--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If ads are about selling things, they are…" description: "\"“If ads are about selling things, they are not only about selling things; their images can carry symbolic meanings, transmit messages, and create moods..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/john-jervis-249338_quote_if-ads-are-about-selling-things-they-are_1343417.jpg" --- # If ads are about selling things, they are not only about… ![“If ads are about selling things, they are not only about selling things; their images can carry symbolic meanings, transmit messages, and create moods in ways that cannot be reduced to the conscious intentions of their creators and cannot be wholly controllable and predictable in their efffects.” quote by John Jervis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/john-jervis-249338_quote_if-ads-are-about-selling-things-they-are_1343417.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/john-jervis-249338_quote_if-ads-are-about-selling-things-they-are_1343417.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/john-jervis-249338_quote_if-ads-are-about-selling-things-they-are_1343417.jpg) > ““If ads are about selling things, they are not only about selling things; their images can carry symbolic meanings, transmit messages, and create moods in ways that cannot be reduced to the conscious intentions of their creators and cannot be wholly controllable and predictable in their efffects.”” John Jervis ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advertisements convey symbolic meanings and emotions beyond explicit messages, often beyond creators’ control. **In simple terms:** Ads carry hidden symbolic meanings and moods. Key Takeaway Consider deeper messages in media. Themes media literacy advertising symbolism Mood analytical critical Type Advertising:1 Intentions:1 Symbolic Meanings:1 Images Carry:0 Ads Selling:1 Things Selling:0 When to use this quote - marketing analysis - media critique - educational workshops - creative design Key Concepts interpretation psychology cultural influence Questions to Reflect On - How do you decode symbolic content? - What responsibilities do creators have? A Different Perspective Interpretations can be subjective and varied. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) [Intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intentions/) ## Related quotes > [The emotional brain is highly attuned to symbolic meanings and to the mode Freud called the 'primary process' - the messages of metaphor, story,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-emotional-brain-is-highly-attuned-to-symbolic-meanings-and-to-the/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [... art is images you carry. You cannot carry nature with you, but you carry images of nature. When you go out to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-sommer/art-is-images-you-carry-you-cannot-carry-nature-with-you-but-you/) [Frederick Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-sommer/) > [Im doing big boy things, while your doing the same things. I got things while your still selling things. I have the life while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/im-doing-big-boy-things-while-your-doing-the-same-things-i-got-things/) [Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) > [“People love it when you give your secrets away, and sometimes, if you’re smart about it, they’ll reward you by buying the things you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/people-love-it-when-you-give-your-secrets-away-and-sometimes-if-you/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [We are a people as all other peoples; we do not have any intentions to be better than the rest We do not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ze-ev-jabotinsky/we-are-a-people-as-all-other-peoples-we-do-not-have-any-intentions-to/) [Ze'ev Jabotinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ze-ev-jabotinsky/) > [Good intentions do not guarantee good results. Somehow Andrew Keates turns works of merit into evenings of entertainment. Don't call him a dramaturge, call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gambaccini/good-intentions-do-not-guarantee-good-results-somehow-andrew-keates/) [Paul Gambaccini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gambaccini/) > [“Your ultimatum is simple. It’s fair. And it’s stating your own intentions, not what you hope theirs will be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/your-ultimatum-is-simple-it-s-fair-and-it-s-stating-your-own/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Sometimes our intention is much pure than raindrops , but it it contaminated by others intentions !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mly-ab/sometimes-our-intention-is-much-pure-than-raindrops-but-it-it/) MLY AB > [“Intentions are worthless to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-davis/intentions-are-worthless-to-me/) [Fiona Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-davis/) > [My intentions with love are eternal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-maelane/my-intentions-with-love-are-eternal/) [Joseph Maelane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-maelane/) > [“You're back where you swore yourself you wouldn't be The familiar shackles you can't tell from your own skin Your head's under water when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanhita-baruah/you-re-back-where-you-swore-yourself-you-wouldn-t-be-the-familiar/) [Sanhita Baruah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanhita-baruah/) > [I've taken my knocks here and there, but I believe my intentions are good. Doesn't mean everything I do is perfectly executed or I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/i-ve-taken-my-knocks-here-and-there-but-i-believe-my-intentions-are/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [“Our best intentions are the most impactful when they are formed by the actual needs and desires of our community.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-docusen/our-best-intentions-are-the-most-impactful-when-they-are-formed-by/) David Docusen > [A man's intentions should be allowed in some respects to plead for his actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/a-man-s-intentions-should-be-allowed-in-some-respects-to-plead-for/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [In view of China's growing military strength and intentions, the best way to safeguard Asia's permanent peace and prosperity is to have all Asian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-costa/in-view-of-china-s-growing-military-strength-and-intentions-the-best/) [Jim Costa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-costa/) ## 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. 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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": "“If ads are about selling things, they are not only about selling things; their images can carry symbolic meanings, transmit messages, and create moods in ways that cannot be reduced to the conscious intentions of their creators and cannot be wholly controllable and predictable in their efffects.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Jervis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jervis/if-ads-are-about-selling-things-they-are-not-only-about-selling/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Advertising" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jervis/if-ads-are-about-selling-things-they-are-not-only-about-selling/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/john-jervis-249338_quote_if-ads-are-about-selling-things-they-are_1343417.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/john-jervis-249338_quote_if-ads-are-about-selling-things-they-are_1343417.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/john-jervis-249338_quote_if-ads-are-about-selling-things-they-are_1343417.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If ads are about selling things, they are not only about selling things; their images can carry symbolic…” — John Jervis", "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 Jervis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jervis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If ads are about selling things,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jervis/if-ads-are-about-selling-things-they-are-not-only-about-selling/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jervis/if-ads-are-about-selling-things-they-are-not-only-about-selling/#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 } } ] } ```