Ogilvy on Advertising
by David Ogilvy

Park&Co rates it 5 out of 5

“It’s popularly believed that advertising attracts neurotics who are naturally prone to anxiety.” David Ogilvy

If you are in advertising, this is a book that should be on your shelf. Whether you are in creative or account service, Ogilvy has pinpointed how you can be successful in any position and what to expect in the agency world.

The book also has useful chapters on finding jobs in advertising, winning new clients, and running an agency. Great advice when it comes from David Ogilvy, who was a copywriter and founded the largest advertising agency in the world. What Ogilvy writes about advertising is well worth the read.

Ogilvy knows that an ad campaign, no matter how visually wonderful it may be, must do one thing: sell. Research your client’s business and learn about their competitors, do your homework. This alone, Ogilvy tells us, is not enough, however. You won’t be able to sell the ad if there are no big ideas.

How do you recognize a big idea that will sell? Ask yourself 5 simple questions:

1. Did it make me gasp when I first saw it?
2. Do I wish I had thought of it myself?
3. Is it unique?
4. Does it fit the strategy to perfection?
5. Could it be used for 30 years?

If you are interested in learning how to produce better ads or how to spend your advertising dollars more effectively, you really should read this book. Ogilvy clearly describes what makes great headlines, body copy, and layout, and how to make television campaigns that sell. Throughout the book you will find some of Ogilvy’s own ads and he’s not afraid to list his faults as a learning experience for us all.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in advertising, whether you want to learn more or think you already know everything. Think it may be dated? While the context itself is not up to date—Ogilvy states that the only dramatic change in modern advertising is the television and he makes no reference to the Internet—the advice and lessons he discusses will be used in this industry for years to come. Ogilvy on Advertising is a great read from one of the best in the business.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 7th, 2008 at 3:52 pm by Park&Co and is filed under | Advertising / Branding | Book Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.