Words of Marketing Wisdom

Here are a few quotes that I revisited Today. How they apply to my business changes over time, but their wisdom and relevance is timeless. I believe if you listen closely, they will help you market better.

It’s not about pop culture, and it’s not about fooling people, and it’s not about convincing people that they want something they don’t. We figure out what we want. And I think we’re pretty good at having the right discipline to think through whether a lot of other people are going to want it, too. That’s what we get paid to do. - Steve Jobs

Product strategy isn’t hard. It just takes thought. We worked with a company recently that had to ask itself some very tough questions concerning a new brand launch. We helped them see that their launch needed to focus a lot more on the results of the product instead of its cool features.

Give them quality. That is the best kind of advertising. - Milton Hershey

My friend Todd reminded me the other day that you are only as good as your worst work. There are a lot of choices out there and average isn’t one that gets picked. Stop trying to be perfect and give people quality stuff that solves their problems and makes them happy.

I notice increasing reluctance on the part of marketing executives to use judgment; they are coming to rely too much on research, and they use it as a drunkard uses a lamp post for support, rather than for illumination. - David Ogilvy

I love data and research as much as anyone, but you can’t improve upon things you don’t measure. However, I think we are smart enough and know our business well enough to listen to our instincts. Don’t underestimate them. Facts are facts and truth is truth. They are not always the same.

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