I steer clear of products whose sales have been falling over a long period, because this almost always means that there is an intrinsic weakness in the product, or that the management of the company is incompetent.— David Ogilvy
This image of David Ogilvy says it all: smart marketers don’t waste effort on bad products. As Ogilvy famously said, long-term sales decline usually signals a deeper issue—either a weak product or weak management. No ad wizardry can fix that.
Why This Works
- Clear focus on market validation before marketing.
- Protects your brand from being tied to losing products.
- Keeps you working on offers that naturally sell.
- Reinforces that great marketing starts with a great product.
Real World Examples
- Apple dropped struggling product lines (like iPods) to focus on iPhones.
- Nike cut poor performers and doubled down on their Air series.
- Coca-Cola replaced underperforming brands with sparkling water and energy drinks.
- Netflix moved away from failing DVDs to streaming—before anyone else did.
Analyzed by Swipebot
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