Edmund Whitehead (from Schweppes ads), Ogilvy, and George Wranell (from Hathaway ads)
This is the centennial of David Ogilvy’s birth (read his brief bio). A spy during WWII, he channeled his acute social sensitivities into marketing and public relations following the war, becoming the most familiar brand name in advertising (Ogilvy, @OGILVY & @OgilvyWW). His ads continue to be iconic (the bearded gentleman for Schweppes, the eye-patch for Hathaway shirts, etc.). Read about (and see) a few of his successes on Adweek’s (@Adweek) “Past Perfect: Considering the highlights of David Ogilvy’s revolutionary work in context.”
Ogilvy quips to remember (from the above video):
- Be more ambitious; don’t bunt. Try to hit the ball out of the park every time. Compete with immortals.
- The consumer is not a moron. She is your wife. Don't insult her intelligence.
- Inject into every ad a touch of singularity; a burr that will hook on to the consumer’s mind.
- The more story appeal you have in a photo, the more people will look at your ad.
- Advertising shouldn’t be tricky or cute.
- Tell the truth, but make the truth fascinating.
- You can’t bore people into buying your product, you can only interest them into buying it.
- Use facts copiously, adjectives sparingly. Be specific.
- The more you tell, the more you sell.
- The advertising business is all about big ideas.