McIntosh Marketing Blog

When I say his name, unfortunately not too many people have heard of this legendary giant of advertising.

He has often been called, “The Father of Advertising.”  In 1962, Time called David Ogilvy, “the most sought-after wizard in today’s advertising industry.”  Author Kenneth Roman wrote a book about David Ogilvy titled, “The King Of Madison Avenue.” There is no doubt that David Ogilvy still shapes contemporary thought on the practices of advertising and selling even to this day.

While the methods have dramatically changed over time, the basic philosophy has not. Some things about Man himself are timeless. David Ogilvy intuitively knew this better than most people. And because of that, David Ogilvy shaped and developed his craft to near scientific results.

David Ogilvy was not only brilliant and pragmatic in the arts of advertising, marketing and selling, but he also made it his life’s effort to educate others. He believed that individuals and companies could be better served if they were to engage in advertising properly. For a successful company meant jobs, increased productivity, higher sales and earnings and thus a better way of life. He truly served as a business coach, way before the term was coined.

Ogilvy’s advertising philosophy followed these four basic principles:

• Research: Maturing as he did from a background in research, David never underestimated its importance in advertising. In fact, in 1952, when he opened his own agency, David billed himself as research director.
• Professional discipline: “I prefer the discipline of knowledge to the anarchy of ignorance.” David codified knowledge into slide and film presentations he called Magic Lanterns. He also instituted several training programs for young advertising professionals.
• Creative brilliance: David had a strong emphasis on the “BIG IDEA.”
• Results for clients: “In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.”

Here is a video from David Ogilvy. may you listen, learn and in some way find a better way to bring about more prosperity for your company, your family and yourself.

Madison Avenue must be reeling at the fast changes within our media world. How could they have predicted the sheer transformation of how YouTube, social media and the worldwide dominance of the celebrity mentality would shape how we market.

Nike just released a new advert that say’s so much about the changes of not only how world revolves, but how we interact with each other. Moreover, this advert from Nike indicates to businesses on how the majority of marketing has yet to really caught up with those fast-paced changes. The Nike advert that they just released, featuring soccer phenom Ronaldo, is not only a strong message in itself, but a commentary of where we are at as a global community.

Let’s look at the critical aspects of this advert from Nike:

• The advert is three minutes long, not 30 or 60 seconds. This is because YouTube has extended our ability and expectations from a video and an advert. Nike is not buying a traditional TV spot; they are telling a story and letting viral marketing run its course.
• The video shows how addicted we are to sports, but how much it is a part of our lives and even the ability to gain power, affect markets and transform the pride of an entire nation with sports. True sports heros are national treasures and icons, just as Ancient Greece revered their gods.
• Featuring in that video is how YouTube videos are not only watched, but how then drive new jargon, dances and even how we communicate, establish reality and that we understand each other, knowing we belong to the same “tribe.”
• The new slogan, “Write Your Future” captures the desire to determine our future in these uncertain times. Just like Nike captured a generation with “Just Do It”, they have now found three new words to embed the minds of a new generation looking for empowerment, even if vicariously through a brand and a hallowed sports figure. It offers hope and that one can do something about it without looking for government entitlement.

Nike has struck marketing gold once again, showing that like any art form one can capture and articulate a new feeling through a strong brand and simple message.