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Advertising people who ignore research are as dangerous as generals who ignore decodes of enemy signals.

David Ogilvy

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David Ogilvy
Age: 88 †
Born: 1911
Born: June 23
Died: 1999
Died: July 21
Businessman
Businessperson
Economist
Writer
West Horsley
Surrey
David MacKenzie Ogilvy
Generals
People
Signals
Ignore
Advertising
Research
Dangerous
Enemy
Adverts
Business

More quotes by David Ogilvy

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Headlines can be strengthend by the inclusion of emotional words like darling, love, fear, proud, friend and baby.
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Unless your campaign has a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night.
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David Ogilvy made his copywriters come up 100 different headlines for every ad they wrote.
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We exist to build the business of our clients. The recommendations we make to them should be the recommendations we would make if we owned their companies, without regard to our own short-term interest. This earns their respect, which is the greatest asset we can have.
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It is flagrantly dishonest for an advertising agent to urge consumers to buy a product which he would not allow his own wife to buy.
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I admire people with gentle manners who treat other people as human beings.
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On the average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy.
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You can't save souls in an empty church.
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I never tell one client that I cannot attend his sales convention because I have a previous engagement with another client successful polygamy depends upon pretending to each spouse that she is the only pebble on your beach.
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Positioning should be decided before the advertising is created
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Every advertisement should be thought of as a contribution to the complex symbol which is the brand image.
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Never write an advertisement which you wouldn't want your own family to read. You wouldn't tell lies to your own wife. Don't tell them to mine. Do as you would be done by.
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Experience has taught me that advertisers get the best results when they pay their agency a flat fee. It is unrealistic to expect your agency to be impartial when its vested interest lies wholly in the direction of increasing your commissionable advertising.
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We all have a tendency to use research as a drunkard uses a lamppost – for support, not for illumination.
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If you have all the research, all the ground rules, all the directives, all the data - it doesn't mean the ad is written. Then you've got to close the door and write something - that is the moment of truth which we all try to postpone as long as possible.
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The worst fault a salesman can commit is to be a bore...... Pretend to be vastly interested in any subject the prospects shows an interest in.
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If you ever find a man who is better than you are - hire him. If necessary, pay him more than you pay yourself.
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Great hospitals do two things. They look after patients, and they teach young doctors. We look after clients, and we teach young advertising people.
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Creativity Is a fancy word for the work we have to do by Friday.
David Ogilvy
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What is a good advertisement? An advertisement which pleases you because of its style, or an advertisement which sells the most? They are seldom the same.
David Ogilvy