10 Things I Learned While Writing about Ogilvy

I fell into the world of David Ogilvy and now I’m coming out the other side.

My interaction with Ogilvy started out as surface-level admiration. I had received Ogilvy On Advertising as a gift and proceeded to highlight nearly every line to the point that the words that stood out were the ones without neon yellow smudges. Every sentence that I read caused me to seek out a dozen friends who would allow me to read them that section. When I could no longer find ears willing to listen, I realized that I desperately needed to get my thoughts in order by writing them out.

Utilizing a blog to achieve this development has been extremely insightful. I can chronologically track my changes in knowledge-base, writing style, and opinion as the posts go on.

After I openly let my fangirl flag fly, I finally found the forum to hash out my issue with lengthy copy. Once my conscience was clear of that grievance, I realized that I was lacking serious knowledge of the women in advertising. While filling this information gap, I became intrigued by the current trend of “femvertising” and researched some of Ogilvy’s ads that targeted women for comparison. It was at this point that I began noticing a number of modern advertising techniques that felt more like a throwback than an innovation. This realization caused me to seek insider opinions from other past and present ad-men who saw the industry develop. Following that, I finally had the opportunity to see Ogilvy from the inside.

To my surprise, throughout this process, I’ve actually learned that my own perspective doesn’t really align with David Ogilvy’s viewpoint. Turns out, I’m more of a Bernbach kinda girl.

And now for some closing thoughts. In the spirit of modern digital media, here is a listicle of my core takeaways from all of my reading and research:

1.There is no doubt that David Ogilvy set the foundation of modern advertising.

2. Research is important…but sometimes take a note from Bernbach and don’t get too carried away.

3. Shelly Lazarus is a new-found hero of mine.

As a former Chairman and CEO of Ogilvy, Shelly has not only maintained David Ogilvy’s vision, but she was instrumental in its advancement into the digital age.

4. The current obsession with influencers is directly reflective of the state of media today.

The modern concept of “influencers” is derived from what used to be referred to as “celebrity endorsements.” Notably, the difference between the two lie in the source of fame. In the past, celebrities would become famous and as a result of their fame, they would acquire fans (i.e. movie stars). Today, influencers gain a following first, and as a result of that, they acquire their fame (i.e. web stars).

…And one day soon, the word “influencer” will no longer have a red squiggle underneath it.

5. Targeting was always desired, but now we can actually do it.

Hyper-targeting is emphasized today only because we now have the advanced technology and tools that allow us the specificity to speak on an individual level.

6. Despite targeting advances, it is more difficult to reach today’s fragmented audience.

When Ogilvy utilized TV, he knew he had a captive audience. Now, audiences are all over the place, and it’s increasingly difficult to break through the noise. However, this fragmentation also leaves more opportunity to innovate ideas in persuasive and interesting ways.

7. Digital is just another tool to tell a story.

At the end of the day, you need to be able to boil down an idea to its simplest form so that you can make sure it connects with people.

8. Always respect your consumer — authenticity is the name of the game.

One of the great things about Ogilvy is that he always respected his consumer. This insight rings true today — with social media, word gets out immediately if a company isn't genuine. Ogilvy was always in tune with how people worked.

9. Keep the consumer’s perspective in mind at all times.

“I once tried using rational facts to argue the consumer into choosing a brand of whiskey. It didn’t work. You don’t catch Coca-Cola advertising that Coke contains 50% more cola berries.” — David Ogilvy

You can’t get too bogged down in industry-speak. Don’t forget about the actual people reading each ad and what they want.

10. The importance of brand images originated with Ogilvy.

In examining why consumers choose particular products that don’t have a true differentiation from their competitors, Ogilvy observed “It isn’t the whiskey they choose, it’s the image. They are tasting images.” He further explained that “Image means personality.” With the onset of social media and digital brands, there is perhaps no greater insight.

Amusingly, after all of the time and energy that I spent on this project, I actually only read six chapters of the book…which led to eight posts, three interviews, and countless unpublished drafts. Whether or not I pick up this project again in the future, at the end of the day, this project enhanced my outlook of advertising history and of David Ogilvy.

This project would never have been possible without the following people.

Thank you to:
My professor and adviser, Erik Mintz.
My sister, Meira Maynard, who gifted Ogilvy On Advertising to me.
My many many (many) proofreaders, including Daniel Goldsmith, Menucha Lowenstein, and Naamah Schwartz.
My encouragers and supporters, Rina Haller, Gabby Glik, and Mimi Nissan.
The industry professionals kind enough to take time to speak with me, Dan Lombardi, Eric Wegerbauer, and Josh Rosen.

Thank you to everyone who followed along as my project developed. I truly appreciate it.