Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Meandering on and on . . .

Today is the birthday of David MacKenzie Ogilvy (June 23, 1911–July 21, 1999), renowned advertising executive, oft referred to as The Father of Advertising.

"David Ogilvy was one of advertising’s most successful copywriters. His influence on the industry as a whole has been so large that Advertising Age called him one of the greatest creative minds in the advertising business, and Time recognized him as the most sought-after wizard in the advertising business." direct quote source (1)

"Don't bunt. Aim out of the ball park. Aim for the company of immortals." - David Ogilvy

"Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it. Look for people who will aim for the remarkable, who will not settle for the routine." - David Ogilvy

"If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. But if each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, we shall become a company of giants." - David Ogilvy

"It takes a big idea to attract the attention of consumers and get them to buy your product. Unless your advertising contains a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night. I doubt if more than one campaign in a hundred contains a big idea. " - David Ogilvy

"David Ogilvy’s advertising mantra followed these four basic principles.
(1) Research: Coming, as he did, from a background in research, he never underestimated its importance in advertising. In fact, in 1952, when he opened his own agency, he billed himself as Research Director.
(2) Professional discipline: I prefer the discipline of knowledge to the chaos of ignorance. He codified knowledge into slide and film presentations he called Magic Lanterns. He also instituted several training programs for young advertising professionals.
(3) Creative brilliance: A strong emphasis on the BIG IDEA.
(4) Results for clients: In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create." direct quote source (1)

Ogilvy image source (1)

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