Home / Authors / David Ogilvy

David Ogilvy

David Ogilvy Quotes

Businessman

David Ogilvy, born on June 23, 1911 in Scotland, was an outstanding businessman. He was one of the founders of Ogilvy & Mather, an advertising agency that became one of the largest in the world. Known as the father of modern advertising, Ogilvy was renowned for his unique advertising philosophy and deep insights into consumer psychology, whose works had a profound impact on the global advertising industry.

Filter quotes by topic

All Advertising Ifs People Business Products Advertisements Consumers Economy Marketing Agency Clients Men Writing Advertising Agencies Great Advertising Ideas Brands Headlines Knows Thinking

Famous David Ogilvy Quotes

“Great hospitals do two things. They look after patients, and they teach young doctors. We look after clients, and we teach young advertising people.”

People Looks Two Young Teach Doctors Patient Advertising Two Things Hospitals Clients

Book:The Unpublished David Ogilvy

Source: The Unpublished David Ogilvy

“Madison Avenue is full of masochists who unconsciously provoke rejection by their clients. I know brilliant men who have lost every account they have ever handled.”

Knows Men Lost Accounts Brilliant Rejection Clients Provoking Avenues Madison Madison Avenue

Author:David Ogilvy

“Making the logo twice the size is often a good thing to do, because most advertisements are deficient in brand identification. Showing the clients' faces is also a better stratagem than it may sound, because the public is more interested in personalities than in corporations. Some clients can be projected as human symbols of their own products.”

Humans May Faces Sound Products Personality Good Things Size Symbols Brands Corporations Things To Do Clients Identification Advertisements Logos Stratagem

Book:Confessions of an advertising man

Source: Confessions of an advertising man

“The line between pride in our work and neurotic obstinacy is a narrow one. We make our recommendations clear. But we do not grudge our clients the right to the final say. It is their money.”

Lines Clear Pride Finals Clients Neurotic Grudge Recommendations Obstinacy

Author:David Ogilvy

“We exist to build the business of our clients. The recommendations we make to them should be the recommendations we would make if we owned their companies, without regard to our own short-term interest. This earns their respect, which is the greatest asset we can have.”

Ifs Should Term Interest Company Regard Assets Clients Short Term Recommendations

Author:David Ogilvy

“We like people who are honest. Honest in argument, honest with clients, honest with suppliers, honest with the company - and above all, honest with consumers.”

People Company Honest Argument Consumers Clients Suppliers

Book:The Unpublished David Ogilvy

Source: The Unpublished David Ogilvy

“While you are responsible to your clients for sales results, you are responsible to consumers for the kind of advertising you bring into their homes.”

Kind Home Results Responsible Advertising Consumers Clients

Author:David Ogilvy

“I always use my clients' products. This is not toady-ism, but elementary good manners.”

Use Products Manners Good Man Clients Good Manners Isms Toady

Book:Confessions of an advertising man

Source: Confessions of an advertising man

“It is important to admit your mistakes, and to do so before you are charged with them. Many clients are surrounded by buckpassers who make a fine art of blaming the agency for their own failures. I seize the earliest opportunity to assume the blame.”

Art Important Opportunity Mistake Fine Blame Assuming Agency Clients Fine Arts

Book:Confessions of an advertising man

Source: Confessions of an advertising man

“I avoid clients for whom advertising is only a marginal factor in their marketing mix. They have an awkward tendency to raid their advertising appropriations whenever they need cash for other purposes.”

Needs Purpose Economy Marketing Tendencies Factors Advertising Cash Awkward Clients Appropriation

Book:Confessions of an advertising man

Source: Confessions of an advertising man

“The relationship between a manufacturer and his advertising agency is almost as intimate as the relationship between a patient and his doctor. Make sure that you can life happily with your prospective client before you accept his account.”

Accepting Economy Perspective Doctors Accounts Patient Advertising Intimate Agency Clients Advertising Agencies

Book:Confessions of an advertising man

Source: Confessions of an advertising man

“I never tell one client that I cannot attend his sales convention because I have a previous engagement with another client; successful polygamy depends upon pretending to each spouse that she is the only pebble on your beach.”

Successful Depends Humorous Advertising Beach Pretending Engagement Conventions Clients Spouse Polygamy Pebbles

Book:Confessions of an advertising man

Source: Confessions of an advertising man

“I was doing a campaign once for a manufacturer, and I couldn't think of an ideas, and I was kind of desperate about it. The night before I had to show something to my client I had a dream, an interesting dream. I woke up and for once in my life I wrote it down and went back to sleep Next morning I went to the office and had that dream out into a TV commercial which is still running thirty years after and which has made that particular product the leader in its field.”

“Do not 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.”

People Writing Together Business Reader Letters Marketing Advertising Addresses Copies Clients Behalf Stadiums Digital Marketing Marketing Strategy Content Marketing Advertising And Marketing Business Marketing

Author:David Ogilvy

“Training should not be confined to trainees. It should be a continuous process, and should include the entire professional staff of the agency. The more our people learn, the more useful they can be to our clients.”

People Should Process Training Agency Clients Staff Confined Trainees

Author:David Ogilvy

About the Author

Born: June 23, 1911
Died: July 21, 1999
Known for: Businessman
Quotes: 223

Related Topics

Advertising Ifs People Business Products Advertisements Consumers Economy Marketing Agency Clients Men Writing Advertising Agencies Great Advertising Ideas Brands Headlines Knows Thinking

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Confessions of an advertising manRelated source material

The Unpublished David OgilvyRelated source material

An autobiographyRelated source material

Blood, Brains and BeerRelated source material

Similar Authors

Leo BurnettBrowse related quotes
Michael SchudsonBrowse related quotes
William BernbachBrowse related quotes
Claude C. HopkinsBrowse related quotes
Jerry Della FeminaBrowse related quotes
Leo BogartBrowse related quotes
Rosser ReevesBrowse related quotes
Fairfax M. ConeBrowse related quotes
Kenneth RomanBrowse related quotes
Phil DusenberryBrowse related quotes