Quotes about Communication
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
The trouble with market research is that people don't think what they feel, they don't say what they think and they don't do what they say.
- David Ogilvy
Aldous Huxley, who was once a copywriter, said, 'It is easier to write ten passably effective sonnets than one effective advertisement.' You cannot bore people into buying your product. You can only interest them in buying it.
- David Ogilvy
Advertisements with long copy convey the impression that you have something important to say, whether people read the copy or not.
- David Ogilvy
Never summon people to your office; it frightens them. Instead, go to see them in their offices, unannounced. A boss who never wanders about his agency becomes an invisible hermit. 3
- David Ogilvy
Says John Updike, 'Serifs exist for a purpose. They help the eye pick up the shape of the letter. Piquant in little amounts, sanserif in page-size sheets repels readership as wax paper repels water; it has a sleazy, cloudy look.
- David Ogilvy
Queen Victoria complained that Gladstone talked to her as if he were addressing a public meeting. She preferred Disraeli, who talked to her like a human being. When you write copy, follow Disraeli's example.
- David Ogilvy
My brother Francis wrote a letter in Greek to the headmasters of private schools, selling cooking stoves. When some wrote back that they could not read Greek, he sent them another letter — in Latin. This produced orders.
- David Ogilvy
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
Tell your prospective client what your weak points are, before he notices them. This will make you more credible when you boast about your strong points.
- David Ogilvy
Sound an alarm! Advertising, not deals, builds brands.
- David Ogilvy
On average, helpful information is read by 75 per cent more people than copy which deals only with the product. This ad told how Rinso gets out stains. It was read and remembered
- David Ogilvy