Book Review: Confessions of an Advertising Man
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Confessions of an Advertising Man
Authors: David Ogilvy
Paperback: 207 pages
Cost: $17.00
Originally Published: 1963
David Ogilvy wrote this book for three reasons:
- To attract more business.
- To demonstrate value for a public offering
- To make himself better known in the business world.
He wasn’t afraid to admit that his motive for writing the book was completely self serving, but also wanted the book to serve as an educational experience to its readers. In the book you will learn how to:
- Get Clients
- Keep Clients
- Build Great Campaigns
- Write Potent Copy
- Illustrate Advertisements and Posters
- Make Good Television Commercials
- Make Good Campaigns for Food Products, Tourist Destinations, and Proprietary Medicines
- Rise to the Top
Following are the parts I found most important for those in my field from the chapter on copywriting, but the book is relevant to anyone running a business whether it is a small startup or a large corporation.
What You Say Is More Important Than How You Say It
Once upon a time I was riding on the top of a Fifth Avenue bus, when I heard a mythical housewife say to another, “Molly, my dear, I would have bought that new brand of toilet soap if only they hadn’t set the body copy in ten point Garamond.”
Don’t be a copy cat
Rudyard Kipling wrote a long poem about a self-made shipping tycoon called Sir Anthony Gloster. On his death bed the old man reviews the course of his life for the benefit of his son, and refers contempuously to his competitors:
They copied all they could follow, but they couldn’t copy my mind,
And I left ‘em sweating and stealing, a year and a half behind.
Other words and phrases which work wonders are:
How to, Suddenly, Now, Announcing, Introducing, It’s Here, Just Arrived, Important Development, Improvement, Amazing, Sensational, Remarkable, Revolutionary, Startling, Miracle, Magic, Offer, Quick, Easy, Wanted, Callenge, Advice to, The Truth About, Compare, Bargain, Hurry, Last Chance
If you need very long copy, there are several devices which are known to increase its readership:
(1) A display subhead of two or three lines, between your headline and your body copy, will heighten the reader’s appetite for feast to come.
(2) If you start your body copy with a large initial letter, you will increase readership by an average of 13 per cent.
David Ogilvy had a proven track record of success and definitely has an extensive knowledge of the advertising business. When it comes to running an agency or any business, Ogilvy’s insight on how to create a company are timeless. This book is relevant to the PR industry and to anyone running a business.
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Tags: Advertising, Copywriting, Marketing, Search & Marketing
Posted in Search & Marketing
