Marketing | Advertising
5 Clever One-Liners from Don Draper Every Marketer Should Know
“If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.”
From marriage to martinis, Mad Men is filled with memorable one-liners.
But perhaps the best moments are when Don Draper drops zingers that leave everyone speechless.
Here are five of my favorite one-liners that every marketer and copywriter should know:
“If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.”
Humans have this weird tendency to want to look the same, dress the same, and generally merge into one big flock of sheep. (Why is that?)
Take a look at perfume or fast food ads — they all follow the exact same cookie-cutter formula.
As a marketer you can use this to your advantage.
It means you can go in a different direction. You can be proactive and take control of the narrative, rather than simply reacting to what others are saying or doing.
One real world example is Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign.
In the early 2000s, Dove faced criticism for promoting unrealistic beauty standards through its advertising. In response they launched a unique campaign that challenged mainstream beauty standards and celebrated diversity.
By shifting the conversation Dove successfully repositioned its brand and attracted a whole new audience.
Marketing Lesson: Control the narrative. If the current angle isn’t working for you, change it. Don’t be afraid to go in a different direction, it’s usually the fastest way to stand out.
“Advertising is a persuasion business, not a information business.”
Too often ads and marketing copy tries to appeal primarily to the logical part of the brain by explaining how the product works and why it’s a safe and practical choice.
Big mistake.
People make decisions based on emotion, not logic.
Sure, they might justify their decision with logic, but the primary driving force behind a purchase is emotion.
You’re much more likely to create successful campaigns if you focus less on what’s under the hood of the car, and more on how it feels to drive the car.
Marketing Lesson: Emotion persuades better than logic.
“Every great ad tells a story.”
Doesn’t matter if your ad is a single image or you sell plain white envelopes — your ad should tell a story.
Take a look at this famous image from David Ogilvy’s Ad “The Man in the Hathaway Shirt”:
One look and you’re pulled into the ad because you want to find out the story behind the eye-patch.
Another example is the J. Peterman clothing company. Every clothing item they sell comes with a backstory:
The story gives every item a personality.
This is a genius approach because it makes you place a higher value on the product.
Just as you care more about characters in a book or movie when you feel connected to their backstory, the same is true for anything you’re selling.
Marketing Lesson: Infuse your ads and copy with a backstory. Even if only you and your team know it — it’ll add an irresistible sense of mystery and curiosity to your product.
“You are the product. You, feeling something. That’s what sells.”
When it comes to marketing, your main goal is to elicit emotion.
But if you don’t believe in your own product, and if you can’t feel what you want your customer to feel, then your efforts will fall flat.
The key is to think about what you want your reader to feel.
Then, generate that very emotion in yourself as you brainstorm ideas for your marketing campaigns and copywriting.
If you believe in the feeling you’re selling, so will your customer.
Marketing Lesson: Feel it first, then channel that emotion and energy into your work.
“The day you sign a client is the day you start losing them.”
In the show, Draper’s agency is constantly trying to either win clients, or keep clients happy.
This quote hits on the fact that the real work begins the moment you land a new client.
Too often agencies and copywriters put in their best effort for a few campaigns than assume they’ve won the client over for life.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
You have to consistently keep your client happy and do your best work, otherwise there’s nothing stopping them from finding someone who’s willing to try harder.
Marketing Lesson: Your clients can walk out at any moment so do your best work, meet deadlines and treat them with the same respect as you did the day you signed them.
Mad Men takes place in the 1960s and advertising was a different animal back then.
Many tactics were straight up unethical — like lying about the safety of alcohol or cigarettes.
My two cents?
Channel Don Draper wisdom in the most ethical way possible.
Marketing is notoriously deceitful and many messages try to capitalize on negative emotions like shame, guilt and making you feel insecure.
The final marketing lesson?
If you can show someone how their life will improve thanks to your product without lying or making them feel like crap, then you’re on the right track.
