The Wisdom of David Ogilvy

I LEARNED ...

The Wisdom of David Ogilvy

• Be ambitious.
• Compete with the immortals.
• Good advertisement consists of all facts, no adjective and all specific.
• Inject a touch of singularity in every advertisement that will hooked on the consumers' minds.
• Story appealing picture. The more story appeal it was in a photography, the more people would look at your advertisement. (Attention and interest factors in advertising by Harold J. Rudolph)
• Tell the truth, but make the truth fascinating.
• I don't believe in tricky advertising. I don't believe in cute advertising. I don't believe in comedic advertising. The people who produce these kind of advertising, never sell anything in their lives.
• The more you tell, the more you sell.
• Big ideas. That is what the adverting business is all about. BIG IDEAS.
• Start selling on the first frame, and keep on selling to the last frame.
• If you have a truly big idea, the wrong technique would kill it. And if you don't have a big idea, the right technique wouldn't help it.
• Identify yourself with your clients. Get to know their businesses completely. Always tell the clients what you would do if you were in his shoes. But never hold against client in what advertisement to run. It is his product. It is his company. It is his money.
• Be happy while you are living for you are a long time dead.
• If you are not happy in advertising, find a job in which you would be. As far as I know, we pass this way only once.
• Never run an advertisement you wouldn't want your own family to see it.
• You cannot bored people into buying your products. You would only interest them into buying it.

After all, if you cannot advertise yourself, how good you'll be able to advertise anything else.