--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great marketing cannot sell a pedestrian…" description: "\"Great marketing cannot sell a pedestrian product very well.\" — John Sculley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/john-sculley-9738_great-marketing_great-marketing-cannot-sell-a-pedestrian_2869188.png" --- # Great marketing cannot sell a pedestrian product very well. ![“Great marketing cannot sell a pedestrian product very well.” quote by John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/john-sculley-9738_great-marketing_great-marketing-cannot-sell-a-pedestrian_2869188.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/john-sculley-9738_great-marketing_great-marketing-cannot-sell-a-pedestrian_2869188.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/john-sculley-9738_great-marketing_great-marketing-cannot-sell-a-pedestrian_2869188.png) > “Great marketing cannot sell a pedestrian product very well.” [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective marketing cannot compensate for a fundamentally weak product; quality must precede promotion. **In simple terms:** Bad products can't be sold well. Key Takeaway Focus on product quality first. Themes marketing product development quality sales branding Mood critical realistic Type advice observational When to use this quote - product launch - advertising campaigns - brand positioning Key Concepts consumer perception value proposition market fit Questions to Reflect On - Can marketing ever truly hide a product's flaws? - How much does product quality affect brand loyalty? A Different Perspective Even great marketing fails if the product lacks substance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Great marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-marketing/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) [Marketing Sell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing-sell-3916486/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Pedestrian Product](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pedestrian-product-3916484/) [Pedestrians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pedestrians/) [Products](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/products/) [Sell Pedestrian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sell-pedestrian-3916485/) [Sells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sells/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [The sole purpose of marketing is to sell more to more people, more often and at higher prices. There is no other reason to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-zyman/the-sole-purpose-of-marketing-is-to-sell-more-to-more-people-more/) [Sergio Zyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-zyman/) > [No great marketing decisions have ever been made on qualitative data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/no-great-marketing-decisions-have-ever-been-made-on-qualitative-data/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [Give yourself permission to make the story bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-baer/give-yourself-permission-to-make-the-story-bigger/) [Jay Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-baer/) > [If your content isn't driving conversation, you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-roth/if-your-content-isn-t-driving-conversation-you-re-doing-it-wrong/) [Daniel Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-roth/) > [I think the internet is a great marketing tool--but marketing is not my job. I'm a writer. My job is to write novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bentley-little/i-think-the-internet-is-a-great-marketing-tool-but-marketing-is-not/) [Bentley Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bentley-little/) > [If your stories are all about your products and services, that's not storytelling. It's a brochure. Give yourself permission to make the story bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-baer/if-your-stories-are-all-about-your-products-and-services-that-s-not/) [Jay Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-baer/) > [If you're a good marketing person, you have to be a little crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-metcalf/if-you-re-a-good-marketing-person-you-have-to-be-a-little-crazy/) [Jim Metcalf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-metcalf/) > [Whether you're an entrepreneur, a small business, or a Fortune 500 company, great marketing is all about telling your story in such a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/whether-you-re-an-entrepreneur-a-small-business-or-a-fortune-500/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) > [Successful companies in social media function more like entertainment companies, publishers, or party planners than as traditional advertisers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-qualman/successful-companies-in-social-media-function-more-like-entertainment/) [Erik Qualman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-qualman/) > [Marketing's job is never done. It's about perpetual motion. We must continue to innovate every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/marketing-s-job-is-never-done-it-s-about-perpetual-motion-we-must/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [“David Ogilvy, once wrote, “Great marketing only makes a bad product fail faster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/david-ogilvy-once-wrote-great-marketing-only-makes-a-bad-product-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Give them quality. That's the best kind of advertising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-s-hershey/give-them-quality-that-s-the-best-kind-of-advertising/) [Milton S. Hershey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-s-hershey/) > [Good marketers see consumers as complete human beings with all the dimensions real people have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-sachs/good-marketers-see-consumers-as-complete-human-beings-with-all-the/) [Jonah Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-sachs/) > [Starbucks is not an advertiser; people think we are a great marketing company, but in fact we spend very little money on marketing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/starbucks-is-not-an-advertiser-people-think-we-are-a-great-marketing/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [If you can't feed a team with two pizzas, it's too large.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/if-you-can-t-feed-a-team-with-two-pizzas-it-s-too-large/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) ## More by John Sculley > [I have found that I always learn more from my mistakes than from my successes. If you aren't making some mistakes, you aren't taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/i-have-found-that-i-always-learn-more-from-my-mistakes-than-from-my/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [I believe that crisis really tends to help develop the characer of an organisation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/i-believe-that-crisis-really-tends-to-help-develop-the-characer-of-an/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [There are just moments when all the stars are aligned for breakthrough products.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/there-are-just-moments-when-all-the-stars-are-aligned-for/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [Over the years, I have developed a pretty good Rolodex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/over-the-years-i-have-developed-a-pretty-good-rolodex/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [The characteristics that I look for when I'm looking for really good entrepreneurs to lead companies are you have to have an inquiring mind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/the-characteristics-that-i-look-for-when-i-m-looking-for-really-good/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [Apple does magical things, but it does magical things that are a combination of a product, a service, a system, and an experience with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/apple-does-magical-things-but-it-does-magical-things-that-are-a/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [Ross Perot came and visited Apple several times and visited the Macintosh factory. Ross was a systems thinker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/ross-perot-came-and-visited-apple-several-times-and-visited-the/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [We expect teachers to handle teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, and the failings of the family. Then we expect them to educate our children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/we-expect-teachers-to-handle-teenage-pregnancy-substance-abuse-and/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [Everything at Apple can be best understood through the lens of designing. Whether it's designing the look and feel of the user experience, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/everything-at-apple-can-be-best-understood-through-the-lens-of/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [When I was 5 or 6 years old, I never wanted toys; I wanted electrical parts so I could build things. And I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/when-i-was-5-or-6-years-old-i-never-wanted-toys-i-wanted-electrical/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [It's suddenly practical to do very high quality video wirelessly over mobile devices, and we're just in the early days of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/it-s-suddenly-practical-to-do-very-high-quality-video-wirelessly-over/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [My guess is that Apple won't just pass Microsoft in market capitalization, but will go way beyond it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/my-guess-is-that-apple-won-t-just-pass-microsoft-in-market/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [The healthcare industry has never had a priority on user experience because there has been little competition. Prices have never been transparent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/the-healthcare-industry-has-never-had-a-priority-on-user-experience/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [Is there anyone out there who is the next Steve Jobs? I think Jeff Bezos is pretty close. He is very smart. He is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/is-there-anyone-out-there-who-is-the-next-steve-jobs-i-think-jeff/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [People who take risks are the people you'll lose against.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/people-who-take-risks-are-the-people-you-ll-lose-against/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) [Explore all 70 John Sculley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) ## More Great marketing quotes > [If you can't feed a team with two pizzas, it's too large.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/if-you-can-t-feed-a-team-with-two-pizzas-it-s-too-large/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [Starbucks is not an advertiser; people think we are a great marketing company, but in fact we spend very little money on marketing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/starbucks-is-not-an-advertiser-people-think-we-are-a-great-marketing/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [Good marketers see consumers as complete human beings with all the dimensions real people have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-sachs/good-marketers-see-consumers-as-complete-human-beings-with-all-the/) [Jonah Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-sachs/) > [Give them quality. That's the best kind of advertising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-s-hershey/give-them-quality-that-s-the-best-kind-of-advertising/) [Milton S. Hershey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-s-hershey/) > [“David Ogilvy, once wrote, “Great marketing only makes a bad product fail faster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/david-ogilvy-once-wrote-great-marketing-only-makes-a-bad-product-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Marketing's job is never done. It's about perpetual motion. We must continue to innovate every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/marketing-s-job-is-never-done-it-s-about-perpetual-motion-we-must/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [Successful companies in social media function more like entertainment companies, publishers, or party planners than as traditional advertisers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-qualman/successful-companies-in-social-media-function-more-like-entertainment/) [Erik Qualman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-qualman/) > [Whether you're an entrepreneur, a small business, or a Fortune 500 company, great marketing is all about telling your story in such a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/whether-you-re-an-entrepreneur-a-small-business-or-a-fortune-500/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) > [If you're a good marketing person, you have to be a little crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-metcalf/if-you-re-a-good-marketing-person-you-have-to-be-a-little-crazy/) [Jim Metcalf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-metcalf/) > [If your stories are all about your products and services, that's not storytelling. It's a brochure. Give yourself permission to make the story bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-baer/if-your-stories-are-all-about-your-products-and-services-that-s-not/) [Jay Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-baer/) > [I think the internet is a great marketing tool--but marketing is not my job. I'm a writer. My job is to write novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bentley-little/i-think-the-internet-is-a-great-marketing-tool-but-marketing-is-not/) [Bentley Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bentley-little/) > [If your content isn't driving conversation, you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-roth/if-your-content-isn-t-driving-conversation-you-re-doing-it-wrong/) [Daniel Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-roth/) > [Give yourself permission to make the story bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-baer/give-yourself-permission-to-make-the-story-bigger/) [Jay Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-baer/) > [Books are my art. The movie is someone else's art. But it's great marketing for books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/books-are-my-art-the-movie-is-someone-else-s-art-but-it-s-great/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [Make the customer the hero of your brand's story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mainwaring/make-the-customer-the-hero-of-your-brand-s-story/) [Simon Mainwaring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mainwaring/) [Browse all 40 Great marketing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-marketing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Great marketing cannot sell a pedestrian product very well.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Sculley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/great-marketing-cannot-sell-a-pedestrian-product-very-well/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Great marketing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/great-marketing-cannot-sell-a-pedestrian-product-very-well/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/john-sculley-9738_great-marketing_great-marketing-cannot-sell-a-pedestrian_2869188.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/john-sculley-9738_great-marketing_great-marketing-cannot-sell-a-pedestrian_2869188.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/john-sculley-9738_great-marketing_great-marketing-cannot-sell-a-pedestrian_2869188.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Great marketing cannot sell a pedestrian product very well.” — John Sculley", "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 Sculley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Great marketing cannot sell a pedestrian...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/great-marketing-cannot-sell-a-pedestrian-product-very-well/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/great-marketing-cannot-sell-a-pedestrian-product-very-well/#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 } } ] } ```