I made 63 highlights while reading Ogilvy On Advertising by David Ogilvy. The book will give you insights into how to create advertisements that sell.
Consumers buy products whose advertising promises; value for money, beauty, nutrition, relief from suffering, or social status.
Trying to use rational to persuade a consumer into choosing your brand doesn't work. You don't see Coca Cola advertising that Coke contains 50% more cola berries.
Sometimes the best idea is to showcase the product with utter simplicity. It takes courage because you may get accused of not being creative.
If you and your competitor make excellent products, don't try to imply that yours is better. Simply do a better job of highlighting the benefits of your product.
It's all about relevance. To show bosoms in a detergent ad would not sell detergent.
Testimonials from experts are persuasive. For example, a testimonial from an ex-burglar testifying that they'd never been able to crack a Chubb safe is powerful.
Always include the price of your products.
KISS - Keep It Stupid Simple.
Advertising is about converting the dream of your readers into action.
Instead of generalities, use percentages, time-elapsed, and dollars saved.
Consumers judge the quality of a product on its price. The higher the price, the more desirable it becomes in the eyes of the consumer.
British commercials tend to be less direct, less competitive, more subtle, nostalgic, funnier, and more entertaining.
Charm works in advertising. If you write your headlines in French, readers will assume you are advertising France.
Highlight things that are unique to a specific country. People don't go halfway around the world to see things they can see at home.
Find out the advertising your competitors are doing, and with what success.
Find out how consumers think about your kind of product, the language they use to discuss it, and what promise would be most likely to make them buy it.
The most critical variables to be tested are; pricing, terms of payment, incentives, and the format of your advertisement.
On a study of 731 corporations, Northwestern University found that advertising had a positive influence of 2%~ on their stock price.
Those who ignore research are as dangerous as generals who ignore enemy signals.
Always write two advertisements for your product, and test with both of them. Continue to run the ad which converts the most readers.
Studies of the last six recessions have shown that companies which don't cut back their advertising budgets achieve greater increases in profits than those which do.
Researchers who inject bias into their reports do a lot of damage.
Demonstrations which show the performance of your product convert well.
Show the viewer a problem they're familiar with, then show them how your product can help them solve it.
Commercials which include a significant amount of nostalgia, charm, and sentimentality perform very well.
Demonstrations are most effective when they compare a competing product.
Viewers assume celebrities have been bought when they provide testimonials.
I don't want you to tell me that you find my advertisement 'creative'. I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product.
5x~ as many people read the headline as read the body copy.
Headlines which promise the reader a benefit work best. For example; 'How To Win Friends And Influence People', would attract above-average readership.
Your headline should do either of the following; promise a benefit, deliver news, offer a service, tell a story, recognise a problem, or quote a customer.
The body of your copy is occasionally read by more than 10% of readers. It's those readers who are interested in what you're selling.
Format your advertisements in this order; image, headline, and copy.
Ads with news are recalled 22%~ more than ads without news.
Headlines in quotes increase recall by 28%~.
Helpful copy is read by 75%~ more people than copy which is solely promotional.
Crossheads should be written in a way so that skimmers get the main points.
Set your copy in black type on white paper.
Readers tend to skip from the headline of your advertisement to the voucher. So make your voucher a mini-advertisement in itself.
People will read your copy alone, so pretend you're writing to them individually.
Write short sentences, short paragraphs, and avoid difficult words.
Tell your reader what your product will do for them with specifics.
Write your copy in the form of a story, with one line leading the other.
Avoid analogies. They're widely misunderstood.
Long copy sells more than short copy.
Headlines below the image are read by 10%~ more people than headlines above the image.
If you make your advertisements look like articles, you'll get 6x~ as many readers.
Never put full-stops at the end of a headline.
Use sub-headlines to gauge readers to dive deeper.
Drop initials at the start of your body copy will increase readership by 13%~.
Set key words, sentences, and paragraphs in bold or italics.
If you make a lot of unrelated facts, number them.
Copywriters forget they are salesmen and try to be performers.
Life's greatest achievements are achieved in an atmosphere of dynamic tension.
In a study of 70 campaigns, there was not a single before-and-after campaign which failed to increase sales.
Twice as many people read captions under an image so make them standalone mini-advertisements.
Mouth-watering images and specific how-to information is recommended.
Creativity is not a function of size.
There appears to be no correlation between leadership and academic achievement.
We never failed to win an account for which we competed, all we had to do was show the campaigns we had created.
Don't worry about the prices of your service, but rather the value you will add.
Tell your potential clients about your weak points before they notice them. It will make you more credible when you boast about your positives.
The day after a new business presentation, send the prospect a letter summarising the reasons why they should pick you.
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