Confessions Of An Advertising Man

Confessions Of An Advertising Man is the marketing bible of the 60s, written by “the father of advertising,” David Ogilvy to inspire a philosophy of honesty, hard work and ethical behavior in his industry.

If all marketers lived by this mantra, and nothing else, I 100% believe we would not live in a world where marketing is considered as sleazy and has a negative connotation right from the get-go.

In marketing as in any other industry, the vast majority of players is looking for the quick fix, the sale today, instead of playing the long game, which results in a lot of ads for products, which probably shouldn’t be sold at all.

One of David’s most famous quotes is this:

He believed in soft-spoken advertisements, delivering the facts, not the fiction and never ever lying to people in your advertisements. That, of course, means you have to stand 100% behind the product in question, whether it’s soap, a soft drink or an airline, so you can write ads without lying – ads that you’d be comfortable with, even if your own family read them.

This is also what led David to only accept accounts for which he truly believed he could outperform the previous agency. In marketing, it might be more important than anywhere else that your north star is integrity.

Did that Coke video above move you? It moved me. I mean, how can you not feel for the lone, hard-working truck driver, who finally gets a break and is reunited with his family on Christmas?

As inspiring as that story is, however, you can bet that if it hadn’t increased Coca-Cola sales, Ogilvy would not have run this campaign.

The definition of an ad is that it’s made to sell something, which, while obvious, tends to be forgotten easily over all the creative work and energy good advertising agencies put into their campaigns. Sometimes I spot ads, which, while oozing with creativity, like clever puns and stunning images, completely forget selling the product.

Having to laugh, feeling inspired or being shocked are all side effects of great marketing, not the goal. So instead of trying to win a painting competition or a Pulitzer Prize with your copy, go simple. If your moisturizer makes women above 35 look younger, say “this is how women above 35 can look younger.”

Great ads are as simple as that.

As the world gets noisier and noisier, creating unique marketing campaigns that stand out gets harder and harder. David Ogilvy used a 3-pronged approach to get people’s attention and hold it, and it’s still as relevant in 2016 as it was in 1963 (when this book came out). Give people the facts, even…