When I first started in marketing, I used to write down what I thought were the best marketing quotes to inspire me to dream big and to do big things.
A few years ago I gathered all these bits of paper and sticky notes and wrote down on one piece of paper my favorite marketing quotes and words of wisdom and inspiration.
When I speak, I also tried to invent some of my own tweetable quotes. Here are a few that generate a little tweet love:
“Content marketing is financial asset with real value that grows over time“
“Mean People Suck” (I can’t really take credit for that but I own the domain so there you go!)
But I can’t compare with some of these great minds and their amazing quotes.
PS – I put together these 10 tips for optimizing your content marketing. Watch Now!
Here is my collection of the greatest marketing quotes to inspire your strategy:
“Banners have 99 problem and a click ain’t one.”
“Content Marketing is a commitment, not a campaign.” ~ Jon Buscall
“Content marketing is the only marketing left.” ~ Seth Godin
“Stop interrupting what people are interested in and be what people are interested in.” ~ Craig Davis
“Make your customer the hero of your stories.” ~ Ann Handley
“Your brand is so much more than what you sell.” ~ Jon Iwata
“Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department.”~ David Packard
“The buyer journey is nothing more than a series of questions that must be answered.” ~ IDC
“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” – Simon Sinek
“Market like the year you are in!” ~ Gary Vaynerchuck
“Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers.” ~ Seth Godin
“Content is king, but distribution is queen and she wears the pants.” ~ Jonathan Perelman, Buzzfeed
“Content is the atomic particle of all digital marketing, says @Lieblink”~ Rebecca Lieb
“Make your marketing so useful, people will pay you for it.” ~ Jay Baer
“Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” Andrew Davis
“Help your customers and you help your business.” ~ Leo Burnett
“Business has only two functions – marketing and innovation.” ~ Milan Kundera (Knowledge drop: Most people attribute the above quote to Peter Drucker who clearly borrowed from the author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being when he said: “Because it is its purpose to create a customer, any business enterprise has two – and only these two – basic functions: marketing and innovation.” But Milan said it first. So here’s another good one from Peter…)
“The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” ~ Peter F. Drucker
“The sole purpose of marketing is to sell more to more people, more often and at higher prices. There is no other reason to do it.” ~ Sergio Zyman
“What really decides consumers to buy or not to buy is the content of your advertising, not its form.” ~ David Ogilvy
“The consumer is not a moron, she’s your wife.” ~ David Ogilvy (not sure this one stands the test of time. Blame Kessler in the comments. He made me add it!)
“The aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous.” ~ Peter Drucker
“If you have more money than brains you should focus on outbound marketing. If you have more brains than money, you should focus on inbound marketing.” ~ Guy Kawasaki
“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing about.” ~ Benjamin Franklin
“Markets are conversations.” ~ The Cluetrain Manifesto
“Marketing takes a day to learn and a lifetime to master.” ~ Phil Kolter
“Advertising in the final analysis should be news. If it is not news it is worthless.” ~ Adolph Ochs
“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” – Seth Godin
“There is nothing more valuable than a spotless reputation.” ~ William Shakespeare
“Companies that speak in the language of the pitch are no longer speaking to anyone.” ~ The Cluetrain Manifesto
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
“Marketing is not anyone’s job… It’s everyone’s job!” ~ Jack Welch (Thanks to my new twitter friend Leigh Cowan)
What’s your favorite marketing or business quote? Did I miss any great ones?
Let me help you tell your story! I can help your team create authentic and consistent thought leadership content. I’ve done it for myself. I’ve done it for the companies I’ve worked for. I’ve helped activate hundreds, even thousands of thought leaders. I’ve done it for numerous clients. And I can do it for you.
30 thoughts on “33 of the Greatest Marketing Quotes to Inspire Your Strategy”
“Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department.” The funny thing is, when marketing extends beyond the marketing department, the business doesn’t call it marketing anymore.
Michael, do you think social media finally changing this? It seems there is more recognition of the public and broad influence the entire organization can have now, without clear departmental or functional boundaries around it.
Interested in hearing your thoughts on this.
— @wittlake
Hi Eric,
Yes that quote is one of my favorites. I absolutely believe marketing is the job of everyone in the company. That is why I think social marketers should be encouraging “brand ambassadors” outside of marketing vs. just “enabling” their own marketing departments. And since social media is essentially an opportunity to interact with customers directly, this should force more collaboration between all outward facing or outward “concerned” organizational silos like the obvious ones in sales, customer service, communications along with the less-obvious ones like legal, HR and operations.
Best, Michael
I love “The urgent can drown out the important”, so true in the multi-tasking world we live in!
One of my favorites at the moment is:
Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions – Oliver Wendell Holmes
Hi Lydia! That is not a really famous quote but one I think deserves to see more light. Thanks for helping to get the word out.
That is an excellent one! Thanks Nicholas.
I like “Even though you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there”. Will Rogers
Love that one! Thanks for contributing Diana!
There’s the measurement classic:
Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.
John Wanamaker, US department store merchant (1838 – 1922)
Hi Giles, I love that quote too but did not include it because it is often attributed to 3 different people: David Ogilvy, John Wanamaker and Lord Leverhulme the founder of Unilever.
“The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” ~ Peter F. Drucker
Hi~ Could you please tell me the year of this quote? I would like to include it in my assignment.really need it…
Yes, he wrote that in his 1954 book “The Practice of Management.”
Awesome stuff – don’t fully agree with Sergio Zyman’s statement but love the words of David Packard.
Nice Collection Michael ! I love this post and I great inspired by one beautiful and short quote by Seth Godin that …“Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers.” Really Inspired..
good thought, can you help me in this why advertising in the final analysis should be news?
thanx
Thanks Kelvin, how can I help you?
Great list, Michael.
I love Drucker (he and Theodore Leavitt got me into this game).
I was raised on David Ogilvy (my first job) and always remember, “The consumer is not a moron, she’s your wife.”
Easily adapted to B2B. I like the warning against condescension.
My favorite is from the founder of Geek Squad, “marketing is a tax you pay for being unremarkable”.
Thanks John, that is a great quote! Speaks to the larger business and the need for innovation.
“Marketing is that key with infinite locks for eternity while ensuring it trends with all blends” just thought of sharing this as well to your inspiring list
dont find customers for your products,find products for your customers, thats mt favourite i love it thanks MICHAEL
I really like Seth Godin’s first quote – and I think he’s right: regardless of our professional field, we get known by what we produce, both on and offline.
I like “Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” Andrew Davis,
Trust is critical for long term success
Blessed are those who lead the Public from the Sublime to the Rediculous, for they shall be called Advertising People.
G3
“The best place to hide a dead body is on the 2nd page of Google search results” – I don’t know where I heard that…..
That’s a good one!
That’s my good friend Andrew Davis!
Shots fired!
So many great quotes, hard to pick one. When did you first publish this list and have you added any since?
Hi Tracy,
I think I published it first in like 2014, then updated it in 2016 and then again this year because of a few additions. Each one included a few additions.
Michael Brenner is an international keynote speaker, author of
"Mean People Suck" and
"The Content Formula",
and Founder of
Marketing Insider Group.
Recognized as a Top Content Marketing expert and Digital Marketing Leader, Michael leverages his experience from roles in sales and marketing for global brands like SAP and Nielsen, as well as his leadership in leading teams and driving growth for thriving startups.
Today, Michael delivers empowering keynotes on marketing and leadership, and facilitates actionable workshops on content marketing strategy.
Connect with Michael today.
“Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department.” The funny thing is, when marketing extends beyond the marketing department, the business doesn’t call it marketing anymore.
Michael, do you think social media finally changing this? It seems there is more recognition of the public and broad influence the entire organization can have now, without clear departmental or functional boundaries around it.
Interested in hearing your thoughts on this.
— @wittlake
Hi Eric,
Yes that quote is one of my favorites. I absolutely believe marketing is the job of everyone in the company. That is why I think social marketers should be encouraging “brand ambassadors” outside of marketing vs. just “enabling” their own marketing departments. And since social media is essentially an opportunity to interact with customers directly, this should force more collaboration between all outward facing or outward “concerned” organizational silos like the obvious ones in sales, customer service, communications along with the less-obvious ones like legal, HR and operations.
Best, Michael
I love “The urgent can drown out the important”, so true in the multi-tasking world we live in!
One of my favorites at the moment is:
Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions – Oliver Wendell Holmes
Hi Lydia! That is not a really famous quote but one I think deserves to see more light. Thanks for helping to get the word out.
That is an excellent one! Thanks Nicholas.
I like “Even though you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there”. Will Rogers
Love that one! Thanks for contributing Diana!
There’s the measurement classic:
John Wanamaker, US department store merchant (1838 – 1922)
Hi Giles, I love that quote too but did not include it because it is often attributed to 3 different people: David Ogilvy, John Wanamaker and Lord Leverhulme the founder of Unilever.
“The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” ~ Peter F. Drucker
Hi~ Could you please tell me the year of this quote? I would like to include it in my assignment.really need it…
Yes, he wrote that in his 1954 book “The Practice of Management.”
Awesome stuff – don’t fully agree with Sergio Zyman’s statement but love the words of David Packard.
Nice Collection Michael ! I love this post and I great inspired by one beautiful and short quote by Seth Godin that …“Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers.” Really Inspired..
good thought, can you help me in this why advertising in the final analysis should be news?
thanx
Thanks Kelvin, how can I help you?
Great list, Michael.
I love Drucker (he and Theodore Leavitt got me into this game).
I was raised on David Ogilvy (my first job) and always remember, “The consumer is not a moron, she’s your wife.”
Easily adapted to B2B. I like the warning against condescension.
My favorite is from the founder of Geek Squad, “marketing is a tax you pay for being unremarkable”.
Thanks John, that is a great quote! Speaks to the larger business and the need for innovation.
“Marketing is that key with infinite locks for eternity while ensuring it trends with all blends” just thought of sharing this as well to your inspiring list
dont find customers for your products,find products for your customers, thats mt favourite i love it thanks MICHAEL
I really like Seth Godin’s first quote – and I think he’s right: regardless of our professional field, we get known by what we produce, both on and offline.
I like “Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” Andrew Davis,
Trust is critical for long term success
Blessed are those who lead the Public from the Sublime to the Rediculous, for they shall be called Advertising People.
G3
“The best place to hide a dead body is on the 2nd page of Google search results” – I don’t know where I heard that…..
That’s a good one!
That’s my good friend Andrew Davis!
Shots fired!
So many great quotes, hard to pick one. When did you first publish this list and have you added any since?
Hi Tracy,
I think I published it first in like 2014, then updated it in 2016 and then again this year because of a few additions. Each one included a few additions.