David Ogilvy Quotes from the Advertising Tycoon

To learn more about the “Father of Advertising,” look at these David Ogilvy quotes.

David Ogilvy was a successful British advertising tycoon who founded Ogilvy & Mather and became known as the “Father of Advertising.”

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He was born in West Horsley, England, in 1911 and died in Chateau de Touffou, France, in 1999 at 88.

Ogilvy flunked out of school in 1931 and began selling kitchen cooking stoves which he was very good at.

He was so good that his boss asked him to write a sales manual, and Fortune magazine called it the best sales manual ever written.

His older brother, who worked for an advertising agency, showed the manual to his bosses, and they liked it so much that they hired David as an account executive.

Look at these David Ogilvy quotes to learn more about the great marketer.

David Ogilvy Quotes About Advertising

Ogilvy, one of the most influential advertisers, has many quotes.

1. “Aim out of the ballpark.” — David Ogilvy

2. “I don’t believe in tricky advertising.” — David Ogilvy

3. “The more you tell, the more you sell.” — David Ogilvy

4. “Tell the truth, but make the truth fascinating.” — David Ogilvy

5. “It takes genius, faith, and perseverance to create a brand.” — David Ogilvy

6. “Consumers do not buy products. They buy product benefits.” — David Ogilvy

7. “Never stop testing, and your advertising will never stop improving.” — David Ogilvy

8. “Don’t count the people that you reach; reach the people who count.” — David Ogilvy

9. “The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be.” — David Ogilvy

10. “You know you can’t bore people into buying your product, you can only interest them into buying it.” — David Ogilvy

Fun David Ogilvy Quotes

Enjoy some of David Ogilvy’s funniest quotes.

11. “Hard work never killed a man.” — David Ogilvy

12. “The consumer isn’t a moron. She is your wife.” — David Ogilvy

13. “When you advertise fire extinguishers, open with the fire.” — David Ogilvy

14. “Where people aren’t having any fun, they seldom produce good work.” — David Ogilvy

15. “The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible.” — David Ogilvy

16. “If you ever find a man who is better than you are – hire him. If necessary, pay him more than you pay yourself.” — David Ogilvy

17. “When I write an advertisement, I don’t want you to tell me that you find it ‘creative.’ I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product.” — David Ogilvy

Best David Ogilvy Quotes

Here are some of the best quotes from the famous advertising executive.

18. “A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself.” — David Ogilvy

19. “I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information.” — David Ogilvy

20. “The more story-appeal there is in the picture or in the photograph, the more people would look at your ad.” — David Ogilvy

21. “Try and inject into every commercial you make a touch of singularity; a bird that will hook on to the consumer’s mind.” — David Ogilvy

22. “It’s the lack of ambition that cripples most people and makes them so pedestrian in the advertising/creative business.” — David Ogilvy

23. “In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.” — David Ogilvy

24. “In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.” — David Ogilvy

25. “I don’t know the rules of grammar. If you’re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language.” — David Ogilvy

What Were the Next Steps In Ogilvy’s Career?

Ogilvy convinced his bosses to send him to the Gallup Audience Research Institute, and after working for the British Intelligence Service, he started his advertising agency called Ogilvy and Mather.

He ran his company according to his principle of meticulous research into customers’ habits.

His most known advertising campaigns included Dove soap, Rolls-Royce, and Hathaway shirts.

Share these David Ogilvy Quotes with your friends and family, and post any comments about Ogilvy in the comment section below.

Stephanie Kirby

Stephanie Kirby is a Lifestyle Writer at Everyday Power and the Founder of Rising River Marketing. She is also experienced in SEO and WordPress. As a freelance writer, she has helped create content that will position business owners as an authority in their markets while providing valuable content for their readers. The principal areas of work include content surrounding mental health, leadership and personal development, and small business growth. She enjoys partnering with therapists and coaches to help them connect with clients online and better the world by helping people.She understands that customer service is a key component in growing your business. Focusing on the minor details and ensuring that the customer or reader has an excellent experience is paramount to success. She strives to carry those details into every aspect of businesses, including any content she creates.