Ogilvy ❤️

There are lots of great marketers that came before us. And, as always, the best is yet to come.

My favorite marketer (aside from Don Draper) is David Ogilvy. If you’re familiar, great! You have excellent taste. 

If Ogilvy is a name you’ve heard but you can’t recite his philosophies off the top of your keppy, fear not. 

Here are 5️⃣ things Ogilvy can teach us as we Go-to-Market Go-to-Millions. 

1️⃣. OGILVY ON ADVERTISING

Ogilvy’s take on advertising was very straightforward:

“I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information.

When I write an advertisement, I don’t want you to tell me that you find it ‘creative.’

I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product.”

2️⃣. OGILVY’S ADVICE (HINT: DON’T BE CUTE)

“I’m not saying that charming, witty and warm copy won’t sell.

I’m just saying that I’ve seen thousands of charming, witty campaigns that didn’t.

Let’s say you are a manufacturer. Your advertising isn’t working and your sales are going down. And everything depends on it. Your future depends on it, your family’s future depends on it, other people’s families depend on it. And you walk in this office and talk to me, and you sit in that chair.

Now, what do you want out of me? Fine writing? Do you want masterpieces? Do you want glowing things that can be framed by copywriters?

Or do you want to see the goddamned sales curve stop moving down and start moving up?”

3️⃣. OGILVY WASN’T A SNOT

“I don’t know the rules of grammar. If you’re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language.”

4️⃣. OGILVY, ON COPY

“What you say in advertising is more important than how you say it.”

5️⃣. OGILVY, OUR DECISIVE KING

“Concentrate your time, your brains, and your advertising money on your successes. Back your winners, and abandon your losers.”