Readers travel so fast they don't stop to decipher the meaning of obscure headlines. — David Ogilvy Books Copy Share Image
Advertising reflects the mores of society, but it does not influence them. — David Ogilvy Advertising Copy Share Image
Our business is infested with idiots who try to impress by using pretentious jargon. — David Ogilvy Business Copy Share Image
The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be. — David Ogilvy Advertising Copy Share Image
The advertisers who believe in the selling power of jingles have never had to sell anything. — David Ogilvy Copy Share Image
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… — David Ogilvy Copy Share Image
Talent, I believe, is most likely to be found among nonconformists, dissenters, and rebels. — David Ogilvy Advertising Copy Share Image
The psychiatrists say that everybody should have a hobby. The hobby I recommend is advertising — David Ogilvy Advertising Copy Share Image
It is flagrantly dishonest for an advertising agent to urge consumers to buy a product which he would not allow his own… — David Ogilvy Advertising Copy Share Image
Political advertising ought to be stopped. It's the only really dishonest kind of advertising that's left. It's totally dishonest. — David Ogilvy Advertising Copy Share Image
One half was sad because I had damaged my reputation. The other half was happy because I had damaged my reputation. — David Ogilvy Copy Share Image
Every advertisement should be thought of as a contribution to the complex symbol which is the brand image. — David Ogilvy Copy Share Image
“Do you think it childish to use a set of written principles to guide the management of an advertising agency? I can… — David Ogilvy Copy Share Image
I have a theory that the best ads come from personal experience. Some of the good ones I have done have really… — David Ogilvy Copy Share Image
I have an inviolable rule against employing nepots and spouses, because they breed politics. Whenever two people get married, one of them… — David Ogilvy Baby Copy Share Image
“In my Confessions, I told how I started by making a list of the clients I most wanted – General Foods, Lever… — David Ogilvy Copy Share Image
I never assign a product to a writer unless I know that he is personally interested in it. Every time I have… — David Ogilvy Campaigns Copy Share Image
“A psychologist flashed hundreds of words on a screen and used an electric gadget to measure emotional reactions. High marks went to… — David Ogilvy Emotional reactions Copy Share Image
We admire people who work hard, who are objective and thorough. We detest office politicians, toadies, bullies, and pompous asses. We abhor… — David Ogilvy Copy Share Image
It takes a big idea to attract the attention of consumers and get them to buy your product. Unless your advertising contains… — David Ogilvy Advertising Copy Share Image
Don't bunt. Aim out of the ball park. Aim for the company of immortals. — David Ogilvy Copy Share Image
I admire people with gentle manners who treat other people as human beings. — David Ogilvy Copy Share Image
Unless your campaign has a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night. — David Ogilvy Big idea Copy Share Image
On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline,… — David Ogilvy Advertising Copy Share Image
It's the lack of ambition that cripples most people, and makes them so pedestrian in the advertising/creative business — David Ogilvy Advertising Copy Share Image
To advertisers: "Do not compete with your agency in the creative area. Why keep a dog and bark yourself?" — David Ogilvy Copy Share Image
The majority of business men are not capable of an original thought, simply because they cannot escape the tyranny of reason. — David Ogilvy Business Copy Share Image
At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock. — David Ogilvy Clock Copy Share Image
It has been found that the less an advertisement looks like an advertisement and the more it looks like an editorial, the… — David Ogilvy Copy Share Image
Never write an advertisement which you wouldn't want your family to read. You wouldn't tell lies to your own wife. Don't tell… — David Ogilvy Advertising Copy Share Image
Develop your eccentricities while you are young. That way, when you get old, people won't think you're going gaga. — David Ogilvy Eccentricities Copy Share Image
Make sure you have a vice president in charge of your revolution, to engender ferment among your more conventional colleagues. — David Ogilvy Colleagues Copy Share Image
What is a good advertisement? An advertisement which pleases you because of its style, or an advertisement which sells the most? They… — David Ogilvy Copy Share Image
We all have a tendency to use research as a drunkard uses a lamppost – for support, not for illumination. — David Ogilvy Copy Share Image
