Notes: Ogilvy on advertising

strategy

advertising is not entertainment or an art form, but a medium of information
do your homework
the wrong advertising can actually reduce the sales of a product
repeat your winners
you need big ideas that can last for a decade: “Merrill Lynch is bullish on america”
it pays to give most products an image of quality: a first class ticket
if you and your competitors all make excellent products, don’t try to imply that your product is better. just say what’s good about your product: do a cleaner, more honest, more informative job of saying it
people are most interested in what is happening where they live (“how SF people like coding!”)
“if it doesn’t sell, it’s not creative”
advertise to the kind of customers you want
“any fool can write a bad advertisement, but it takes a genius to keep his hands off a good one”
every advertiser has the same problem: “to be believed”
always try to include the price of your products
“the more facts you tell, the more you sell”
how to become a good copywriter: you copy others

illustration