Ogilvy on Advertising

5 Responses to “Ogilvy on Advertising”

1. Monty Rainey, on November 23rd, 2009 at 5:14 am Said:

   If you wanted to become a heart surgeon and could learn from Dr. DeBakke, you would certainly do it. If your goal was to climb Mt. Everest and Sir Edmund Hillary wanted to offer up advice, you’d certainly take it. And if it is your aspiration to work in marketing, reading the works of David Ogilvy is almost a prerequisite. Though he came along much later than the “pioneers” of advertising, there is no debate that Ogilvy revolutionized marketing.

   The fascinating thing for me, as I read OGILVY ON ADVERTISING, was not Ogilvy’s brilliance, but rather his common sense approach to advertising. Since people buy magazines for the articles, not for the ads, it only makes sense to make your ads LOOK like an article. And if you’re offering a savings, it only makes sense to instruct the reader on how to determine how much they will save with your product.

   The book is also laden with time-tested ads that work, and some that clearly don’t. This is like a 200 page swipe file of some of the greatest ads ever. If marketing or copywriting is calling your name, read this book.
   
   Rating: 5 / 5

2. Lothario, on November 23rd, 2009 at 6:35 am Said:

   I bought this book based solely on the great reviews it got here on Amazon. I usually agree with majority opinion on books but I do not in the case of this book. I found the material out-dated, uninteresting, and boring. To be honest I couldn’t bring myself to finish it. It must have been written like 20+ years ago because all they talk about is print vs. radio or radio vs. TV. I remember a line saying something along the lines of “TV is the greatest communication medium ever!” That right there sums up the book IMHO. The internet is here Mr. Ogilvy — perhaps you’re retired and/or don’t care any more, but the rules of the game have changed. Ogilvy on Advertising is antiquated. I would recommend the books by Al Ries and Jack Trout — The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Positiong, etc. as an alternative.
   Rating: 2 / 5

3. karen moran, on November 23rd, 2009 at 8:13 am Said:

   While there was some interesting iformation, I found it to be contradictory and rather dated. Ogilvy states 90% of consumers don’t read ad copy. He then gives the impression that THE most important piece of information in the ad is its headline. Yet, what is Ogilvy know for…85 million words in his copy. This book was also written 20 years ago. Thus, the stats provided are dated. He informs the reader of the importance of research…well, duh. His writing style was arrogant…every opportunity available he cited awards won, compliments given, people he met and who idiolized him. He even put a picture of his mansion in the book…see how much money I made. So far the most valuable pieces of info I’ve read was a 1946 typed memo from Leo Burnett discussing the importance of humility and Leo’s infamous “When to take my name off the door” speach.
   Rating: 3 / 5

4. Anonymous, on November 23rd, 2009 at 8:46 am Said:

   I think this was an interesting book for its
   time, however the ideas set forth here
   are no longer practiced by the company that
   Ogilvy created.
   Rating: 2 / 5

5. Anonymous, on November 23rd, 2009 at 10:20 am Said:

   You can take this book to the bank.
   Rating: 5 / 5