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
It takes a big idea to attract the attention of consumers and get them to buy your product. Unless your advertising contains a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night. I doubt if more than one campaign in a hundred contains a big idea.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A successful advertisement needs a compelling idea to capture consumer interest and drive sales.
David Ogilvy emphasizes the importance of having a 'big idea' in advertising. He suggests that without a unique and attention-grabbing concept, advertisements are likely to go unnoticed by consumers, akin to a ship passing in the night. Ogilvy's statement underlines the rarity and necessity of innovation in marketing campaigns to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Themes
AdvertisingBig IdeaConsumersAttentionMarketing
In practice
Example use cases
During a marketing seminar, to illustrate the importance of creative ideas in ads.
More from David Ogilvy
All quotes →Our 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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