11 pieces of mid-century wisdom from advertisers, entrepreneurs, and authors that still apply to marketing in 2020

1. Marketing advice
from 50 years ago
is surprisingly still
relevant
11 pieces of mid-century wisdom from advertisers,
entrepreneurs, and authors

2. 2
Technology has changed everything
and nothing
Some of the best marketing advice you receive this year
could be from the middle of last century
Marketing tactics have evolved significantly since
1970. 50 years ago, a great campaign relied on:
The principles of great marketing are still the same,
however. These core values will never change:
Print Honesty
Radio Collaboration
Television Customer knowledge

3. 3
Be honest
According to Ogilvy, a loss of customer trust was the worst punishment possible
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.
David Ogilvy
AD AGENCY EXECUTIVE
1963
Customer trust in 2020 is at
all-time lows, so honesty
matters more than ever.

4. 4
Be interesting
Gossage knew audiences will always crave
relevant, high-value content
People read what
interests them, and
sometimes it’s an ad.
Howard Luck Gossage
ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE
1917–1969
Over two-thirds
of marketers still
struggle to skip the
sales pitch and focus
on the audience's
informational needs,
according to CMI.

5. 5
Balance the 4 Ps
Sending the right promotional message in the right place is still key to a strong
marketing strategy in 2020
Place, price, product, and
promotion are the four pillars of a
successful marketing strategy.
Jerome McCarthy
MARKETING PROFESSOR AND AUTHOR
1958

6. 6
Understand the customer
Understand the
customer so well that
the product or service
fits him and sells itself.
Peter Drucker
BUSINESS AUTHOR AND CONSULTANT
1973
91%
of customers still
prefer personalized
marketing messages
in 2020.

7. 7
Double yourself
You have to double yourself.
You have to read books on
subjects you know nothing
about. You have to travel to
places you never thought of
traveling. You have
to...endlessly stretch what
you know.
Mary Wells Lawrence
ADVERTISING AGENCY OWNER
1928
Relentless professional
improvement has
always been a recipe
for excellence.

8. Word of mouth is
the best medium
of all.
8
Word of mouth matters
William "Bill" Bernbach
1911–1982
Consumers still
trust peer
recommendations and
social proof above
branded messages.
The best marketers
use customer success
stories to win trust.

9. 9
Be fun
Creative ideas flourish best in
a shop which preserves some
spirit of fun. Nobody is in
business for fun, but that does
not mean there cannot be fun
in business.
Leo Burnett
ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE
1891–1971
Great stories and
concepts are fundamental
to compelling marketing—
regardless of whether
you're B2C, B2B, or B2G!

10. 10
All Hands on deck
Marketing is too
important to be left
to the marketing
department.
David Packard
HP CO-FOUNDER
1912–1996
Marketing should
serve the customer,
which means
marketers need
to collaborate.
The best sources
of customer
knowledge are often
product, sales, and
customer service.

11. 11
Be narrow
The key to branding,
especially for smaller
firms, is to focus on a
limited number of issue
areas and develop superb
expertise in those areas.
Philip Kotler
BUSINESS PROFESSOR AND AUTHOR
1967
The term "thought
leadership" didn't exist
in 1967, but the
concept mattered.
Brands need to define
a niche and produce
expert content.

12. 12
Afflict the comfortable
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
RETAIL ADVERTISING PIONEER
1894–1992
The customer
journey begins when
a prospect identifies
a pain point.
Present answers to
your customers, not
branded solutions.

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Thank
you.