Marketing Lesson from the Louvre

Recently, I was in Paris and went to the Louvre. In one room, you can see these paintings...

They're beautiful. They're enormous. And I have no idea who painted them.

At the far end of the room is one of the largest framed paintings I have ever seen...

Again, very beautiful, and impossible to ignore. But no one was looking at these paintings. Because at the other end of the room was this one...

Forgive my using priceless masterpieces to make a gross analogy to marketing, but it made me think of the way some brands attempt to get your attention by spending loads of money on their enormous canvasses and glitzy frames, hoping to be so in-your-face you'll have to pay attention. And how those brands still can't capture the magic that comes from being simple, understated and having a clear sense of purpose.