just a pube, and it’s not fair. All I ever wished to be was just another hair But when they got one look at me The ruling from society was “Ewww” “Not you!” Oh what’s a curl to do It seems like all the ads are showing perfect skin and shiny hair But what about this other world inside your underwear? It’s ok to say our name You really can say pubic No need to be ashamed It’s even kind of therapeutic Why the mass hysteria about the pubic area? There’s nothing diabolical about this little follicle So take care of us, your pubic hair If you trim, or you shave or you’re bare down there Whichever way’s your way It’s all okayyyyyyyyy Yes, it’s okay!
Another push encouraging consumers to be at ease with body parts and bodily functions
The campaign aims to normalize conversation around body parts like the pubic area to make women feel more comfortable about grooming there. “Because pubic is not a dirty word, and your pubic hair and skin deserve its own care,” the brand said in a statement.
Gillette Venus had conducted a female consumer survey about the use of anatomical terms such as “pubic.” It found that nearly half of them believed it feels more accurate to use such terms yet only 18% are actually using them. More than half, 56%, said they wished there were more accurate imagery and descriptions in media of women grooming in the pubic region.
The campaign playfully addresses the issue, while the Gillette Venus site promoting the products also features imagery of a diverse range of women shaving their bikini lines. The packaging too, features the words “pubic hair.” Along with the video, the effort includes a TikTok component inviting others to sing “The Pube Song.”
“With over two decades of research and scientific development in women’s hair and skin under our belt, literally, we know that grooming means something different to every woman,” said MyAnh Nghiem, Gillette Venus communications director in the statement. “Our new collection not only offers women more options for pubic grooming than we ever have before, but starts a new conversation about using language that accurately and respectfully represents the female body.”
Okay, okay, some of you may already be saying, “Enough is enough!” You gotta admit, though, advertising ain’t boring (well, alright, some of it is; some of it is even dreadful). This spot tries to be educational, informative, and entertaining, I guess, if not a little quirky. Frankly, if you didn’t realize the animated curl was in fact a pubic hair, I’m not sure that you’d figure it out based solely on looks.
What will they think of next? Uh, I’d really rather not think about it.
Well, as with any blog post, one tends to change one’s mind once in awhile. I had planned to begin a series of posts dealing with depression, among other topics, as it pertains to creativity. As I find myself not ready to do that yet, I went back to my vault of various quotes. Since I have only enough for one more post at this point in time, that’s what I’m posting this time out. Stay tuned.
Apparently on screen I look tall, ageless, close to omniscient-delivering jeopardy-laden warnings through gritted teeth, but when people see me on the street, they say ‘this kid is 5 foot 5, he’s got a broken nose, and looks as foreboding as a bank teller…’ Rod Serling.
The place to start in advertising is the basic selling appeal. An appeal that fulfills some existing need in the prospect’s mind, an appeal that can be readily understood and believed. – Morris Hite, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew. – Marshall McLuhan, philosopher
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. – Leo Burnett, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative place where no one else has ever been. – Alan Alda
It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow. – Robert H. Goddard
Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected. – William Palmer
Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things. Bruce Barton, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
It’s kind of a strange, backslapping ritual that we go through in this town where you get awards for almost everything. For surviving the day you’re going to get awards. So I can’t suggest that those things represent any pinnacle of achievement. – Serling from #Oscars #AcademyAwards
My Quotes blog posts have proven quite popular and, thus, I offer up another version. I also offer up a side note to say that some future posts will cover some rather serious posts on psychological aspects of creativity and where the industry may be heading amidst the pandemic in which we still are engaged. As MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow often says, “watch this space.”
Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom while discouragement often nips it at the bud. Alex Osborn, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
All of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarize that society. We can brutalize it. Or we can help lift it onto a higher level. William Bernbach, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Stabbing little thoughts gouge my brain. Ugly, frightened thoughts. Projections of tomorrow and the next day. Twilight Zone’s “The Hitch-Hiker” by Rod Serling stars Inger Stevens
Rules are for people who don’t know what to do. Keith Reinhard, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
I don’t like closed doors. Creativity flourishes best in an environment of open doors and open minds. Keith Reinhard, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Advertising is what you do when you can’t go see somebody. That’s all it is. Fairfax Cone, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
We don’t grow unless we take risks. Any successful company is riddled with failures. James E. Burke, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Anyone who thinks that people can be fooled or pushed around has an inaccurate and pretty low estimate of people — and he won’t do very well in advertising.Leo Burnett, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Most writers, you go up to them and say you’ve got an idea, they reply, ‘You do the acting, kid, and we’ll do the writing.’ Not Rod. You go up to him with a suggestion, he gets the pencil out and starts writing. — Earl Holliman, star of Twilight Zone’s “Where is Everybody?”
Back again with a number of different quotes but this time, unintentionally, I’ve included several from Rod Serling. These even include a submission by his daughter, Anne. Interestingly, some reflect our current times and are not, simply, torn from a script of The Twilight Zone, though they could be quite applicable.
Offered up for contemplation and reminding, that some things never change. However, it’s still up to us to bring about that change no matter how painful and uncomfortable the process is.
Creative imagination — the lamp that lit the world — can light our lives. – Alex F. Osborn, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. – Aristotle
If your advertising goes unnoticed, everything else is academic.– William Bernbach, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
When we are too timid to risk failure, we reduce the opportunities to succeed. And we eliminate the chance to learn. – Keith Reinhard, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
A sickness known as hate. Not a virus, not a microbe, not a germ but a sickness nonetheless, highly contagious, deadly in its effects. Don’t look for it in #TheTwilightZone, look for it in a mirror. Look for it before the light goes out altogether. – Rod Serling (March 27, 1964)
Imagination leads to curiosity leads to creativity leads to innovation. In everything you write, write something that is brave enough to be hopeful. – Amanda Gorman, poet, first National Youth Poet Laureate
Human beings must involve themselves in the anguish of other human beings. This, I submit to you, is not a political thesis at all. It is simply an expression of what I would hope might be ultimately a simple humanity for humanity’s sake. ― Rod Serling
Just when you thought I had run out of quotes, I found some more. I tend to come across these every week from a variety of different sources, some of which are quite surprising as are the quotes. In any case, enjoy, and don’t be surprised when you’re surprised.
There are two kinds of men who don’t amount to much: those who can’t do what they are told and those who can do nothing else. Cyrus H. K. Curtis, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
When you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.Leo Burnett, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance.Bruce Barton, Advertising Hall of Fame
Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom while discouragement often nips it at the bud. Alex Osborn, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Good advertising is written from one person to another. When it is aimed at millions, it rarely moves anyone.Fairfax M. Cone, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
Our job is to simplify, to tear away the unrelated, to pluck out the weeds that are smothering the product message.William Bernbach, Advertising Hall of Fame
It is easier to tone down a wild idea than to think up a new one. Alex Osborne, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
The ultimate obscenity is not caring, not doing something about what you feel, not feeling! Just drawing back and drawing in, becoming narcissistic. Rod Serling
In a continuing effort to highlight various modes of thought by different folks through the ages, the following quotes are offered up to enlighten your imagination and, perhaps, even tickle your funny bone. Then, again, maybe they’ll make you think. Enjoy!
You have to be noticed, but the art is getting noticed naturally, without screaming and without tricks. – Leo Burnett, member, Advertising Hall of Fame
The mind that opens to a new idea never returns to its original size. — Albert Einstein
No moral, no message, no prophetic tract, just a simple statement of fact: for civilization to survive, the human race has to remain civilized. Tonight’s very small exercise in logic from the Twilight Zone.
. . . And . . .
Human beings must involve themselves in the anguish of other human beings. This, I submit to you, is not a political thesis at all. It is simply an expression of what I would hope might be ultimately a simple humanity for humanity’s sake. ― Rod Serling
Inspirational quotes for folks who don’t like them:
On fighting the urge to follow the herd:
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. — Oscar Wilde
What you think of yourself is much more important than what others think of you. — Seneca
Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world. — Lucille Ball
On finding the beauty in chaos:
If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor. — Eleanor Roosevelt
I would rather die of passion than of boredom. — Vincent van Gogh
Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny. — Stephen Hawking
In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart. — Anne Frank
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