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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.

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Famous David Ogilvy Quotes

“Develop your eccentricities while you are young. That way, when you get old, people won't think you're going gaga.”

People Thinking Way Young Economy Old People Eccentricity Gaga

Book:The Unpublished David Ogilvy

Source: The Unpublished David Ogilvy

“Advertising is only evil when it advertises evil things.”

Evil Economy Marketing Advertising Motivational Business Adverts Evil Things Great Advertising Advertising Business Business Marketing

Author:David Ogilvy

“Political advertising ought to be stopped. It's the only really dishonest kind of advertising that's left. It's totally dishonest.”

Kind Political Left Economy Ought Advertising Dishonesty

Author:David Ogilvy

“Advertising is a business of words, but advertising agencies are infested with men and women who cannot write. They cannot write advertisements, and they cannot write plans. They are helpless as deaf mutes on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.”

Men Writing Economy Plans Stage Men And Women Advertising Agency Opera Helpless Deaf Advertisements Advertising Agencies Metropolitan Great Advertising Advertisement Negative

Book:Confessions of an advertising man

Source: Confessions of an advertising man

“Does advertising corrupt editors? Yes it does, but fewer editors than you may suppose... the vast majority of editors are incorruptible.”

May Doe Economy Majority Advertising Editors Fewer

Book:Confessions of an advertising man

Source: Confessions of an advertising man

“If you ever have the good fortune to create a great advertising campaign, you will soon see another agency steal it. This is irritating, but don't let it worry you; nobody has ever built a brand by imitating somebody else's advertising.”

Ifs Business Worry Economy Built Fortune Campaigns Stealing Advertising Brands Agency Good Fortune Irritating Irritated Imitating Advertising Agencies Great Advertising Advertisement Negative

Book:Confessions of an advertising man

Source: Confessions of an advertising man

“The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be.”

Economy Marketing Advertising Persuasive Advertising Agencies Informative Adverts Great Advertising Advertisement Negative Advertising Industry

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

“It takes a big idea to attract the attention of consumers and get them to buy your product. Unless your advertising contains a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night. I doubt if more than one campaign in a hundred contains a big idea.”

Ifs Ideas Bigs Night Attention Economy Doubt Products Hundred Campaigns Ships Advertising Consumers Big Ideas

Author:David Ogilvy

“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

“The advertisers who believe in the selling power of jingles have never had to sell anything.”

Believe Power Economy Sells Selling Advertisers Jingles

Book:Confessions of an advertising man

Source: Confessions of an advertising man

“The headline is the 'ticket on the meat.' Use it to flag down readers who are prospects for the kind of product you are advertising.”

Kind Use Economy Products Perspective Reader Advertising Meat Flags Tickets Headlines Prospects

Author:David Ogilvy

“Can advertising foist an inferior product on the consumer? Bitter experience has taught me that it cannot. On those rare occasions when I have advertised products which consumer tests have found inferior to other products in the same field, the results have been disastrous.”

Has Beens Found Results Economy Fields Taught Products Tests Bitter Advertising Occasions Consumers Inferiors Rare Occasion Bitter Experience

Book:Confessions of an advertising man

Source: Confessions of an advertising man

“I did not feel 'evil' when I wrote advertisements for Puerto Rico. They helped attract industry and tourists to a country which had been living on the edge of starvation for 400 years.”

Feels Years Country Evil Economy Industry Edges Starvation Tourists Living On Tourism Advertisements Puerto Rico Rico Living On The Edge

Author:David Ogilvy

“It strikes me as bad manners for a magazine to accept one of my advertisements and then attack it editorially - like inviting a man to dinner then spitting in his eye.”

Men Eye Accepting Economy Dinner Strikes Magazines Manners His Eyes Inviting Advertisements Accept Me Bad Manners

Book:Confessions of an advertising man

Source: Confessions of an advertising man

“Remove advertising, disable a person or firm from proclaiming its wares and their merits, and the whole of society and of the economy is transformed. The enemies of advertising are the enemies of freedom.”

Persons Whole Enemy Economy Advertising Firm Merit Remove Disability Transformed Proclaiming

Author:David Ogilvy

“There is no need for advertisements to look like advertisements. If you make them look like editorial pages, you will attract about 50 per cent more readers.”

Ifs Needs Looks Business Economy Reader Pages Cents Advertisements Editorials Advertising Agencies

Book:Confessions of an advertising man

Source: Confessions of an advertising man

About the Author

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

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

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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

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