Ogilvy on Advertising

Trademarks are an anachronism In olden days, before people could read, manufacturers used trademarks to identify their brands. If you saw a tiger on a bottle of beer, you knew it was Tiger beer. Many companies, unaware that consumers are no longer illiterate, still use graphic symbols to identify their brands, and insist on them being displayed in

John E. Kennedy, a Canadian policeman turned copywriter, came into his life and persuaded him that advertising was ‘salesmanship in print’, a definition that has never been improved.

Few copywriters are ambitious.

John E. Kennedy, a Canadian policeman turned copywriter, came into his life and persuaded him that advertising was ‘salesmanship in print’, a definition that has never been improved.

Henry Ford once said to a copywriter on his account, ‘Bill, that campaign of yours is dandy, but do we have to run it forever?’ To which the copywriter replied, ‘Mr Ford, the campaign has not yet appeared.’ Ford had seen it too often at too many meetings. The best way to settle such arguments is to measure the selling effectiveness of your campaign

Starch reported that advertisements with headlines that promise a benefit are read by an average of four times more people than advertisements that don’t.

It will help you recognize a big idea if you ask yourself five questions:

Their Achilles’ heel is their consistency. They are always predictable. It helps to win battles when you can anticipate the enemy’s strategy.

‘position’ your product.