The headline is the 'ticket on the meat.' Use it to flag down readers who are prospects for the kind of product you are advertising.
David OgilvyRead
Some manufacturers illustrate their advertisements with abstract paintings. I would only do this if I wished to conceal from the reader what I was advertising.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Advertising should be clear and direct, not obscured by artistic elements.
David Ogilvy suggests that using abstract art in advertisements can mislead consumers about the product being promoted. He believes that clarity and transparency are paramount in advertising, and that any attempt to use art to obscure the actual message is counterproductive.
Themes
AdvertisingClarityTransparencyMarketingCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a marketing workshop to emphasize the importance of clear messaging.
More from David Ogilvy
All quotes βOur business is infested with idiots who try to impress by using pretentious jargon.
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Much of the messy advertising you see on television today is the product of committees. Committees can criticize advertisements, but they should never be allowed to create them.
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The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible.
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Experience has taught me that advertisers get the best results when they pay their agency a flat fee. It is unrealistic to expect your agency to be impartial when its vested interest lies wholly in the direction of increasing your commissionable advertising.
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The creative process requires more than reason. Most original thinking isn't even verbal. It requires 'a groping experimentation with ideas, governed by intuitive hunches and inspired by the unconscious.' The majority of business men are incapable of original thinking because they are unable to escape from the tyranny of reason. Their imaginations are blocked.
David OgilvyRead
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