Brand is just a perception, and perception will match reality over time. Sometimes it will be ahead, other times it will be behind. But brand is simply a collective impression some have about a product.
Somebody with a billion followers can tweet, 'See my movie,' and it can still tank. Followers don't always translate into success because I think people are too savvy. When something takes off, it's because people are connecting to it - not because someone with a lot of followers says to care about it.
Very often design is the most immediate way of defining what products become in people's minds.
All Marketers are liars tell stories.
There isn’t any significant difference between the various brands of whiskey, or cigarettes or beer. They are all about the same. And so are the cake mixes and the detergents, and the margarines… The manufacturer who dedicates his advertising to building the most sharply defined personality for his brand will get the largest share of the market at the highest profit.
I hate hearing from anyone ever saying, 'Oh, you only make clothes for models. That's so annoying,' because it just never, never is the case. Our top-selling size is probably a 12.
I view advertising as being this romanticizing element that helps us appreciate, understand and enjoy how remarkable it is that we've been able to do so much, and learn so much. I view it as really vital, even though sometimes it can be really annoying.
When I entered the market, I was rejected because the elite say that you have to sell things at a certain price point. My position was that the consumer is smarter than that. Who cares if it's $200, not $2,000?
Great marketing cannot sell a pedestrian product very well.
You never see Coke and Pepsi doing attacks to each other. It would depress the product category of soft drinks.
What we see is what they're trying to sell us.
Many manufacturers secretly question whether advertising really sells their product, but are vaguely afraid that their competitors might steal a march on them if they stopped.
Just because you're a luxury brand doesn't mean you have to have an attitude.
Apple released the upgraded version of the iPhone 4, called the iPhone 4S. I think the S stands for suckers.
It is vital that there is a narrator figure whom people believe. That's why I never do commercials. If I started saying that margarine was the same as motherhood, people would think I was a liar.
It was the Michael Jordan/Nike phenomenon that really let people see that athletes were OK, and black athletes were OK. Defying a previous wisdom - not only that black athletes wouldn't sell in white America, but that the NBA as a predominantly black sport could not sell in white America.
The first law in advertising is to avoid the concrete promise... and cultivate the delightfully vague.
We don't tell a 17-year-old kid that Nike sucks, because the fact of the matter is, Nike doesn't suck. They're actually very good at what they do.
Good advertising does not just circulate information. It penetrates the public mind with desires and belief.
Branding experts believe that just because they have rethought a company's image or name, the rest of us will automatically fall in line.
Supermarkets depict abundance; boutiques exclusiveness; roadside stands authenticity.
The initials BP used to stand for British Petroleum, but like Kentucky Fried Chicken, they changed their name to improve their image. Apparently, 'Petroleum,' like the word 'Fried,' connoted a company too oily for American tastes.
I've seen promotions rush things to market and not be strategic about it. The first impression is the lasting impression.
Design and branding are inextricably linked to the way in which society, culture, the environment, and business interact.
Sound an alarm! Advertising, not deals, builds brands.
