Luke Sullivan’s Hey Whipple, Squeeze This (John Wiley, $16.95) is not only a smart, passionate book about the advertising creative process. It also brings together a lot of good quotes on the subject—almost enough that Sullivan could have just published one of those little one-quote-per-page bookettes. Instead, I’ll fill this column by quoting some of Sullivan’s best quotes:
“The truth isn’t the truth until people believe you, and they can’t believe you if they [don’t] listen to you, and they won’t listen to you if you’re not interesting, and you won’t be interesting unless you say things imaginatively, originally, freshly.” —Bill Bernbach
“Creativity is the sudden cessation of stupidity.” —Dr. Edwin Land
“When wit is involved, the designer never travels 100% of the way [toward the audience]... It is as if the designer throws a ball which then has to be caught. So the recipient is alert, with an active mind.”
—Beryl McAlhone & David Stuart
“No matter how cynical I get, it’s impossible to keep up.” —Fran Lebowitz
“Did anybody ever go into [a car dealership with an inflatable gorilla on the roof] and say ‘Great gorilla. Makes me feel like buying a car.’ Why don’t other businesses use gorillas? Would people be more likely to buy, say, a new home with a gorilla tethered to a chimney? ...Would people have more confidence in the doctors if a medical clinic featured a gorilla on the roof?” —Craig Weise
“Words are a barrier to communication.” —ad agency screensaver
Read about Hey Whipple, Squeeze This at Amazon.com
