Ogilvy on advertising
by David Ogilvy · first published 1983
66% recommend29% neutral6% critical
Why HN recommends it
Practical guide to advertising principles from a pioneer, with many real agency ads as examples; useful for anyone selling a product, from copywriters to founders, since the methods carry over to pitching and design.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
This primer on all aspects of advertising was written by the founder of Ogilvy & Mather, an advertising agency with 450 offices in 120 countries. This text covers what does as well as what does not sell, and is illustrated with 185 advertisements.
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Ogilvy on Advertising. It's the Kernighan and Ritchie / TAOCP of advertising. http://www.amazon.com/Ogilvy-Advertising-David/dp/039472903X... David Ogilvy came up with a lot of the ideas, terminology and concepts of modern…
on “Ask HN: Advertising Books” ↗I'm okay with the tone. One of my treasures is a book called "Ogilvy on Advertising" by David Ogilvy. In it, he impales, flays, dices, and torches campaigns and advertisements for various companies. His tone is less confrontational than Dustin's, but given the age of the book, I think…
on “Dear American Airlines...” ↗…good point, despite the downvotes. (Although, on the subject of avoiding offensive terminology, I'd perhaps have avoided the "people also have a right to be idiots" part). I've recently been reading Ogilvy on Advertising[1] by David Ogilvy, one of the most successful 20th-century figures in the industry, and while it's a bit dated (it was written 30 years ago) and, obviously, the subject matter is advertising, it's filled…
on “HolyJit: A New Hope” ↗Ogilvy on Advertising is still one of the best books on advertising, ~30 years later. http://www.amazon.com/Ogilvy-Advertising-David/dp/039472903X...
on “How to Write by David Ogilvy ” ↗…speaker/brand to be projected, all factor into those decisions. That said, if you want to go analytical on typography, you should focus on how it is used in advertising. The original work in the field, Ogilvy on Advertising[0], is still important and fun to read. Given when it was written most of the ads it discusses are quite retro (from what I can tell every industry plot point in the first season of Mad Men came directly…
on “Five minute guide to better typography” ↗…through books that one must read to understand the fundamentals of copywriting. The books I refereed to are: 1. Scientific Advertising by Claude C. Hopkins 2. Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples 3. Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy 4. Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan 5. Ca$hvertising by Drew Eric Whitman In the linked article, I summarize my major takeaways from all those books. Hope it'll be of help…
on “A Primer on Copywriting” ↗…Bullsh*t (The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World), Carl Bergstrom — Masters of Doom, David Kushner — Anything you want, Derek Sivers — Advertising Secrets of the Written Word, Joseph Sugarman — Ogilvy on Advertising — The Art of looking sideways, Alan Fletcher — The Messy Middle, Scott Belsky — The Wart of Art, Steven Pressfield — The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing, Mel Lindauer — The Philosophy of Andy Warhol…
on “Ask HN: What are some must read books?” ↗…Marketing (Mark Jeffery) - Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout) - Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins) - Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares) - Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler) - Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy) - Marketing High Technology (William Davidow) Psychology - Influence (Robert Cialdini) Negotiation First, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order - Thinking in Bets (Annie…
on “Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?” ↗Worth reading "Ogilvy on Advertising" if you're into this stuff. I know Ogilvy & Mathers (famous advertising firm) had Apple as an account in the mid 80s.
on “Apple bought out all of Newsweek's 1984 Election issue ad space for Mac” ↗…and if so, that's great! You've got a head start. Not everyone does. I really enjoyed his Art Of The Start talk. I also found "Selling the Dream" among the best marketing books available, along-side Ogilvy on Advertising, "Focus"/"Marketing Warfare" (either one will do, as they are effectively the same theme by the same authors), and "What's the Big Idea?" by George Lois. As someone else mentioned, Seth Godin has successfully…
on “Don't Waste Your Time With Guy Kawasaki” ↗…Handbook" - Bob Bly "The Adweek Copywriting Handbook" - Joseph Sugarman "Sales Letters That Sizzle" - Herschell Gordon Lewis "Cash Copy" - Jeffrey Lant "Magic Words That Bring You Riches" - Ted Nicholas "Ogilvy On Advertising" "Method Marketing" by Denny Hatch. "My First 50 Years in Advertising" by Maxwell Sackheim. "The Greatest Direct Mail Sales Letters of all Time" by Richard Hodgson. "How To Write Advertising That…
on “Ask HN: Best way to learn copywriting and sales?” ↗…Al Reis is a book I wish I read 15 years ago when I started my company... your product's strategic positioning will greatly inform and shape design decisions (typography, colors, tones, copy, etc) # "Ogilvy on Advertising" - written by the legend himself, once you read this book, it will change the way you see all ads in any medium
on “Design Thinking Books You Must Read” ↗Ogilvy on Advertising is one of my absolute favorites, and I go back to it regularly. It's also a beautiful book with lots of large photos of campaigns. It's not specifically "marketing" of course, but it covers that area,…
on “Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?” ↗A few years ago I worked at a small ad agency doing web work. The owner required every employee (all 4 of us) to read Ogilvy on Advertising. That book has really stuck with me. I would recommend it to anyone who has a product to sell.
on “The little-known secret of how to actually choose a web designer” ↗Read Ogilvy on Advertising - makes you think all the (non copy filled) adverts of today are crazy. Copy works.
on “Lego’s 1981 Ad Campaign” ↗