07.22.2021
David Ogilvy wrote in his book, Ogilvy on Advertising, that few copywriters are ambitious. “‘Raise your sights!’ I exhort them. ‘Blaze new trails! Hit the ball out of the park!! Compete with the immortals!!!”
That sends chills down my spine. Chills of delight.
This set of quotes is about looking for magic, stretching beyond comprehension. How about adopting this to your bailiwick? And not just into ads or new products. These sentiments apply to a new training course or business process as much as they do to a new product or service offering.
Kevin Roberts’ Credo:
1. Ready. Fire! Aim.
2. If it ain’t broke … break it!
3. Hire crazies.
4. Ask dumb questions.
5. Pursue failure.
6. Lead, follow … or get out of the way!
7. Spread confusion.
8. Ditch your office.
9. Read odd stuff.
10. Avoid moderation!”
(Mr. Roberts was most recently CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide. His book Lovemarks is on my “best business books ever” short list.)
INSANELY GREAT” Steve Jobs’ new product standard
RADICALLY THRILLING” BMW, ad for a new model
ASTONISH ME” Sergei Diaghley, to a lead dancer
‘What should I make?’ Yokoi asked. Yamauchi said, ‘Something great.'” David Sheff about former president of Nintendo, Hiroshi Yamauchi, in his book, Game Over: How Nintendo Conquered The World
Every project we undertake starts with the same question: ‘How can we do what has never been done before?’” Stuart Hornery, in “The Company Without Limits” Fast Company by Polly LaBarre
Let us create such a building that future generations will take us for lunatics.” The church hierarchs at Seville
You can’t behave in a calm, rational manner. You’ve got to be out there on the lunatic fringe.” Jack Welch, former chairman of GE, in “’Black Belts’ Roam GE Plants To Weed Out Snafus, Cut Costs” Wall Street Journal by William M. Carley
We are crazy. We should only do something when people say it is ‘crazy.’ If people say something is ‘good,’ it means someone else is already doing it.” Hajime Mitarai, former CEO, Canon, in “Crazy is Praise for Us” Forbes by Gale Eisenstodt
We all agree your theory is crazy. The question, which divides us, is whether it is crazy enough…” Niels Bohr, to Wolfgang Pauli
There’s no use trying,’ said Alice. ‘One cannot believe impossible things.’ ‘I daresay you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’” Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
To hell with ‘well behaved’ … Recently a young mother asked for advice. What, she wanted to know, was she to do with a 7-year-old who was obstreperous, outspoken, and inconveniently willful? ‘Keep her,’ I replied. … The suffragettes refused to be polite in demanding what they wanted or grateful for getting what they deserved. Works for me.” Anna Quindlen, Newsweek
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends upon the unreasonable man.” George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman: The Revolutionists’ Handbook.