--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only purpose of advertising is to…" description: "\"The only purpose of advertising is to sell. It has no other function worth mentioning.\" — Raymond Rubicam" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/raymond-rubicam-68854_advertising_the-only-purpose-of-advertising-is-to-se_1580534.png" --- # The only purpose of advertising is to sell. It has no… ![“The only purpose of advertising is to sell. It has no other function worth mentioning.” quote by Raymond Rubicam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/raymond-rubicam-68854_advertising_the-only-purpose-of-advertising-is-to-se_1580534.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/raymond-rubicam-68854_advertising_the-only-purpose-of-advertising-is-to-se_1580534.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/raymond-rubicam-68854_advertising_the-only-purpose-of-advertising-is-to-se_1580534.png) > “The only purpose of advertising is to sell. It has no other function worth mentioning.” Raymond Rubicam ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advertising's primary role is to promote and sell products, lacking deeper societal purpose. **In simple terms:** Ads exist to sell. Key Takeaway Focus on selling value. Themes marketing commercialism economics Mood critical analytical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - product launch - brand awareness - sales campaigns - budget planning Key Concepts consumer behavior media ethics Questions to Reflect On - Is selling the only purpose of ads? - Can ads have ethical responsibilities? A Different Perspective Effective advertising can also inform or inspire. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) ## Related quotes > [The main purpose of advertising is to undermine markets. If you go to graduate school and you take a course in economics, you learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-main-purpose-of-advertising-is-to-undermine-markets-if-you-go-to/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Let's gear our advertising to sell goods, but let's recognize also that advertising has a broad social responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/let-s-gear-our-advertising-to-sell-goods-but-let-s-recognize-also/) [Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/) > [The product that will not sell without advertising will not sell profitably with advertising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-lasker/the-product-that-will-not-sell-without-advertising-will-not-sell/) Albert Lasker > [“The goal of advertising is to sell more stuff to more people more often for more money”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-zyman/the-goal-of-advertising-is-to-sell-more-stuff-to-more-people-more/) [Sergio Zyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-zyman/) > [The sole purpose of business is service. The sole purpose of advertising is explaining the service which business renders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/the-sole-purpose-of-business-is-service-the-sole-purpose-of/) [Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/) > [Studies indicate that these children are more susceptible to advertising and even less likely to understand the purpose of this advertising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-filner/studies-indicate-that-these-children-are-more-susceptible-to/) [Bob Filner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-filner/) > [The only purpose of advertising is to make sales. It is profitable or unprofitable according to its actual sales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-c-hopkins/the-only-purpose-of-advertising-is-to-make-sales-it-is-profitable-or/) [Claude C. Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-c-hopkins/) > [It is not the purpose of the ad or commercial to make the reader or listener say, 'My what a clever ad.' It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-hite/it-is-not-the-purpose-of-the-ad-or-commercial-to-make-the-reader-or/) [Morris Hite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-hite/) > [A lot of drive is innate, self-perpetuated, reinforced energy. As a kid, I could always sell anything I could get my hands on -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ovitz/a-lot-of-drive-is-innate-self-perpetuated-reinforced-energy-as-a-kid/) [Michael Ovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ovitz/) > [The saddest day of your life is when you decide to sell out, and nobody wants to buy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/the-saddest-day-of-your-life-is-when-you-decide-to-sell-out-and/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [Do you guys have to sell everything? I'd like to buy the Earth's core.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/do-you-guys-have-to-sell-everything-i-d-like-to-buy-the-earth-s-core/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [Controversy sells, politics sell, all that type of stuff sells.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jadakiss/controversy-sells-politics-sell-all-that-type-of-stuff-sells/) [Jadakiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jadakiss/) > [If you sell your soul to the devil, you get more grain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/if-you-sell-your-soul-to-the-devil-you-get-more-grain/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [My real life helped me sell a lot of records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-notorious-b-i-g/my-real-life-helped-me-sell-a-lot-of-records/) [The Notorious B.I.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-notorious-b-i-g/) > [Weight justly and sell dearely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/weight-justly-and-sell-dearely/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) ## More by Raymond Rubicam > [Advertising is simply a use of the right of the manufacture to present his case and to employ the same arts of appeal and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-rubicam/advertising-is-simply-a-use-of-the-right-of-the-manufacture-to/) Raymond Rubicam > [Mirror the reader to himself and then show him afterward how your product fits his needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-rubicam/mirror-the-reader-to-himself-and-then-show-him-afterward-how-your/) Raymond Rubicam > [The value of an ad is in inverse ratio to the number of times it has been used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-rubicam/the-value-of-an-ad-is-in-inverse-ratio-to-the-number-of-times-it-has/) Raymond Rubicam Explore all 4 Raymond Rubicam quotes ## 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": "The only purpose of advertising is to sell. 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