--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I grew up in a country where advertising…" description: "\"I grew up in a country where advertising doesn't exist.\" — Jan Koum" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/jan-koum-9456_advertising_i-grew-up-in-a-country-where-advertising_1041474.png" --- # I grew up in a country where advertising doesn't exist. ![“I grew up in a country where advertising doesn't exist.” quote by Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/jan-koum-9456_advertising_i-grew-up-in-a-country-where-advertising_1041474.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/jan-koum-9456_advertising_i-grew-up-in-a-country-where-advertising_1041474.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/jan-koum-9456_advertising_i-grew-up-in-a-country-where-advertising_1041474.png) > “I grew up in a country where advertising doesn't exist.” [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Growing up without advertising shapes a perception of media and consumer culture. **In simple terms:** No ads in his childhood country. Key Takeaway Recognize how environment influences values. Themes media culture upbringing Mood reflective informative Type observation insight When to use this quote - marketing career - media literacy - product design - personal consumption Key Concepts advertising impact consumer behavior Questions to Reflect On - How does lack of ads affect consumer choices? - What can we learn from ad‑free societies? A Different Perspective Limited exposure may not reflect global realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) [Advertising Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising-doesn-2437327/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Country Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country-advertising-2437326/) [Doesn Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doesn-exist/) [Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist/) [Grew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew/) [Grew Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew-country-1396144/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Where](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/where/) ## Related quotes > [...Your company...will send drugs to all the underdeveloped countries of the world, and since they do not have any standards, we will fool them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-nelson/your-company-will-send-drugs-to-all-the-underdeveloped-countries-of/) [Gaylord Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-nelson/) > [Pop culture or advertising doesn't work perfectly. No one is watching and mindlessly accepting every part of the narrative or ideology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-syms/pop-culture-or-advertising-doesn-t-work-perfectly-no-one-is-watching/) [Martine Syms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-syms/) > [Advertising doesn't create a product advantage. It can only convey it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/advertising-doesn-t-create-a-product-advantage-it-can-only-convey-it/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [I won't say I'm not fascinated by the way advertising works. I like the sleekness. But a picture in advertising doesn't last too long.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurizio-cattelan/i-won-t-say-i-m-not-fascinated-by-the-way-advertising-works-i-like/) [Maurizio Cattelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurizio-cattelan/) > [Ninety-nine percent of advertising doesn't sell much of anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/ninety-nine-percent-of-advertising-doesn-t-sell-much-of-anything/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [I mean, time for me, I can make it go slow or fast, however I please. That's how I know it doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willow-smith/i-mean-time-for-me-i-can-make-it-go-slow-or-fast-however-i-please/) [Willow Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willow-smith/) > [You don't get everything you want. That doesn't exist in this realm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/you-don-t-get-everything-you-want-that-doesn-t-exist-in-this-realm/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) > [I was born in Bollywood, life before Bollywood doesn't exist for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackky-bhagnani/i-was-born-in-bollywood-life-before-bollywood-doesn-t-exist-for-me/) [Jackky Bhagnani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackky-bhagnani/) > [Radio 1 doesn't exist to me. I don't judge my success by anything they say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skepta/radio-1-doesn-t-exist-to-me-i-don-t-judge-my-success-by-anything-they/) [Skepta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skepta/) > [I'm not a slave to a god that doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-m-not-a-slave-to-a-god-that-doesn-t-exist/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [Fashion has to be worn; otherwise it doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolina-herrera/fashion-has-to-be-worn-otherwise-it-doesn-t-exist/) [Carolina Herrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolina-herrera/) > [Lob City doesn't exist anymore. Lob City is done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-griffin/lob-city-doesn-t-exist-anymore-lob-city-is-done/) [Blake Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-griffin/) > [When it can't be done, do it. If you don't do it, it doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-arden/when-it-can-t-be-done-do-it-if-you-don-t-do-it-it-doesn-t-exist/) [Paul Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-arden/) > [A work of art doesn't exist outside the perception of the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbas-kiarostami/a-work-of-art-doesn-t-exist-outside-the-perception-of-the-audience/) [Abbas Kiarostami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbas-kiarostami/) > [There's nothing more dangerous than a place that doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-turley/there-s-nothing-more-dangerous-than-a-place-that-doesn-t-exist/) [Jonathan Turley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-turley/) ## More by Jan Koum > [Clearly, you can't believe everything you read in the press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/clearly-you-can-t-believe-everything-you-read-in-the-press/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [A lot of companies are global.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/a-lot-of-companies-are-global/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [WhatsApp's extremely high user engagement and rapid growth are driven by the simple, powerful and instantaneous messaging capabilities we provide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/whatsapp-s-extremely-high-user-engagement-and-rapid-growth-are-driven/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [I only have one idea, that is WhatsApp, and I am going to continue to focus on that. I have no plans to build…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/i-only-have-one-idea-that-is-whatsapp-and-i-am-going-to-continue-to/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [A lot of times, people start out with a lot of good ideas, but then they don't execute. They lose the purity of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/a-lot-of-times-people-start-out-with-a-lot-of-good-ideas-but-then/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [Facebook, Google, Apple, Yahoo - there's a common theme. None of these companies ever sold. By staying independent, they were able to build a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/facebook-google-apple-yahoo-there-s-a-common-theme-none-of-these/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [No one wakes up excited to see more advertising, no one goes to sleep thinking about the ads they'll see tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/no-one-wakes-up-excited-to-see-more-advertising-no-one-goes-to-sleep/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [I had so much fun in early days learning about networking, security, scalability and other geeky stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/i-had-so-much-fun-in-early-days-learning-about-networking-security/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [The difficult part for us is adding features without making the product more complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/the-difficult-part-for-us-is-adding-features-without-making-the/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [We continue to grow, and, just like with countries like China or other countries where we are not doing particularly well, we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/we-continue-to-grow-and-just-like-with-countries-like-china-or-other/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [It's important for people to have freedom to use whatever product they want. We have no problems with other people using other apps, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/it-s-important-for-people-to-have-freedom-to-use-whatever-product/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [We're obsessed with making sure that voice and video work well even on low-end phones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/we-re-obsessed-with-making-sure-that-voice-and-video-work-well-even/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [The F-word here is focus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/the-f-word-here-is-focus/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [We're not interested in bombarding our users with, 'Hey, play this game, play this game, play this game.' It gets annoying, it gets in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/we-re-not-interested-in-bombarding-our-users-with-hey-play-this-game/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [Everybody I meet who uses 'WhatsApp', I ask them a question: 'How did you hear about it?' And they say, 'My friends, my sister…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/everybody-i-meet-who-uses-whatsapp-i-ask-them-a-question-how-did-you/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) [Explore all 72 Jan Koum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) ## More Advertising quotes > [I saw this anti-drug commercial that showed a kid smoking pot in his dad's room with his friend. This kid finds a gun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-saw-this-anti-drug-commercial-that-showed-a-kid-smoking-pot-in-his/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Advertising justifies its existence when used in the public interest-it is much too powerful a tool to use solely for commercial purposes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gossage/advertising-justifies-its-existence-when-used-in-the-public-interest/) [Howard Gossage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gossage/) > [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [We have the capital, the resources, and the technology that we need to build a mobile advertising platform across the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-tewari/we-have-the-capital-the-resources-and-the-technology-that-we-need-to/) [Naveen Tewari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-tewari/) > [“Never run advertising until the major publicity possibilities have been exploited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/never-run-advertising-until-the-major-publicity-possibilities-have/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [God never talks. But the devil keeps advertising, Father. The devil does a lot of commercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-peter-blatty/god-never-talks-but-the-devil-keeps-advertising-father-the-devil-does/) [William Peter Blatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-peter-blatty/) > [I like Valentine's Day. The trouble is the florists and the candy-makers and the card people are all advertising so much, you don't dare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-like-valentine-s-day-the-trouble-is-the-florists-and-the-candy/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [I happened to be spotted by a modeling agent who offered me a part-time job at 16. Everything happened very quickly after that -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-happened-to-be-spotted-by-a-modeling-agent-who-offered-me-a-part/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [They say that Madison Avenue will only pay high dollars in advertising if they get the 18-35 age range.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gless/they-say-that-madison-avenue-will-only-pay-high-dollars-in/) [Sharon Gless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gless/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I've driven people mad on films that I've made - I want more takes; I want to try new lines. Then I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/i-ve-driven-people-mad-on-films-that-i-ve-made-i-want-more-takes-i/) [Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/) > [This hype word bothers me though It always sounds like an accusation, what does it mean, advertising, column inches in the press? Bands themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-johnson/this-hype-word-bothers-me-though-it-always-sounds-like-an-accusation/) [Holly Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-johnson/) > [I'm supposed to be taking time off. But I'm still writing and I have this Gap advert lined up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stone/i-m-supposed-to-be-taking-time-off-but-i-m-still-writing-and-i-have/) [Joss Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stone/) > [Any seeming deception in a statement is costly, not only in the expense of the advertising but in the detrimental effect produced upon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wanamaker/any-seeming-deception-in-a-statement-is-costly-not-only-in-the/) [John Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wanamaker/) [Browse all 1,942 Advertising quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I grew up in a country where advertising doesn't exist.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jan Koum" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/i-grew-up-in-a-country-where-advertising-doesn-t-exist/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Advertising" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/i-grew-up-in-a-country-where-advertising-doesn-t-exist/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/jan-koum-9456_advertising_i-grew-up-in-a-country-where-advertising_1041474.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/jan-koum-9456_advertising_i-grew-up-in-a-country-where-advertising_1041474.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/jan-koum-9456_advertising_i-grew-up-in-a-country-where-advertising_1041474.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I grew up in a country where advertising doesn't exist.” — Jan Koum", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jan Koum", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I grew up in a country...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/i-grew-up-in-a-country-where-advertising-doesn-t-exist/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/i-grew-up-in-a-country-where-advertising-doesn-t-exist/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```