David Ogilvy was the enfant terrible of advertising in the 1960's and wrote a few books, in particular OGILVY ON ADVERTISING I have long recommended. He appears to have had the gift of ADD/ADHD, if his CV is any indication. He was an innovator and a truth-teller.
Ogilvy points out most advertising is a waste of money, largely an ego-investment in the form of a valentine to the CEO and crew that run the company. Think of Jack Welch and GE, and all of the money spent to tell us they "Bring Good Things to Life" in spite of the fact they at the time were pursuing business and allying with government programs that much harmed our economy.
The book made one point I found astonishing when I first read it. Ogilvy said never run an ad without a coupon. Now, Ogilvy represented Rolls Royce and Sears. Sears, I can see a coupon. But Rolls Royce? Yes, a coupon for a brochure that advanced the sales job on a Rolls Royce, but far more importantly, showed Rolls Royce exactly the response rate to the ads placed. Ogilvy taught every ad should be keyed ( indentified in some trackable way) and as dollars are spent on ads, you know exactly what you are getting for your money.
As a small business grows, small amounts of experience inform the entrepreneur as to what precipitates a customers buy. the unique offer of the entrepreneur, in the process of designing and redesigning based on market feedback, also shapes any advertising message, at its most effective, within the enterprise and as the ever better designs are being developed. It is a pas de deux between design and advertising message, the one working with the other.
in big biz, since the taxpayers ultimately support the corporations whether they fail or thrive, especially if they fail, advertising is just spending money to aggrandize oneself and support the regime. When Union 76 advertises how the oil company is advancing green initiatives, it is simply coordinating its activities with the state, and charging the cost to the taxpayers, not the customers. The rank and file celebrate bringing Union 76 into the fold of the green movement, when in fact it is a defeat.
But back to efficacious advertising. The idea that advertising will necessarily grow a business of course is nonsense. The ads must be effective, Ogilvy's small point that efficacy could be tracked caused a furor when he mentioned it, but in fact it did little damage, since, as I said, most advertising is pointless and paid for by taxpayers, not consumers, anyway.
One aspect of the damage done by government intervention in the market is since the big bucks in advertising is misallocated in the area of promoting the regime and the big biz/big govt axis of evil, what advertising skill set that is out there is malinvested in inefficacious means. Little if any work is done in the area of solid art and science of advertising.
Ogilvy's point is critical for we who actually provide a value in the marketplace. We can know if advertising is efficacious as it runs. I lay out in my book some ways of using the principle of subsidiarity to get the most effective advertising, but it should be read in the context of Ogilvy's work.
Until the time comes when advertisers have a model that guarantees a return on your investment (Google is moving in this direction) you are on your own, but can be well guided by Ogilvy, and the tried and true practices of small businesses.
Ogilvy points out most advertising is a waste of money, largely an ego-investment in the form of a valentine to the CEO and crew that run the company. Think of Jack Welch and GE, and all of the money spent to tell us they "Bring Good Things to Life" in spite of the fact they at the time were pursuing business and allying with government programs that much harmed our economy.
The book made one point I found astonishing when I first read it. Ogilvy said never run an ad without a coupon. Now, Ogilvy represented Rolls Royce and Sears. Sears, I can see a coupon. But Rolls Royce? Yes, a coupon for a brochure that advanced the sales job on a Rolls Royce, but far more importantly, showed Rolls Royce exactly the response rate to the ads placed. Ogilvy taught every ad should be keyed ( indentified in some trackable way) and as dollars are spent on ads, you know exactly what you are getting for your money.
As a small business grows, small amounts of experience inform the entrepreneur as to what precipitates a customers buy. the unique offer of the entrepreneur, in the process of designing and redesigning based on market feedback, also shapes any advertising message, at its most effective, within the enterprise and as the ever better designs are being developed. It is a pas de deux between design and advertising message, the one working with the other.
in big biz, since the taxpayers ultimately support the corporations whether they fail or thrive, especially if they fail, advertising is just spending money to aggrandize oneself and support the regime. When Union 76 advertises how the oil company is advancing green initiatives, it is simply coordinating its activities with the state, and charging the cost to the taxpayers, not the customers. The rank and file celebrate bringing Union 76 into the fold of the green movement, when in fact it is a defeat.
But back to efficacious advertising. The idea that advertising will necessarily grow a business of course is nonsense. The ads must be effective, Ogilvy's small point that efficacy could be tracked caused a furor when he mentioned it, but in fact it did little damage, since, as I said, most advertising is pointless and paid for by taxpayers, not consumers, anyway.
One aspect of the damage done by government intervention in the market is since the big bucks in advertising is misallocated in the area of promoting the regime and the big biz/big govt axis of evil, what advertising skill set that is out there is malinvested in inefficacious means. Little if any work is done in the area of solid art and science of advertising.
Ogilvy's point is critical for we who actually provide a value in the marketplace. We can know if advertising is efficacious as it runs. I lay out in my book some ways of using the principle of subsidiarity to get the most effective advertising, but it should be read in the context of Ogilvy's work.
Until the time comes when advertisers have a model that guarantees a return on your investment (Google is moving in this direction) you are on your own, but can be well guided by Ogilvy, and the tried and true practices of small businesses.
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