Whatever Happened To The Wild, West of Marketing & New Innovative Ideas? Now, It Seems Marketing Has Become Pedestrian AT BEST, And Extremely Boring!

I read an article about how David Ogilvy defined what marketing and advertising should be. The visuals, the copy, the sell!

• Hathaway — "The Man in the Hathaway Shirt"
• The First Rolls Royce ad campaign. “At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in the new Rolls Royce comes from the electric clock”

One of Ogilvy's most iconic ads is the first Rolls Royce ad campaign. Two significant lessons stand out from this advertisement:

1. The Power of the Headline: Ogilvy believed that the headline is the most critical part of an ad. He famously stated that "five times more people read the headline than the body copy." Therefore, the headline must be captivating and targeted at the right audience.
2. Specifics Over Generalities: Ogilvy’s research showed that specific details in a headline outperform vague statements. The Rolls Royce ad’s headline is a perfect example of this, leveraging the appeal of understated surprise to engage the audience.

• Maxwell House Coffee — "Good to the Last Drop"
• Egg Marketing Board — "Happiness is Egg Shaped"
• Merrill Lynch — "Bullish"

I just spent the last 3-months writing a memoir about my history in business.

“The Confessions of a Marketing Madman”.

I did it because my kids never knew what the Old Man did throughout my career. All they knew was that I had been gone a lot on business when they were growing up.

I went back and added it up. For over 25 years, I spent 3 days EVERY WEEK in airports, traveling well over one million air miles. It was OK because I was always traveling in First Class which is much different than today, being placed in the Cattle Car when I travel today, which amounts to once or twice over the past 3 years.

I didn’t start in the furniture industry, I fell into it in the year 2000 when I went to work for Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. The BEST job/career choice I’ve ever made!

I started in the packaging and printing business, spending 14 years in that profession. I worked with a ton of agencies figuring out how to execute their marketing ideas for in-store promotions, Point of sale, etc.

I gravitated to marketing when a Promotional Agency challenged me on how to execute a new product launch for Pepsi’s new product Slice. Remember that? If you do, you are old!

I figured out how to put promotional game pieces on every 5th can of Slice while it was being filled. Then we turned vending machines into “One-armed bandits", with the Vend-fronts promoting “You could win $10,000.00 instantly”.

It was an extremely successful promotion, and I won Pepsi’s Bright Idea Award in 1985.

What I found out was that the agency got paid 6 figures for the idea….MY IDEA! Sure, I got a nice printing and packaging order, but my commission was not even close to what their compensation was.

Since almost all of my printing business was based on ideas I created, I decided to open my first agency in 1984 - 1990 and again in 1994 - 2000.

It was the Wild, Wild West, and I loved it and thrived.

I created some of the coolest ways to market my client's products, even developing a Patent in the process;

Multiple-ply label and method for producing a multiple-ply label - Patent number: 5571358

I turned sour on the business when marketers started becoming Excel Spreadsheet Modelers, focused on “SAFE PREDICTIONS” vs. Innovation and creativity. (Sound familiar today?)

Yet, writing this memoir and reviewing all the campaigns I was involved with, I had so much fun innovating and creating. I truly miss that part of my career today

This brings me to my RANT

So much of this innovation and the passion to conceive and deliver new and innovative advertising and marketing campaigns have devolved into a “PRICE OFF”, “CLEARANCE SALE” or just plain “EVERYTHING IS ON SALE” positioning.

The funniest part of this is, that many agencies actually get paid for this pedestrian redundancy.

I could go on and on, but I just want to close with two items.

Key Lessons Modern Advertisers Can Learn from David Ogilvy:

1.      Headlines Matter: The headline is your first interaction with the audience. Make it compelling, precise, and directly relevant to attract attention.

2.      Research is Fundamental: Ogilvy's achievements were built on thorough research. Use data and testing to gain deep insights into customer preferences, leading to more impactful advertising strategies.

3.      Inject Creativity: Don't shy away from adding a unique, creative element to your advertisements. Even a minor creative flourish can transform an average ad into something unforgettable.

4.      Master Positioning: The way you position your product in the market is crucial. Connect your brand with a particular lifestyle or demographic to forge a deeper bond with your audience.

5.      Embrace Authenticity: In today's market, authenticity resonates. Incorporate genuine elements like founder stories or candid behind-the-scenes content to foster trust and engagement with your audience.

David Ogilvy's advertisements stand as timeless examples of how creativity fueled by research can pave the way for enduring success. Modern advertisers can draw valuable lessons from his approach by paying attention to current news, deeply understanding their audience and infusing campaigns with distinctive elements.

Whether crafting a B2B campaign or a consumer-oriented ad, Ogilvy's foundational principles are still pertinent and effective in the contemporary digital environment.

David Ogilvy's history/journey is at the end of this RANT

I’ve worked with Flora Stopher at Imagine Advertising for 25 years. We have created not only the largest promotions ever done in the furniture industry, but also some very iconic product launches, headlines, copy, and creative that we are very proud of to this day embracing Ogilvy's vison and passion.

We don’t get many challenges like we used to, simply because the narrative is hooked on the Medicine of “PRICE OFF”, “CLEARANCE SALE” or just plain “EVERYTHING IS ON SALE” positioning.

We believe in the Candy element of advertising & marketing

Both of us still subscribe to most of what David Ogilvy did, when and if our clients will allow and challenge us.

If you too believe this and want to differentiate your business, give us a call and...

DITCH THE ORDINARY & EMBRACE THE EXTRAORDINARY

JUST SAYIN...

If you’re a brand that dares to be different, craves attention, and wants to leave its mark on the world, then we’re your people. Let’s make some magic (and maybe a little mayhem) together.

Contact me at: billnapier@napiermkt.com - 612-217-1297

HOW OGILVY BEGAN HIS ADVERTISING JOURNEY

In 1948, David Ogilvy was broke. He had $6,000 to his name, no advertising experience, and had just failed at farming. So what did he do? He opened an ad agency in New York City.

He posted an ad in the newspaper to hire employees: “This is a new agency struggling for its life. We’ll be overworked and underpaid. I seek gentlemen with brains.” Ogilvy didn’t want to be just another agency. He wanted to dominate Madison Avenue.

To compete with the big players like JWT and McCann, he needed clients. But Ogilvy was no ordinary salesman. He had a strategy, and it started with direct mail. Every 4 weeks, he sent letters to big brands, pitching his agency.

In these letters, Ogilvy painted a vivid picture: Big ad agencies get lazy. They stop innovating. Their ads lose impact. It’s time for a change.

Ogilvy’s second secret? PR. He invited the top advertising journalists to lunch and shared his ambition of building the biggest agency on Madison Avenue. His bold vision spread like wildfire in the press. “If you can’t advertise yourself, how can you advertise anything else?”

But it wasn’t just bold claims that set him apart. Ogilvy had a third weapon: direct response advertising. Most agencies focused on long-term brand-building. Ogilvy? He wanted results now. Every ad needed to make people act: buy, call, or order—right away.

He called it “selling in the first frame.” Don’t waste time with fluff. Hook them immediately and sell until the last second. It was a revolutionary approach, and clients took notice.

Ogilvy’s methods worked. He created iconic ads that not only sold products but became cultural touchstones. From the mysterious Hathaway man with an eyepatch to Commander Whitehead for Schweppes, Ogilvy knew how to grab attention.

Within 12 years, Ogilvy’s dream came true. He signed Shell, General Foods, Bristol-Myers, and Campbell’s Soup—his original dream clients. By 1989, Ogilvy & Mather sold for $864 million, making history

How did Ogilvy do it? He didn’t just run an agency. He created a blueprint for every brand on how to sell effectively. And the key lesson? Tell the truth, make it fascinating, and never stop selling.

Ogilvy set himself apart from the start, defining his agency as unique and willing to do what others wouldn’t. - He emphasized hard work - Fresh perspective - Painting an image of himself that attracted the right people I've been helping clients do the same with their personal brands.

NOTE: I'm not sure where I got the above information, for I found it months ago. You can Google him and find some great articles about him, his agency and accomplishments

Contact me at: billnapier@napiermkt.com - 612-217-1297 If you’re a brand that dares to be different, craves attention, and wants to leave its mark on the world, then we’re your people. Let’s make some magic (and maybe a little mayhem) together.