Ogilvy on Advertising

Never hire your friends. I have made this mistake three times, and had to fire all three. They are no longer my friends. Never hire your client’s children. If you have to fire them, you may lose the client. This is another mistake I have made. Never hire your own children, or the children of your partners.

More people read the captions under illustrations than read the ’body copy, so never use an illustration without putting a caption under it. Your caption should include the brand name and the promise.

It will help you recognize a big idea if you ask yourself five questions: 1 Did it make me gasp when I first saw it?

Look for young men and women who can one day lead your agency. Is there any way of predicting the capacity to lead? The only way I know is to look at their college records. If they were leaders between the ages of 18 and 22, the odds are that they will emerge as leaders in middle life.

The majority of campaigns fail to give consumers enough 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.

Ask what the agency charges. If it is 15 per cent, insist on paying 16 per cent. The extra one per cent won’t kill you, but it will double the agency’s normal profit, and you will get better service.

Your next chore is to find out what kind of advertising your competitors have been doing for similar products, and with what success. This will give you your bearings.

One method is to show the consumer a number of promises, telling him or her that each promise is for a new product. The consumer is asked to rate the promises for importance and uniqueness.