--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The success of an entire advertising…" description: "\"The success of an entire advertising campaign may stand or fall on what is said in the headlines of the individual advertisements.\" — John Caples" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/john-caples-19948_advertisements_the-success-of-an-entire-advertising-cam_2590044.jpg" --- # The success of an entire advertising campaign may stand or… ![“The success of an entire advertising campaign may stand or fall on what is said in the headlines of the individual advertisements.” quote by John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/john-caples-19948_advertisements_the-success-of-an-entire-advertising-cam_2590044.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/john-caples-19948_advertisements_the-success-of-an-entire-advertising-cam_2590044.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/john-caples-19948_advertisements_the-success-of-an-entire-advertising-cam_2590044.jpg) > “The success of an entire advertising campaign may stand or fall on what is said in the headlines of the individual advertisements.” [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Headlines are the decisive element that can make or break an ad’s effectiveness. **In simple terms:** Headlines decide an ad’s success. Key Takeaway Craft compelling headlines. Themes marketing advertising communication Mood strategic pragmatic Type advertising instructional When to use this quote - product launch - social media ads - email campaigns Key Concepts copywriting psychology Questions to Reflect On - What makes a headline irresistible? - How do you test headline impact? A Different Perspective Great headlines alone can’t guarantee sales. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) [Campaigns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaigns/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [A good headline can make an advertisement good even if the picture is poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/a-good-headline-can-make-an-advertisement-good-even-if-the-picture-is/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [An advertisement will be a good one - that is if the headline is really a "stopper."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/an-advertisement-will-be-a-good-one-that-is-if-the-headline-is-really/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [Every single element in an advertisement - headline, subhead, photo, and copy - must be put there not because it looks good, not because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/every-single-element-in-an-advertisement-headline-subhead-photo-and/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [Get the big point of your advertisement into your headline. Use your headline as a hook to reach out and catch the special group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/get-the-big-point-of-your-advertisement-into-your-headline-use-your/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [If you ever have the good fortune to create a great advertising campaign, you will soon see another agency steal it. This is irritating,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/if-you-ever-have-the-good-fortune-to-create-a-great-advertising/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [But surely no company is going to launch an advertising campaign if it thinks it will lose money; therefore, by definition, any social justice-orientated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-jones/but-surely-no-company-is-going-to-launch-an-advertising-campaign-if/) [Owen Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-jones/) > [The most inspiring thing for me about Calvin Klein was how subversive the advertising's message was. That's what drove me in my creative process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-zucchelli/the-most-inspiring-thing-for-me-about-calvin-klein-was-how-subversive/) [Italo Zucchelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-zucchelli/) > [Nowadays it is the fashion to pretend that no single individual is ever responsible for a successful advertising campaign. This emphasis on "teamwork" is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/nowadays-it-is-the-fashion-to-pretend-that-no-single-individual-is/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [“If the time to begin something new always came with a sign, our life would be like a non stop advertising campaign!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trishna-damodar/if-the-time-to-begin-something-new-always-came-with-a-sign-our-life/) Trishna Damodar > [Never trust anything you read in a travel article. Travel articles appear in publications that sell large, expensive advertisements to tourism-related industries, and these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/never-trust-anything-you-read-in-a-travel-article-travel-articles/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [The purpose of a headline is to pick out people you can interest. You wish to talk to someone in a crowd. So the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-c-hopkins/the-purpose-of-a-headline-is-to-pick-out-people-you-can-interest-you/) [Claude C. Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-c-hopkins/) > [The headline of an advertisement accounts for 60% of the pull of that ad. In the same way, the start of a letter makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-collier/the-headline-of-an-advertisement-accounts-for-60-of-the-pull-of-that/) [Robert Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-collier/) > [I never write fewer than sixteen headlines for a single advertisement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/i-never-write-fewer-than-sixteen-headlines-for-a-single-advertisement/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [The headline is the most important element in most advertisements. It is the telegram which decides the reader whether to read the copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/the-headline-is-the-most-important-element-in-most-advertisements-it/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [A long headline that really says something is more effective than a brief heading that says nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/a-long-headline-that-really-says-something-is-more-effective-than-a/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) ## More by John Caples > [A long headline that really says something is more effective than a brief heading that says nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/a-long-headline-that-really-says-something-is-more-effective-than-a/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [If the headline is a good one, it is a relatively simple matter to write the copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/if-the-headline-is-a-good-one-it-is-a-relatively-simple-matter-to/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [Every single element in an advertisement - headline, subhead, photo, and copy - must be put there not because it looks good, not because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/every-single-element-in-an-advertisement-headline-subhead-photo-and/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [The best headlines are those that appeal to the reader's self-interest, that is, headlines based on reader benefits. They offer readers something they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/the-best-headlines-are-those-that-appeal-to-the-reader-s-self/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [If you are going to emphasize certain words in the headline, be sure that they are the words that say something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/if-you-are-going-to-emphasize-certain-words-in-the-headline-be-sure/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [The business of judging a headline AFTER you read the copy is wrong. It takes for granted that everybody reads the copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/the-business-of-judging-a-headline-after-you-read-the-copy-is-wrong/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [Even today you can look through almost any consumer or professional publication and find headlines that possess not a single one of the necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/even-today-you-can-look-through-almost-any-consumer-or-professional/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [Every copywriter knows what it is to struggle with a copy for hours, for days - fixing it, polishing it, rearranging it. We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/every-copywriter-knows-what-it-is-to-struggle-with-a-copy-for-hours/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [The most frequent reason for unsuccessful advertising is advertisers who are so full of their own accomplishments (the world's best seed!) that they forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/the-most-frequent-reason-for-unsuccessful-advertising-is-advertisers/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [Remember that the headline and the appeals are ONE AND THE SAME. In successful ads, the appeal is almost always expressed in the headline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/remember-that-the-headline-and-the-appeals-are-one-and-the-same-in/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [The purpose of the headlines must be to convey a message to people who read headlines, then decide whether or not they will look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/the-purpose-of-the-headlines-must-be-to-convey-a-message-to-people/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [The advertiser's logotype at the bottom of the ad can be considered as part of the headline. After reading the headline, the reader instinctively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/the-advertiser-s-logotype-at-the-bottom-of-the-ad-can-be-considered/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [An advertisement will be a good one - that is if the headline is really a "stopper."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/an-advertisement-will-be-a-good-one-that-is-if-the-headline-is-really/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [You can write a 1st paragraph that continues the same thought you expressed in your headline. If you stop a reader with a headline…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/you-can-write-a-1st-paragraph-that-continues-the-same-thought-you/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [Remember that the reader's attention is yours for only a single instant. They will not use up their valuable time trying to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/remember-that-the-reader-s-attention-is-yours-for-only-a-single/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) [Explore all 31 John Caples quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) ## More Advertisements quotes > [There's a subterranean impetus towards pornography so powerful that half the business world is juiced by the sort of half sex that one finds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/there-s-a-subterranean-impetus-towards-pornography-so-powerful-that/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [In advertisements for your favorite products, are women denigrated or objectified in some way? All of that is important. I would rewrite my kids'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/in-advertisements-for-your-favorite-products-are-women-denigrated-or/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [ There's a fantastic, thousand-page book by David Thomson about \[David O. Selznick\]. Again, it's not the best argument or the best advertisement for his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-longworth/there-s-a-fantastic-thousand-page-book-by-david-thomson-about-david-o/) [Karina Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-longworth/) > [Google has - at least at this point - maintained the line where it keeps organic results separate from the advertisements. But over time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/google-has-at-least-at-this-point-maintained-the-line-where-it-keeps/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [Freedom! To fill people's mailboxes, eyes, ears and brains with commercial rubbish against their will, television programs that are impossible to watch with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/freedom-to-fill-people-s-mailboxes-eyes-ears-and-brains-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think if you can create a meaningful thing that is also an advertisement that's a pretty cool option for brands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-walters/i-think-if-you-can-create-a-meaningful-thing-that-is-also-an/) [Doug Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-walters/) > [I believe in advertisement and media completely. My art and my personal life are based in it. I think that the art world would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-koons/i-believe-in-advertisement-and-media-completely-my-art-and-my/) [Jeff Koons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-koons/) > [To measure your needs by that which is projected via mass media is a mistake that has no mercy. The average person views a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haki-r-madhubuti/to-measure-your-needs-by-that-which-is-projected-via-mass-media-is-a/) [Haki R. Madhubuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haki-r-madhubuti/) > [It is futile to assume that an initially ineffective advertisement still needs to wear in; wear-in either happens quickly or it does not happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-j-tellis/it-is-futile-to-assume-that-an-initially-ineffective-advertisement/) Gerard J Tellis > [Basically, art should remain something that is complex, that has many layers, so there's always a possibility to reconsider things and have a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-henrot/basically-art-should-remain-something-that-is-complex-that-has-many/) [Camille Henrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-henrot/) > [No, no; 'tis all men's office to speak patience To those that wring under the load of sorrow, But no man's virtue nor sufficiency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/no-no-tis-all-men-s-office-to-speak-patience-to-those-that-wring/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Unlucky people miss chance opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else. They go to parties intent on finding their perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wiseman/unlucky-people-miss-chance-opportunities-because-they-are-too-focused/) [Richard Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wiseman/) > [I think that the best approach would be if the American people ever insist that we cut down on the massive amounts of money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-think-that-the-best-approach-would-be-if-the-american-people-ever/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [On the Bowery, in the ornate carcass of a formerly grand vaudeville theater, a dance marathon limps along. The contestants, young girls and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/on-the-bowery-in-the-ornate-carcass-of-a-formerly-grand-vaudeville/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [Today, our attention is less than the television advertisement. We're looking at six or seven problems constantly. We're living in the disturbed societies of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/today-our-attention-is-less-than-the-television-advertisement-we-re/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) Browse all 239 Advertisements quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The success of an entire advertising campaign may stand or fall on what is said in the headlines of the individual advertisements.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Caples" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/the-success-of-an-entire-advertising-campaign-may-stand-or-fall-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Advertisements" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/the-success-of-an-entire-advertising-campaign-may-stand-or-fall-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/john-caples-19948_advertisements_the-success-of-an-entire-advertising-cam_2590044.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/john-caples-19948_advertisements_the-success-of-an-entire-advertising-cam_2590044.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/john-caples-19948_advertisements_the-success-of-an-entire-advertising-cam_2590044.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The success of an entire advertising campaign may stand or fall on what is said in the headlines of the…” — John Caples", "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": "John Caples", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The success of an entire advertising...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/the-success-of-an-entire-advertising-campaign-may-stand-or-fall-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/the-success-of-an-entire-advertising-campaign-may-stand-or-fall-on/#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 } } ] } ```