David Ogilvy is often referred to as one of the most remarkable individuals to ever grace the field of advertising. Hayden (2013) writes that "in his years as an advertising executive and copywriter, Ogilvy created some of the world's most successful and iconic marketing campaigns and was sought after for his information rich, soft sell ads" (p.1). His book, On Advertising, is a confessional of sorts, where Ogilvy provides the reader, more specifically those within the field of advertising and marketing, with a considerable amount of insight into navigating the creative world. Ogilvy’s point is to offer readers a certain degree of information to where they become as successful, if not more so, than he was as an executive.
Interesting Insights
One of the most fascinating parts of the book is Ogilvy's identification of how to produce copy that sells. For him, advertising is not necessarily about spending millions and massive amounts of dollars, but rather being informative to the consumer so they purchase the product. He states that "the wrong advertising can actually reduce the sales of a product" (Ogilvy, 1983). Successful advertising campaigns rely on the individual or team having done their proverbial homework on the account and being factual about it, without overdoing it. This is an interesting insight in that it means that there is no need to be heavy-handed in appealing to the consumer. An advertising campaign can be brilliant without extensive, flowery language, or overselling. Advertising, to Ogilvy, should be something that one can sink their teeth into and be passionate about, while still maintaining an understanding that to draw consumers in – does not require over-the-top tactics.
Another interesting aspect of the book is Ogilvy's understanding of how to position a product or service in the consumer marketplace. The product or service should or rather must have a certain image that can be personified to the general public. "The personality of a product is an amalgam of many things - its name, its packaging, its price, the style of its advertising, and above all, the nature of the product itself" (Ogilvy, 2013). Essentially, the personality of the product or service must shine through in the campaign otherwise there is no realistic potential for the consumer to find it to contribute to their lives. This suggests that much of advertising is about making the product or service come to life. The individual, or team working on the campaign should have this in mind at all times regardless of how they feel about the product or service. To galvanize consumers to try the product or service out is about correlating the personality of said product or service to that consumer in any capacity possible, without as mentioned earlier, overdoing it.
A significant part of Ogilvy's pitch to readers is that advertising campaigns must be centered heavily on ideas. "Big ideas come from the unconscious" (Ogilvy, 2013). There should not be an overthinking, or over-justification in any campaign. The conscious mind should be discarded. Advertising is about not thinking too much about what will and will not work, but rather delivering on the idea that "wells up within you" (Ogilvy, 2013). Essentially, Ogilvy’s point is that advertising is a particular space or profession where individuals should employ the use of their intuition and inner creative spark, as opposed to allowing the idea to be rationalized first and then emerge with a winning concept.
Application of the Concepts
Is there a way to feasibly apply the concepts that Ogilvy (1983) speaks of? Absolutely. A testament of Ogilvy's success as an executive is seen in the current marketing company, Ogilvy & Mather, that was started in 1948 and is still in operation today. This suggests that his conceptualizations about advertising are not only grounded in triumph, but are workable and applicable to each executive that seeks to become a part of the field. As such, in the writer's own advertising goals and objectives, applying Ogilvy's rationale will be easy to do. The writer of this paper seeks to be a copywriter. One of the main tasks of a copywriter is to write on a particular product or service. They are key to an advertising campaign in communicating the personality and subsequently, the image of the product or service.
In applying Ogilvy’s reasoning behind advertising and how to effectively soft sell a product or service, the writer will utilize the irrationality that he speaks of. Ogilvy’s main point is that advertising campaigns should be fun without any kind of real thinking. Ideas are to come first, thinking second. Much of the problem that Ogilvy speaks about in On Advertising with the lack of success that many campaigns have had is that agencies and the individuals involved in said campaigns think first and then let the ideas come second. The writer of this paper will be able to effectually incorporate Ogilvy’s logic into their own advertising prowess by doing the necessary homework on a product or service, and then allowing the ideas to flow smoothly and effortlessly as they come.
It is reasonable to assume that by integrating Ogilvy’s vision into one’s operation within the world of advertising and marketing, that success is almost guaranteed. This vision is one that is not centered so much around creativity, but connecting the customer to the product or service through insightful and motivational campaigns. For Ogilvy, consumers do not necessarily care about the agency or company being clever with their marketing tactics, but are more concerned with how the product or service will be useful in their lives. As such, by incorporating this ideal into the writer of this paper’s modus operandi, it can be argued that success is not only likely but almost guaranteed.
References
Hayden, B. (2013, May 10). 13 Timeless Lessons from the Father of Advertising. Retrieved from Copyblogger website: http://www.copyblogger.com/lessons-from-david-ogilvy/
Ogilvy, D. (1983). On Advertising. New York, NY: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
