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The Little Red Book

In January of 2003, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide published OGILVY ON OGILVY. It was an unorthodox experiment in mixing philosophical ideals with real results, case studies with credentials, and highly opinionated essays with a broad display of creative execution, all in an effort to describe the global company as we see it. In the expository spirit of David Ogilvy's classic text, Ogilvy On Advertising, we intended for the book to be a way for our many constituencies, from clients, to prospects, to potential hires and current employees, to understand our dreams and judge our progress. The essays below, which were authored by Ogilvy leaders around the world, are from the book but also stand on their own.

The Essays
Nothing is as constant as change. It's an old saying with newfound relevance these past few years. What none of us expected, however, was how difficult and demanding change would be for business broadly, and for the advertising community specifically. It's harder now to forecast the marketplace, either short- or long-term. Yet in the face of constant change, there are abiding constants, some sure precepts with which to move forward - to serve our clients, our partners, and the brands in our care.
In the essays below, Ogilvy leaders from around the world have sifted through the facts of recent events to find these constants, the proven and best practices, the sound principles that have guided us surely amid turmoil and will continue to point the way forward.
(-excerpted from Shelly Lazarus's Prologue)

We Sell or Else...Like David Said

Taken from “OGILVY ON OGILVY”

Steve Hayden ( Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide - New York )

A long, long time ago in an agency far, far away, I suggested to a mentor some changes to the ads we were doing. I thought we should punch up the product benefits, and I made the offhand remark, "After all, the purpose of advertising is to sell stuff." He looked at me in total surprise, as if this were some kind of revelation.

I was surprised because he was surprised. But at that agency, the "purpose of advertising" genuinely seemed to be to win awards and build creative reputations. Selling stuff was an afterthought.

At this agency, it's different. David Ogilvy said it succinctly and memorably: "We sell or else."

Every bit as obvious as "advertising should sell stuff" is the observation that 360 Degree Brand Stewardship can be abbreviated to plain BS if it's not based on a big idea and the work isn't good.

(I will say, though, that I believe even a mediocre integrated campaign will outperform a disintegrated campaign with flashes of brilliance. So if you absolutely insist on doing average work, please do it everywhere.)

Which brings us to the eternal question: What defines great work?

[Download full article - We Sell or Else... Like David Said]

For further inquiries, email Melissa.Crucillo@ogilvy.com.