Ogilvy on Advertising - 2021 Book #5

I finished my fifth book toward my goal of 50 for 2021 – Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy.

This book was first published in 1983, and according to Amazon has a print length of 467 pages. I started reading it on Tuesday, January 26, and finished it on Sunday, January 31. It took me 5 days, this time with plenty of weekend reading.

Why Ogilvy on Advertising is about

David Ogilvy was a well know “ad man”. I believe he helped inspire the Don Draper character on the TV show Mad Men. In Ogilvy on Advertising, he explains how to write great copy for print ads, along with some tips for television and radio advertising. He discusses the history of advertising, including brief biographies of some of the early 20th century giants in the field.

Why did I choose Ogilvy on Advertising?

I love writing. I’d love to be better at it. While I’ve read pure style guides, I get an even bigger kick out of hearing what great writers have to say about their craft. Even the briefest of Google searches for writing tips will steer you toward Ogilvy’s work. Since writing is such an important part of my day job, now seemed a good time to dive into this one.

Why you would like Ogilvy on Advertising

If you have even a passing interest in why advertising works, you will like Ogilvy on Advertising. If you want to write more clearly and powerfully, you will like Ogilvy on Advertising. If you are interested in the economic justifications for advertising, you will like Ogilvy on Advertising.

Why you would not like Ogilvy on Advertising

The only real reason I can think of that you might not like Ogilvy on Advertising is if you aren’t interested in writing or advertising. If you’re interested in either of these topics, I think you’ll like the book. I loved it.

Specific passages that captured my attention

I’ll start with the passage that I found most unexpected. For me at least, it’s deeply thought-provoking. And for whatever it’s worth, it wasn’t from Ogilvy himself.

My partner Joel Raphaelson has articulated a feeling which has been growing in my mind for some time:

‘In the past, just about every advertiser has assumed that in order to sell his goods he has to convince consumers that his product is superior to his competitor’s.

‘This may not be necessary. It may be sufficient to convince consumers that your product is positively good. If the consumer feels certain that your product is good and feels uncertain about your competitor’s, he will buy yours.

‘If you and your competitors all make excellent products, don’t try to imply that your product is better. Just say what’s good about your product – and do a clearer, more honest, more informative job of saying it.

‘If this theory is right, sales will swing to the marketer who does the best job of creating confidence that his product is positively good."

Here’s just fantastic career advice, in or outside of advertising. The example he chooses speaks to me specifically, having an oil and gas background myself.

Set yourself to becoming the best-informed person in the agency on the account to which you are assigned. If, for example, it is a gasoline account, read books on oil geology and the production of petroleum products. Read the trade journals in the field. Spend Saturday mornings in service stations, talking to motorists. Visit your client’s refineries and research laboratories. At the end of your first year, you will know more about the oil business than your boss, and be ready to succeed him.

Here’s possibly my biggest takeaway from the book. Avoid generalities. Get specific. And have those specifics contain as much factual information as possible.

When I advertised Rolls-Royce, I gave the facts – no hot air, no adjectives. Later, my partner Hank Bernhard used equally factual advertising for Mercedes. In every case sales went up dramatically – on peppercorn budgets.

I have written factual advertising for a bank, for gasoline, for a stockbroker, margarine, foreign travel and many other products. It always sells better than empty advertising.

If you want to see Ogilvy's most famous Rolls-Royce ad -- which is filled with the factual advertising he just mentiond -- you can find it here.

My overall impression of Ogilvy on Advertising

I loved the book. Of the 6 books I have read since the last week of December, this was the one that was hardest to put down. It’s interesting and a lot of fun.

Like I said earlier, you need to have some kind of interest in writing and/or advertising. But even a little interest will carry you through. Ogilvy was a master of writing ad copy that sold. His livelihood depended on capturing other people’s attention. That much was clear from his book. He had my attention from the beginning and kept it completely through to the end. I highly recommend this one.

On Sunday night, I started reading Atomic Awakening: A New Look at the History and Future of Nuclear Power by James Mahaffey. I’ll post my review either at the end of this week or early next week.

Thanks again for stopping by.