Our business is infested with idiots who try to impress by using pretentious jargon.
David OgilvyRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The headline serves as a critical tool to attract potential customers to your advertisement.
David Ogilvy emphasizes the importance of headlines in advertising, stating that they function as an invitation for readers who are likely to be interested in the advertised product. A compelling headline not only grabs attention but also targets the right audience, ultimately guiding prospects toward the product being promoted.
Themes
HeadlineAdvertisingMarketingProspectsProduct
In practice
Example use cases
At a marketing seminar to highlight the importance of headlines in effective advertisements.
More from David Ogilvy
All quotes βSome 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.
David OgilvyRead
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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