If you are a copywriter especially a direct response copywriter then you probably heard of David Ogilvy. One of the legendary copywriters of his time, he started and ran an Advertising Agency that is still around today.
In this overview of his book Confessions of an Advertising Man. I will give you my opinion and an inside look at some of the gems in this book.
If you happen to have dreams of running your own marketing agency. I highly suggest getting and reading this book. Even though some of the information is dated because this book was written in the 1960’s a lot of the information is more than relevant today.
This book is divided into 11 chapters or parts. They are titles in a way that even if you wanted to skip through it. You could and get something useful to your situation as an agency, freelancer or copywriter.
The chapters are titles as followed:
- How to Manage An Advertising Agency
- How to Get Clients
- How to Keep Clients
- How to be a Good Client
- How to Build Great Campaigns
- How to Write Potent Copy
- How to Illustrate Advertisements and Posters
- How to Make Good Television Commercials
- How to Make Good Campaigns for Food Products, Tourist Destinations and Proprietary Medicines
- How to Rise on the Top of the Tree-Advice to the Young
- Should Advertising Be Abolished?
The book is 190 pages long if you get the physical copy and because of the way it is organized you should be able to find it as a very good reference book.
An example of the gems I have found in this book are:
Don’t haggle with your agency.
If, for example you are stingy about paying for research, you will wind up without enough research. Your agency will be forced to fly blind. This could cost you your company.
See your Clients Often and not just during bad times.
The head of an agency has so much on his plate that he is apt to see his clients only during times of crisis. This is a mistake.
Be able to sell your ideas.
In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.
These three gems are just the few of the great pieces of advice and insight presented in Confessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy.
It is worthy the read and having this book in your collection if you are a serious copywriter, marketer and agency. If you like to grab it now then click on the image below to get it from Amazon.
