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Remove advertising, disable a person or firm from proclaiming its wares and their merits, and the whole of society and of the economy is transformed. The enemies of advertising are the enemies of freedom.
David Ogilvy
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Advertising is essential for freedom and a functioning economy.

David Ogilvy emphasizes that advertising plays a crucial role in both individual expression and the broader economy. By suppressing advertising, society limits its ability to make informed choices and distorts the marketplace, ultimately undermining the freedoms that come with market competition and individual expression.

Themes

AdvertisingFreedomEconomySocietyCompetition

In practice

Example use cases

In a marketing meeting to emphasize the value of creativity in campaigns.

More from David Ogilvy

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.
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Our business is infested with idiots who try to impress by using pretentious jargon.
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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.
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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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