The 5 Most Important Ogilvy Ads for Meta Advertisers

Summary

In this insightful video, viewers are introduced to David Ogilvy's influential advertising strategies that continue to shape modern marketing. The video showcases five of Ogilvy's top ads, revealing timeless techniques such as the power of headlines, the appeal of specific details, and the effectiveness of understated surprise. It also draws parallels between Ogilvy's methods and contemporary digital marketing, emphasizing the importance of customer research, creative storytelling, and strategic positioning. This educational content is designed to inspire marketers to refine their craft, even within the dynamic landscape of social media and paid advertising.

Takeaways

• 🔍 David Ogilvy is a highly influential advertiser, known as the 'father of advertising,' and his principles are still relevant in modern digital marketing.
• 📚 Ogilvy's background as a researcher at Gallup contributed significantly to his advertising success, emphasizing the importance of deep customer research.
• 📰 The headline is the most crucial part of an ad, as it attracts the most readers. Specific details in headlines perform better than generalities.
• 📝 Long-form primary text in ads can be highly effective if the headline hooks the right audience, even in the age of short social media content.
• 👁️ The Hathaway shirt ad exemplifies the power of creative thinking and the use of unexpected elements (like an eye patch) to draw attention.
• 🕴️ The Schweppes ad showcases the effectiveness of using a high-class, well-traveled persona to appeal to consumers' desires for sophistication and luxury.
• 🎭 The Dove ad demonstrates the importance of positioning, transforming a simple soap bar into a 'beauty bar' and achieving long-term success.
• ❤️ Emotional words, like 'darling' in the Dove ad, can significantly enhance an ad's impact by eliciting strong emotional responses from the audience.
• 🏢 The Puerto Rico ad, aimed at attracting businesses, is a prime example of effective B2B advertising, using statistics and benefits to appeal to its target audience.
• 🧠 Ogilvy's principles, such as thorough testing, learning from research, and creative innovation, remain foundational for successful advertising strategies today.

Q & A

Who is David Ogilvy and why is he considered influential in advertising?

David Ogilvy was a British advertising tycoon and the founder of one of the top ad agencies still in operation today. He is known as the 'father of advertising' and is considered influential because of his pioneering work in performance creative and his deep understanding of customer research.

What is the significance of Ogilvy's research on customers in his advertising campaigns?

Ogilvy attributed much of his success to the research he conducted on customers while developing his campaigns. This research helped him understand consumer behavior and preferences, which in turn allowed him to create more effective and targeted advertisements.

What are the key lessons from the Rolls-Royce advertisement that Ogilvy created?

The key lessons from the Rolls-Royce ad include the importance of a compelling headline that attracts attention and the effectiveness of specific details over generalities. Additionally, the ad demonstrates the power of understated surprise in capturing interest.

Why is the headline considered the most important part of an advertisement?

The headline is considered the most important part of an advertisement because it is read by five times the number of people who read the body copy. A strong headline is crucial for attracting the right audience and ensuring they engage with the rest of the ad.

What is the role of long-form primary text in effective advertising?

Long-form primary text has been found to be effective in advertising, especially for highly qualified audiences. Ogilvy's research showed that readership dropped off rapidly after 50 words, but from 50 to 500 words, the drop-off was less significant, indicating that longer text can engage and qualify the right audience.

What is the backstory of the Hathaway shirt advertisement and how did it impact the ad's success?

The Hathaway shirt ad was created under the condition that Ogilvy would have complete creative control, and the client would never change any copy. The iconic image of the man with the eye patch was a last-minute addition that Ogilvy decided on the way to the photo shoot, which ended up becoming a key element of the ad's success.

How did the 'Man from Schweppes' advertisement leverage curiosity to engage audiences?

The 'Man from Schweppes' ad focused on a subject that people were innately curious about, using an executive from the company to emulate a high-class, luxurious lifestyle. This approach tapped into the public's desire for travel and sophistication, making the ad highly engaging.

What is the significance of the Dove ad in terms of positioning and emotional appeal?

The Dove ad is significant because it positioned a simple hand bar as a beauty bar for women, a master class in marketing positioning. Additionally, the use of the word 'darling' in the headline was chosen based on its high emotional response, demonstrating the importance of emotional appeal in advertising.

How did the Puerto Rico ad serve as a B2B advertisement and what was its impact?

The Puerto Rico ad was a B2B advertisement aimed at bringing more businesses and industries to the island. It was highly effective, with Ogilvy stating it was the most effective ad he ever wrote, and it was revitalized in 2009, showing its lasting impact.

What can modern digital marketers learn from Ogilvy's advertising strategies?

Modern digital marketers can learn the importance of compelling headlines, the power of specific details, the effectiveness of long-form text, and the value of deep customer research from Ogilvy's strategies. These principles can be applied to digital platforms like social media and paid ads to enhance performance.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Embracing Ogilvy's Wisdom in Modern Marketing

This paragraph introduces the influence of David Ogilvy, a prominent advertiser from the past, on modern digital marketing. Despite some digital marketers' initial reluctance to engage with his teachings due to perceived irrelevance, the video aims to demonstrate how Ogilvy's principles are still applicable, particularly in performance creative. The speaker plans to showcase five of Ogilvy's top ads and draw parallels with contemporary ads, emphasizing the importance of understanding these classic strategies to enhance marketing skills in the realm of paid social media. David Ogilvy's background as a British advertising tycoon and his methodical approach to advertising through customer research are highlighted, along with his belief in the value of testing and learning from it.

05:00

🎨 The Art of Headlines and Storytelling in Advertising

The second paragraph delves into specific advertising lessons from Ogilvy's work, starting with the Rolls-Royce ad, which underscores the significance of headlines in attracting readers. It discusses the effectiveness of specific details over general statements and the concept of understated surprise, which appeals to the audience's desire for intellectual stimulation. The paragraph also touches on the performance of long-form primary text in advertising, supported by Ogilvy's research indicating that readership drops off after 50 words but stabilizes between 50 to 500 words. The discussion includes modern examples of ads that use text-heavy creatives to engage and qualify potential customers, as well as the Hathaway shirt ad, which became iconic due to an unexpected element introduced during a photoshoot, illustrating the power of creative intuition in advertising.

Keywords

💡David Ogilvy

David Ogilvy is referred to as the most influential advertiser of the last two centuries. Known as the father of advertising, Ogilvy founded a top ad agency and contributed significantly to the field with his research-driven approach. In the video, his legacy and techniques are discussed as timeless strategies still relevant in today's digital marketing landscape.

💡Performance Creative

Performance Creative refers to advertising content specifically designed to drive measurable actions such as clicks, conversions, or sales. The video highlights how Ogilvy's work laid the groundwork for what became performance creative, emphasizing the importance of compelling headlines and detailed copy to attract and engage the audience.

💡Research

Research in advertising involves gathering and analyzing data about consumers to create effective marketing campaigns. Ogilvy attributed much of his success to his background in research, which helped him understand customer behavior and preferences. The video emphasizes that thorough research is essential for creating impactful advertisements.

💡Headline

A headline is the main title or text of an advertisement, designed to capture attention. Ogilvy believed that the headline was the most crucial part of an ad, as it determines whether people will read the rest of the content. The video uses examples like the Rolls-Royce ad to illustrate the power of a strong, specific headline.

💡Long-form Copy

Long-form copy refers to advertisements with extensive text that provide detailed information about a product or service. Despite seeming outdated, the video explains that long-form copy can still be effective, as it engages readers who are genuinely interested, leading to higher quality leads.

💡Pattern Interrupt

Pattern interrupt is a technique used in advertising to capture attention by breaking the viewer's routine with something unexpected. The Hathaway shirt ad with the man wearing an eye patch is an example discussed in the video, showcasing how a small, surprising element can make an ad stand out.

💡Positioning

Positioning in marketing refers to the strategy of presenting a product or brand in a way that sets it apart from competitors. The video discusses how Ogilvy successfully repositioned Dove soap as a beauty bar for women, which helped the brand achieve long-term success. This concept is crucial for creating a distinct and appealing brand image.

💡Understated Surprise

Understated surprise is a subtle element in an advertisement that piques curiosity without being overly flashy. Ogilvy's ads often included this element to draw in readers. The video explains that this technique, when combined with specific details, can make an ad more engaging and memorable.

💡Founders Ads

Founders ads feature the founder of a company, often showcasing behind-the-scenes aspects of the business. The video mentions how modern brands use this approach to connect with audiences on a personal level, making the brand story more relatable and authentic.

💡Emotional Response

Emotional response in advertising refers to the use of words or visuals that evoke strong feelings from the audience. The video describes how Ogilvy used the word 'darling' in a Dove ad to create an emotional connection, demonstrating the power of carefully chosen language in advertising.

Highlights

David Ogilvy is considered the most influential advertiser of the last two centuries.

Digital marketers often overlook Ogilvy's teachings due to perceived irrelevance in modern advertising.

Ogilvy's work significantly contributed to performance creative in advertising.

Ogilvy was known as the father of advertising and attributed much of his success to customer research.

Ogilvy's book 'Ogilvy on Advertising' is a valuable resource for modern marketers.

Ogilvy valued testing, learning from tests, and deep customer research.

The Rolls-Royce ad demonstrates the importance of a headline in attracting readers.

Specifics in headlines are more effective than generalities.

Long-form primary text has been top-performing in paid social media campaigns.

Readership drops off rapidly with less than 50 words but stabilizes between 50 to 500 words.

The Hathaway shirt ad's success was due to creative control and an unexpected element.

Pattern interrupt is a classic advertising technique that can make ads stand out.

The Man from Schweppes ad capitalized on the allure of a high-class, well-traveled lifestyle.

Founder ads that pull back the curtain on a brand's story are effective in 2024.

The Dove ad is a masterclass in positioning, turning a simple soap bar into a beauty product.

Ogilvy's use of the word 'darling' in the Dove ad was based on emotional response research.

The Puerto Rico ad is an example of effective B2B advertising, utilizing facts and statistics.

Headlines should position the benefit, as seen in the Dove ad.

The video encourages viewers to appreciate the timeless value of Ogilvy's advertising principles.

Transcripts

if you want to sound smart in your next

marketing meeting then this video is for

you David olgy is probably the most

influential Advertiser of the last two

centuries however I often find that

digital marketers especially ones who

learn their Craft on the internet and

social media often shy away from his

teachings and his learnings because they

don't seem applicable the truth is is

that ooi probably did more for what

became performance creative than any

other marketer even if his ads don't

necessarily look like what converts

today on social media so in today's

video I'm I'm going to show you five of

oakal V's top advertisements and how

knowing these ads can ultimately make

you a better marketer even on paid

social I'm also going to show you ads

from today that use the exact same

tactics as his ads but first who was

this man who was OG so Ogie was a

British advertising Tycoon he was the

founder of one of the top ad agencies

that's still around Ogie he was known as

the father of advertising and something

that I found that was interesting

actually is he was a trained researcher

at Gallup and he attri a ton of his

success to the research he did on

customers while developing these

campaigns he wrote on Advertising

honestly I learned more from this book

about advertising un paid social than

literally any other book think about o

you know he was a real madman era type

of guy these are two of my favorite

quotes by him and I think that by

looking at these quotes you see okay

this is a man who values testing and

learning from those tests and deep

research on the customer honestly you

guys it's not it's not sexy work but do

work so the first ad that I want to show

you is this rollsroyce ad and there were

two big lessons that I learned from on

Advertising that are present in this

advertisement number one is that the

headline is the most important part he

said on average that five times the

amount of people that read the body copy

read the headline so it's imperative

that your headline sticks out and is

attracting the right types of people

another thing that I learned from this s

particularly again zooming in on that

headline are that specifics work way

better than generalities and when

looking at this headline Again David

Brer also spoke to this idea of the

understated surprise and I think that

this also tugs at the human desire for

intellect or looking like an

intellectual it is in fact a cool kind

of party trick to know this kind of fact

and I know some of you are probably

looking at this out and you're thinking

wow this is way too much text

interestingly enough long form primary

text has actually been some of the top

performing of my clients on meta for

several years now and text only ads are

on the rise as well right now in 2024 o

actually had a really interesting

insight into why a lot of text works his

research shows that readership dropped

off rapidly up to 50 words but from 50

to 500 words that that drop off wasn't

as significant so if you're able to hook

the right type of people with that

headline and they start actually reading

the longbody text those people that end

up reading the entirety of it are highly

qualified now there are several ads here

that I have that are inspired by this

idea of the understated surprise or of a

great headline Within we also have those

ad creatives that are leaning into that

idea of a lot more text and a lot more

data for the right Prospect to digest

and then become qualified next up we

have the Hathaway shirt and there's

actually a really interesting backstory

on this C halfway shirts couldn't

actually afford ogal V's services but

they agreed that they would give him

complete creative control they would

never fire him and they would never

change any copy and what's particularly

interesting about this ad creative is

the man with the eye patch almost didn't

even happen but ovie just had this idea

this gut instinct on the way to the

photo shoot to pick up a 50c ey patch

and at the photo shoot he asked the

photographer hey just humor me shoot a

few of these and from a few clicks that

the photographer took at that shoot

that's what ended up becoming this sad

creative this is classic pattern

interrupt this would have been a

completely normal ad campaign except for

this one thing that Drew a lot of

intrigue about the man about pathaway

man I think this type of creativity is

ripe for ugc creators to stand out and

do that one extra thing with Flare add

something different a surprise I think

this obvy ad is a great example of that

the third ad the man from schwep is here

similar to the Hathaway ad this creative

focuses on a subject that people are

innately curious about in this instance

Ogie actually used an executive from

scheps he emulated this high class new

and exciting lifestyle and this is also

around the time where people were

starting to travel more travel on planes

and he was this man from England and it

kind of gave off this air of like you

become a little bit more like this high

class luxurious man who is well traveled

if you have the strink now I think that

this ad creative is super similar to

Founders ads and why they work pulling

back the curtain especially in 2024 is

super important for Brands to survive

I've seen this several times where the

founder account on Tik Tok will perform

way better than the brand account and

that's because people want to know

people they don't really care about the

brand they want the behind the-scenes

story Zach shuck actually has this top

performing ad creative of him just

walking around in his Warehouse that was

a top performer for him recently the

truth is is that this idea of the

founders ad and pulling back the curtain

it's nothing new number four is this

Infamous Dove ad there are three big

things I think every Advertiser should

know about this ad number one it's a

master class in positioning they could

have just sold a handbar of but instead

they positioned it as a beauty bar for

women and this is something that I often

encourage the brands that I work with

how could we potentially alter the

positioning of the brand to really hit

home in a market like hinge which is the

app to be deleted liquid death which by

the way is just water and then there's

also things like dude wipes or get dirty

all of these brands have done a really

good job at positioning themselves in

aligning with a certain market so that

they were able to succeed the second

thing that I think is really interesting

is that this was actually an industry

that ogul V did not like working in and

even though he says it's really

excruciating to write an ad for a market

that he's not interested in he was

particularly not interested in Beauty

and lipstick and face powders and I

consider this beauty for sure cuz it's

now a beauty bar I do think that it's

really interesting that he was still

able to make something that was wildly

successful and began a more than 65e

partnership in fact 20 years ago when

they did the real Beauty campaign and

used real people in their ad Ms that was

o v's advertising agency that did that

now the third thing about this ad that I

think is important to know is

particularly one word that is in the

headline the use of the word darling as

a part of the research process they

actually took a group of people and

flashed words on a screen and they

measured the emotional responses to that

and they realized that darling was one

of those words that had a high emotional

response and that's why oy decided to

use it in the headline for dove and the

fifth one you guys always get on for not

doing enough B2B ads so I consider this

Puerto Rico ad a B2B ad and essentially

the task that ol had was to bring more

businesses and industries to Puerto Rico

oie actually said that this was the most

effective advertisement he's ever

written interestingly enough he spent 10

days in confinement writing this ad

which is a bit excessive and I think one

of the big lessons that I have here too

goes back to that idea of Statistics

utilize facts utilize numbers this is

also something that the Rolls-Royce ad

did right and I found that this is

actually more of a necessity in B2B this

ad C was actually so successful that OB

ended up revitalizing it in 2009 and

they did a Refresh on this campaign a

big learning here too as far as forming

headlines is your headline should

position the benefit the dove ad did

this too right but inside of all these

headlines and all these statistics they

presented a benefit for Industries to

morph to Puerto Rico and that's it if

you learned something please be sure to

give me a like And subscribe this isn't

the normal type of content I do but I

really enjoy doing it and doing the

research for it so if you like it please

be sure to let me know in the comments

so I can make more content like this and

I'll see you next week bye