Understanding the Art of Advertising the David Ogilvy Way

Friends thank you very much for taking out time from your busy schedule to read my blog(s). Sharing knowledge with you has become my passion now. I feel encouraged after reading your feedback in the comment’s column. Friends’ Everything, I do or say is PR. This time I’m sharing knowledge on Advertising through 134^th Blog titled ‘Understanding the Art of Advertising the David Ogilvy Way’. 

Friends’ David Ogilvy (1911-1999) was the founder of Ogilvy & Mather, and known as the ‘Father of Advertising & Branding’.  Ogilvy attributed the success of his ad campaigns to meticulous research into consumer habits. As per Ogilvy every print ad should be comprised of five elements: visual, caption, headline, copy, and signature. Ogilvy’s following statements of are still valid in advertising.

1: Your role is to sell:

Don’t let anything distracts you from the sole purpose of advertising. The goal of creating an ad is neither to prove who’s clever or witty, nor to prove who’s more creative and, can come up with a great phrase. People don’t have that much time to stop and read, so if you think you should surprise them with your words and creativity, you can do it, but never at the expense of making the sale.

2: Clearly define your positioning:

What and for Who? i.e. what does the product do and who is it for? Ogilvy said that 'he could have positioned Dove as a detergent bar for men with dirty hands, but chose to position it as a toilet bar for women with dry skin and this is still working. Many years later, women still have dry skin, and Dove is there to solve the problem.

3: Do your homework:

Ogilvy said that 'Advertisers who ignore research are as dangerous as generals who ignore the signs of the enemy'. So, study your consumer in detail.  If you don’t do your homework, you won’t have a chance to produce advertising that’s successful and that sells. You will never be able to write an effective copy if you ignore the following:

a. Who you’re writing for?

b. How that person thinks?

c. What that person needs?

Knowing what your target audience wants, what they need, and how they think, will help you design an effective communication strategy to influence and achieve the ultimate goal.

4: Think of the consumer as a woman:

Woman wants all the information you can give to her. An important lesson to keep in mind when writing and communicating is:

1. Don’t underestimate the consumer.

2. Don’t think of your audience as “dumb”, value it as if she were your wife.

As per Ogilvy, the consumer is not a moron; she is your wife. You insult her intelligence if you assume that a mere slogan and a few vapid adjectives will persuade her to buy anything. She wants all the information you can give her. Every day, consumers are bombarded with advertisements and most of the time advertisers only want to show how creative, witty, or clever they are, completely ignoring the fact that an advertisement has got to provide relevant information and seduce the audience.

5: Talk to them in the language they use every day:

That means talk to your audience the same way you would talk to a close friend sitting in front of you. Ogilvy said that don’t address your readers as though they were gathered together in a stadium. When people read your copy, they are alone. Pretend you are writing to each of them a letter on behalf of your client, using their own language, the language they use every day, the language in which they think.

6. Write great headlines and you’ll have successfully invested 80% of your money:

As per Ogilvy, on an average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy so when you have written a great headline, eighty paisa out of a rupee is spent. Readers just want the right amount of information that seduces them to linger a little longer. Simple headlines are better and the more informative your body copy, the more persuasive it will be.

7. Highlight the product by making it the hero:

What is the difference between selling Product A and selling Product B, if both the products have basically the same properties and are essentially the same product? Providing something the other doesn’t; basically, by making your product the hero and the star. As per Ogilvy there are no dull products, only dull writers. Therefore, to stand out, you must be well defined in the minds of consumers: who you are and what you do.

To sum up, Ogilvy understood the nature and role of advertising. His famous quote: Advertising is not an art form, it’s a medium for information, a message for a single purpose: to sell. Ogilvy said that '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'.

Thank you for reading the blog.

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