Leo Burnett Quotes

Powerful Leo Burnett for Daily Growth

About Leo Burnett

Leo Burnett (1891-1971), an American advertising genius, was born on August 5, 1891, in Economy, Pennsylvania, a company town owned by the Pittsburgh Steel Company. Raised in a family with modest means, he developed a knack for storytelling and visual arts at an early age. Influenced by his mother's love for literature, Burnett spent hours reading books from the local library, cultivating a rich imagination. His interest in advertising was sparked after seeing a poster for the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. Later, he attended the Art Institute of Chicago on a scholarship, where he studied commercial art. His professional journey began as an illustrator and cartoonist at the Chicago Tribune. However, Burnett found his calling in advertising when he joined the Benton & Bowen agency in 1928. His career took off during the Great Depression when he created the slogan "Pillsbury's 'Good Housekeeping' Seal Means It Doesn't Break" for Pillsbury Flour, which tripled the company's sales. In 1935, Burnett founded Leo Burnett Co., an advertising agency that would become a global powerhouse. Some of his most iconic campaigns include the Jolly Green Giant for Green Giant Foods and the Marlboro Man for Philip Morris. Burnett's philosophy was to create communications that were "human, relevant, and one-to-one," a concept that later became known as 'the human insight.' He believed in treating employees well, leading to a unique company culture where work-life balance was valued. Leo Burnett passed away on August 12, 1971, but his legacy lives on. His agency continues to thrive, producing memorable campaigns for brands around the world, and his quote, "Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read," remains a guiding principle in the advertising industry.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"When you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you won't come up with a handful of mud."

This quote by Leo Burnett encourages ambitious action and optimism. It suggests that striving for greatness (reaching for the stars) might not always result in immediate success, but it will certainly lead to better outcomes than settling for mediocrity (coming up with a handful of mud). In other words, even if you don't achieve your most ambitious goals, you'll still make progress and avoid getting stuck in low productivity or disappointment.


"Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read."

Leo Burnett's quote emphasizes a few key principles for effective communication: 1. Simplicity: The message should be easy to understand, without being overly complex or convoluted. A simple message is more likely to resonate with the audience and make an impact. 2. Memorability: A strong message sticks in people's minds. Making the content memorable means crafting it in a way that is engaging, relatable, or thought-provoking, so that it leaves a lasting impression on the audience. 3. Visual Appeal: The presentation of the message should be visually appealing and inviting to look at. This could involve using high-quality images, an attractive layout, or consistent branding. A well-designed message catches the eye and encourages people to spend more time engaging with it. 4. Fun Factor: Adding an element of fun can make a message more enjoyable for the audience. By incorporating humor, creativity, or interactive elements, the content becomes more inviting and easier to share, thereby increasing its reach and impact.


"The more informative your advertising, the more productive it will be."

This quote by Leo Burnett emphasizes that effective advertising should not only catch people's attention but also provide valuable information. By being informative, an advertisement can build trust, educate potential customers about a product or service, and ultimately drive more sales. In other words, productive advertising isn't just about being eye-catching; it's about delivering useful and relevant content that resonates with the audience.


"Great ideas almost never kill anybody."

This quote by Leo Burnett highlights the impact and potential of innovative and groundbreaking ideas, suggesting that they are generally harmless or non-threatening. In other words, he is emphasizing that creative solutions, even when revolutionary, do not pose a danger to people or the status quo. Instead, great ideas have the power to transform, inspire, and improve our world.


"If you stand for something, you will always find a crowd."

This quote by Leo Burnett emphasizes the power of standing for something meaningful or significant, as it naturally attracts people who share similar values or beliefs. By being clear and authentic in one's convictions, individuals create a sense of unity and connection with others, ultimately forming a collective community that supports their cause. In essence, if you have a strong and sincere stance on an issue, people will be drawn to you and your ideas.


Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people.

- Leo Burnett

Think, I Think, Still, Creative People

I am one who believes that one of the greatest dangers of advertising is not that of misleading people, but that of boring them to death.

- Leo Burnett

Death, Advertising, Them, Dangers

When you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you won't come up with a handful of mud either.

- Leo Burnett

Reach For The Stars, May, Handful

Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.

- Leo Burnett

Simple, Inviting, Read, Memorable

Regardless of the moral issue, dishonesty in advertising has proved very unprofitable.

- Leo Burnett

Very, Proved, Issue, Dishonesty

What helps people, helps business.

- Leo Burnett

Leadership, Business, People, Helps

Advertising is the ability to sense, interpret... to put the very heart throbs of a business into type, paper and ink.

- Leo Burnett

Business, Ink, Very, Interpret

Anyone who thinks that people can be fooled or pushed around has an inaccurate and pretty low estimate of people - and he won't do very well in advertising.

- Leo Burnett

Advertising, Pretty, Very, Estimate

A good basic selling idea, involvement and relevancy, of course, are as important as ever, but in the advertising din of today, unless you make yourself noticed and believed, you ain't got nothin'.

- Leo Burnett

Idea, Noticed, Din, Nothin

I regard a great ad as the most beautiful thing in the world.

- Leo Burnett

Beautiful, Most, Ad, Beautiful Thing

I have learned that you can't have good advertising without a good client, that you can't keep a good client without good advertising, and no client will ever buy better advertising than he understands or has an appetite for.

- Leo Burnett

Will, Buy, Learned, I Have Learned

I have learned that trying to guess what the boss or the client wants is the most debilitating of all influences in the creation of good advertising.

- Leo Burnett

Boss, Advertising, Learned, I Have Learned

I have learned to respect ideas, wherever they come from. Often they come from clients. Account executives often have big creative ideas, regardless of what some writers think.

- Leo Burnett

Think, Big, Some, I Have Learned

I have learned that it is far easier to write a speech about good advertising than it is to write a good ad.

- Leo Burnett

Speech, Ad, Learned, I Have Learned

I have learned that any fool can write a bad ad, but that it takes a real genius to keep his hands off a good one.

- Leo Burnett

Hands, Bad, Ad, I Have Learned

Good advertising does not just circulate information. It penetrates the public mind with desires and belief.

- Leo Burnett

Mind, Public, Public Mind, Circulate

The sole purpose of business is service. The sole purpose of advertising is explaining the service which business renders.

- Leo Burnett

Business, Sole, Which, Explaining

Whether or not the standard of living made possible by mass production and in turn by mass circulation, is supported by and filled with the work of us hucksters, I guess is something that only history can decide.

- Leo Burnett

Living, Production, Standard, Circulation

The work of an advertising agency is warmly and immediately human. It deals with human needs, wants, dreams and hopes. Its 'product' cannot be turned out on an assembly line.

- Leo Burnett

Product, Needs, Agency, Assembly Line

If you don't get noticed, you don't have anything. You just have to be noticed, but the art is in getting noticed naturally, without screaming or without tricks.

- Leo Burnett

Art, Noticed, Tricks, Screaming

Too many ads that try not to go over the reader's head end up beneath his notice.

- Leo Burnett

Over, Beneath, Reader, Notice

The greatest thing to be achieved in advertising, in my opinion, is believability, and nothing is more believable than the product itself.

- Leo Burnett

Product, More, In My Opinion, Greatest Thing

Fun without sell gets nowhere but sell without fun tends to become obnoxious.

- Leo Burnett

Nowhere, Sell, Obnoxious, Tends

A good ad which is not run never produces sales.

- Leo Burnett

Never, Which, Ad, Produces

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

Some, Which, Shop, Flourish

To swear off making mistakes is very easy. All you have to do is swear off having ideas.

- Leo Burnett

Making Mistakes, Very, Swear

The secret of all effective advertising is not the creation of new and tricky words and pictures, but one of putting familiar words and pictures into new relationships.

- Leo Burnett

Words, New, Putting, Creation

The secret of all effective originality in advertising is not the creation of new and tricky words and pictures, but one of putting familiar words and pictures into new relationships.

- Leo Burnett

New, Originality, Putting, Creation

If you can't turn yourself into your customer, you probably shouldn't be in the ad writing business at all.

- Leo Burnett

Business, Turn, Ad, Customer

There's no such thing as 'hard sell' and 'soft sell.' There's only 'smart sell' and 'stupid sell.'

- Leo Burnett

Stupid, Only, Sell, Soft

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