David Oglivy (23rd June 1911-21st July 1999) was a giant in the advertising world. He was the Founder of Oglivy & Mather (now Oglivy), the globally renowned New York-based advertising, marketing and public relations agency which now operates through 132 locations in 83 countries. David Oglivy was one of the most brilliant copywriters the world has ever seen and the name behind some of the most iconic marketing campaigns, such as for Hathaway Shirt, Rolls Royce, Schweppes among others.
He was one of the pioneers of information-rich, soft sell advertisements, which have gained much popularity later.
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Research and Inspiration
Often known as the ‘Father of Advertising,’ the success of Oglivy’s advertising campaigns often lay in meticulous research into consumer habits. In fact, this rule applies to all advertising professionals. David Oglivy’s famous quote reads: “Advertising people who ignore research are as dangerous as generals who ignore decodes of enemy signals.”
This saying is very much relevant even today for many marketing professionals as without solid research on your client’s target consumers, on their likes, dislikes and consumer preferences, etc. it is very difficult to develop a successful marketing campaign.
However, at the same time he never discounted the role of inspiration of the unconscious mind. He said, “Big ideas come from the unconscious. This is true in art, in science, and in advertising. But your unconscious has to be well informed, or your idea will be irrelevant. Stuff your conscious mind with information, then unhook your rational thought process. You can help this process by going for a long walk, or taking a hot bath, or drinking half a pint of claret. Suddenly, if the telephone line from your unconscious is open, a big idea wells up within you.”
Today’s marketing professionals (advertising is the most public face of marketing) should also know that the right combination of conscious and unconscious; the right amalgamation of inspired creativity and meticulous research can facilitate their arrival at pathbreaking marketing or advertising campaigns.
Use Their Language
The advertising guru also believed in tailoring the language of communication to suit its target group/s. His famous quote reads: “I don’t know the rules of grammar. If you’re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language.”
Marketing professionals should not only know but also realise (in case they have not already realised it) that in order to communicate effectively to your target audience, using the language that they use everyday is of vital importance. For example, if your client’s target consumers come from lower strata of society, using difficult and ornate words in your campaign would not influence them to buy the product/s that you have intended for them to buy.
Oglivy had the priceless message of connecting with the target audience on a personal level. He said: “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.” By developing the uncanny ability to connect with her/his audience or target group on a personal level, a marketing professional can increase the chances of success of her/his message.
On Headlines
In marketing communication (of which advertising is one), conveying the big idea at the outset is very important for engaging your client’s potential consumers. David Oglivy said that “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.” Marketing professionals should take inspiration from this quote and try to convey their major idea of the advertisement at the beginning of the communication (in case of print advertising through an effective headline) as time is short and people often do not have time to go through the entire communication.
David Oglivy’s another brilliant quote on headline reads: “The headlines which work best are those which promise the reader a benefit.” Advertising professionals should realise that the headline of their advertising copy should convey the benefit that it provides to its client’s target consumers, which would propel them to read further, or even better, to buy the product/s or service/s or get influenced by the concept/s that the advertisement urges them to.
Another of Oglivy’s quote may sound a bit generic but is very much relevant for marketing and advertising professionals too. It reads: “Don’t bunt. Aim out of the ball park. Aim for the company of immortals.” This saying can inspire the marketing professionals to aim high and contribute to developing a campaign that can have enduring value.
Selling is the Key
Another of his famous observations on advertising reads: “I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information. 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.” With this famous quote in his famous book Oglivy on Advertising, David Oglivy summed up the actual role of advertising, which can be applied to almost all marketing verticals.
A marketing professional conceiving a campaign should first and foremost think of how effectively the campaign is urging her/his client’s target consumers to buy the intended product/s or service/s or get influenced by concept/s, rather than only engaging in lofty creativity without showcasing the benefits of the product/s or service/s or concept/s, an exercise which may not yield the desired results.
So, we can see that the lessons from the advertising guru are very much relevant even in today’s marketing world, almost twenty-five years after his demise. His ideas can inspire marketing professionals to excel.
