Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Book Review: David Ogilvy's Confessions of An Advertising Man

Here's one of the real Mad Men.

Ogilvy was a smooth, masterful advertising avatar of post-war consumerism. He successfully advertised shirts, tourism (notably Puerto Rico), Rolls-Royce and many other famous products.

In Confessions of An Advertising Man, Ogilvy (who's a gifted raconteur) stays mostly away from his colorful past and instead discusses his insights on the craft of advertising.

Confessions is full of surprising advice: for example, don't take an account from a company with declining sales (you'll fail) and sans serif is the easiest font to read.

Ogilvy, famous as a copywriter, also lays out some how-to in the art of copywriting.

If you're entrepreneurial, pay attention to how Ogilvy creates and runs his own advertising agency.

No comments: