Six of My Favorite Ogilvy Quotes

I stepped into the world of advertising in June 1987. I was fortunate enough for Joe & Gretchen Erwin to open this door to me within the first year of their establishing Erwin-Penland Advertising.

“To Kimberley, An Ogilvy book of your very own! Read it and do great work.” Joe Erwin, 1987

Some of my favorite quotes by the Advertising Guru David Ogilvy are  —

  • “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.” ~ David Ogilvy
  • “Don’t bunt. Aim out of the ball park. Aim for the company of immortals.” ~ David Ogilvy
  • “I have a theory that the best ads come from personal experience. Some of the good ones I have done have really come out of the real experience of my life, and somehow this has come over as true and valid and persuasive.” ~ David Ogilvy
  • “If you ever have the good fortune to create a great advertising campaign, you will soon see another agency steal it. This is irritating, but don’t let it worry you; nobody has ever built a brand by imitating somebody else’s advertising.” ~ David Ogilvy
  • “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. “ ~ David Ogilvy
  • “First, make yourself a reputation for being a creative genius. Second, surround yourself with partners who are better than you are. Third, leave them to go get on with it.” ~ David Ogilvy

 

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