Book Review: Ogilvy on Advertising
I can't remember the many places that recommended Ogilvy on Advertising but it hit my threshold and the book arrived and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the timeless principles of advertising and or runs a small or mid-sized consulting firm or agency. Published in 1985 by David Oligvy, the advertising legend, it's a candid guidebook on everything he learned over his career. Easy to read and insightful. Below are a couple of the generalizable quotes but the whole book is worth a read.
If your advertising looks cheap or shoddy, it will rub off on your product. Who wants to be seen using shoddy products?
Big ideas come from the unconscious. But your unconscious has to be well informed or your idea will be irrelevant. Stuff your conscious mind with information, that unlooks your rational thought process.
What is the best asset a man could have? Humility in the presence of a good idea.How do you know if it is a big idea?
Did it make me gasp when I first saw it?
Do I wish I had thought of it myself
Is it unique?
Does it fit the strategy to perfection?
Could it be used for 30 years?
You aren’t advertising to a standing army; you are advertising to a moving parade.Giving out the titles reminds me of Louis XIV: ‘Every time I give someone a title, I make a hundred people angry and one person ungrateful.’
Type of people he wanted to hire: Trumpeter Swans - who combine personal genius with inspiring leadership. People with brains, curiosity, common sense, wisdom, imagination and literacy
The great leaders I have known have been curiously complicated men. ‘A visceral form of spiritual energy which provides the element of master in leadership'Most great leaders I know have the ability to inspire people with the speeches.