--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is very likely that many firms spend…" description: "\"It is very likely that many firms spend more on advertising than, for their own best interests, they should.\" — Michael Schudson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/michael-schudson-25033_advertising_it-is-very-likely-that-many-firms-spend_3044234.png" --- # It is very likely that many firms spend more on… ![“It is very likely that many firms spend more on advertising than, for their own best interests, they should.” quote by Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/michael-schudson-25033_advertising_it-is-very-likely-that-many-firms-spend_3044234.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/michael-schudson-25033_advertising_it-is-very-likely-that-many-firms-spend_3044234.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/michael-schudson-25033_advertising_it-is-very-likely-that-many-firms-spend_3044234.png) > “It is very likely that many firms spend more on advertising than, for their own best interests, they should.” [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Companies often allocate more budget to advertising than what would be optimal for their own benefit. **In simple terms:** Advertising spend can exceed a firm’s best interest. Key Takeaway Align ad spend with true goals. Themes business marketing economics Mood analytical critical Type business strategic When to use this quote - corporate budgeting - marketing strategy - financial analysis Key Concepts budget allocation strategic planning advertising ROI Questions to Reflect On - How do you measure optimal ad spend? - What are the hidden costs of excess advertising? A Different Perspective Over‑advertising can waste resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) ## Related quotes > [Communication, that's what I do. Advertising is the best way to communicate because you reach a lot of people. I still cant understand though,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliviero-toscani/communication-that-s-what-i-do-advertising-is-the-best-way-to/) [Oliviero Toscani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliviero-toscani/) > [But individuals and firms spend an enormous amount of resources acquiring information, which affects their beliefs; and actions of others too affect their beliefs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/but-individuals-and-firms-spend-an-enormous-amount-of-resources/) [Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/) > [We tell the for-profit sector, 'Spend, spend, spend on advertising until the last dollar no longer produces a penny of value,' but we don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pallotta/we-tell-the-for-profit-sector-spend-spend-spend-on-advertising-until/) [Dan Pallotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pallotta/) > [If you use your money to create exceptional products and services, you won't need to spend it on advertising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-use-your-money-to-create-exceptional-products-and-services-you/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“The most advertised commodity is not always intrinsically the best; but is sometimes merely the product of a company, with plenty of money to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-post/the-most-advertised-commodity-is-not-always-intrinsically-the-best/) [Emily Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-post/) > [“It’s never been easier for audiences to skip, filter, or avoid advertising, so the best ideas are the ones that respect that the audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajaz-ahmed/it-s-never-been-easier-for-audiences-to-skip-filter-or-avoid/) Ajaz Ahmed > [The best advertising and the best communication when it comes to business is that which makes you smile, that which makes you think, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-luntz/the-best-advertising-and-the-best-communication-when-it-comes-to/) [Frank Luntz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-luntz/) > [Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half. Advertising is the most fun you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-della-femina/half-the-money-i-spend-on-advertising-is-wasted-the-trouble-is-i-don/) [Jerry Della Femina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-della-femina/) > [“Candidate: Well, this is really interesting. So far we’ve established that digital advertising is the spending category that’s growing, and the most recent information…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/candidate-well-this-is-really-interesting-so-far-we-ve-established/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [I know half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, but I can never find out which half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wanamaker/i-know-half-the-money-i-spend-on-advertising-is-wasted-but-i-can/) [John Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wanamaker/) > [Most people don't have the money to spend on advertising to create awareness among readers, nor do they have the contacts at newspapers or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/most-people-don-t-have-the-money-to-spend-on-advertising-to-create/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [For every $1 advertisers spend advertising something healthful like apples, they spend $500 advertising junk food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-patel/for-every-1-advertisers-spend-advertising-something-healthful-like/) [Raj Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-patel/) > [Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hesketh-lever/half-the-money-i-spend-on-advertising-is-wasted-the-trouble-is-i-don-2/) William Hesketh Lever > [“Buffett quoted Marshall Fields: “We waste half of the money we spend on advertising . . . the problem is we just don’t know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pecaut/buffett-quoted-marshall-fields-we-waste-half-of-the-money-we-spend-on/) [Daniel Pecaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pecaut/) > [According to the estimate of a prominent advertising firm, above 90 per cent, of the earning capacity of the prominent nostrums is represented by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-hopkins-adams/according-to-the-estimate-of-a-prominent-advertising-firm-above-90/) [Samuel Hopkins Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-hopkins-adams/) ## More by Michael Schudson > [Expensive, well-executed, and familiar ads convince the investors, as nothing in the black and white tables of assets and debits can, that the company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/expensive-well-executed-and-familiar-ads-convince-the-investors-as/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) > [Objectivity, in this sense, means that a person's statements about the world can be trusted if they are submitted to established rules deemed legitimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/objectivity-in-this-sense-means-that-a-person-s-statements-about-the/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) > [Advertising is much less powerful than advertisers and critics of advertising claim, and advertising agencies are stabbing in the dark much more than they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/advertising-is-much-less-powerful-than-advertisers-and-critics-of/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) > [It should be apparent that the belief in objectivity in journalism, as in other professions, is not just a claim about what kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/it-should-be-apparent-that-the-belief-in-objectivity-in-journalism-as/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) > [If there are signs that Americans bow to the gods of advertising, there are equally indications that people find the gods ridiculous. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/if-there-are-signs-that-americans-bow-to-the-gods-of-advertising/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) > [If advertising is not an official or state art, it is nonetheless clearly art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/if-advertising-is-not-an-official-or-state-art-it-is-nonetheless/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) > [The story of journalism, on a day-to-day basis, is the story of the interaction of reporters and officials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/the-story-of-journalism-on-a-day-to-day-basis-is-the-story-of-the/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) > [Even if, as is generally the case, everything that the ad says about the product is scrupulously honest, or at any rate scrupulously avoids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/even-if-as-is-generally-the-case-everything-that-the-ad-says-about/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) > [Different groups are differentially vulnerable to advertising; and their vulnerability varies not so much with the character or quantity of advertisements as with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/different-groups-are-differentially-vulnerable-to-advertising-and/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) > [“Riding an omnibus or street railway was a novel experience. For the first time in human history, people other than the very wealthy could,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/riding-an-omnibus-or-street-railway-was-a-novel-experience-for-the/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) > [“But into the first decades of the twentieth century, even at the New York Times, it was uncommon for journalists to see a sharp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/but-into-the-first-decades-of-the-twentieth-century-even-at-the-new/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) > [Sales may lead to advertising as much as advertising leads to sales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/sales-may-lead-to-advertising-as-much-as-advertising-leads-to-sales/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) > [Advertisements ordinarily work their wonders, to the extent that they work at all, on an inattentive public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/advertisements-ordinarily-work-their-wonders-to-the-extent-that-they/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) > [“Objectivity is a peculiar demand to make of institutions which, as business corporations, are dedicated first of all to economic survival. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/objectivity-is-a-peculiar-demand-to-make-of-institutions-which-as/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) > [The effectiveness of advertising depends on the amount and kind of product information available to consumers... advertising will be more successful the more impoverished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/the-effectiveness-of-advertising-depends-on-the-amount-and-kind-of/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) [Explore all 23 Michael Schudson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) ## 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": "It is very likely that many firms spend more on advertising than, for their own best interests, they should.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Schudson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/it-is-very-likely-that-many-firms-spend-more-on-advertising-than-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Advertising" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/it-is-very-likely-that-many-firms-spend-more-on-advertising-than-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/michael-schudson-25033_advertising_it-is-very-likely-that-many-firms-spend_3044234.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/michael-schudson-25033_advertising_it-is-very-likely-that-many-firms-spend_3044234.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/michael-schudson-25033_advertising_it-is-very-likely-that-many-firms-spend_3044234.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is very likely that many firms spend more on advertising than, for their own best interests, they should.” — Michael Schudson", "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": "Michael Schudson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is very likely that many...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/it-is-very-likely-that-many-firms-spend-more-on-advertising-than-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/it-is-very-likely-that-many-firms-spend-more-on-advertising-than-for/#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 } } ] } ```