DDB founder Bill Bernbach famously said "The most powerful element in advertising is the truth." My question is, is this statement only ridiculous in the 21st century or did it fall apart in the 1900s too?

likefunny
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It’s still very relevant. Every great ad is still built around a truth or insight people can relate to.

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Insights matter. Even fake Cannes case studies have ‘em.

likefunny

I don’t think it’s ridiculous at all. People aren’t stupid. If you don’t tell the truth, people will find out and not buy your product.

Not only that, but literally every successful campaign of this and the last century tells the truth profoundly enough to resonate with people.

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O1, you forgot tell them to look at advertising festivals. 😅

funny

Fell apart when the FDA started regulating cigarette advertising

“It’s toasted”

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It’s not always “truth” as in straight facts, but rather creating an idea that seems credible for the product/brand. Leo Burnett, the person, used to speak about finding the “inherent drama” inside a product. It took me a while to internalize what this was actually about, but it really can make a huge impact. This is where Nike’s “Just Do It”, or boutique tequila branding, or Apple’s “clean design, exquisite performance” or the Pillsbury Doughboy softness/goodness comes from. On the other hand, a Cadillac (Cimarron) based on a Chevy Cavalier was a no go from the start.

Hope this is helpful.

likesmart

It works in two ways. It’s about finding a human truth that relates to a brand or product truth.

For example:
“you’re not you when you’re hungry” is a human truth. You’re not at your best when you’re hungry. People buy that.

“Snickers satisfies your hunger” is a product truth. It contains nuts so it fills better than some of their competitors.

Every great ad or campaign has at least one of those. Ideally both.

likesmart

Well Nike’s latest brand campaign is spot on.

likesmart

I think he’s talking about what’s the human truth in your product

like

He’s talking about the human truth in the ad.

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Not ridiculous.

“Tell the truth, but tell it slant.”

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insights are culturally relative. the more fractured any culture becomes (globalized or not), the more nuanced any kind of truth becomes. after the AI churn, a brand library of insights will become another creative element for brand communication, less a singular “idea” for campaign execution.

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I think he is talking about having and expressing insight in your work

smart

It was absolutely ridiculous back then.

Not at all.

like

all fine to leverage truth, humour, etc. its value comes from how tied is it to your product to provide longevity. now that has failed a lot.

Truth Well Told, baby. That’s what advertising is.

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