David Ogilvy

Never stop testing, and your advertising will never stop improving.

I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information.

Advertising is only evil when it advertises evil things.

The relationship between a manufacturer and his advertising agency is almost as intimate as the relationship between a patient and his doctor. Make sure that you can life happily with your prospective client before you accept his account.

The secret of long life is double careers. One to about age sixty, then another for the next thirty years.

I avoid clients for whom advertising is only a marginal factor in their marketing mix. They have an awkward tendency to raid their advertising appropriations whenever they need cash for other purposes.

I have very good executives and great children. They’re very good.

Every advertisement should be thought of as a contribution to the complex symbol which is the brand image.

People in the beauty community don’t like copycats, so I think it’s important to stay true to who you are and people will stay your customer.

Like a midwife, I make my living bringing new babies into the world, except that mine are new advertising campaigns.

Men are not great or small because of their material possessions. They are great or small because of what they are.

The tooth fairy teaches children that they can sell body parts for money.

There is no failure except failure to serve one’s purpose.

If the boss stands in the way of men getting what they earn, he is not fit to be boss.

A big business never becomes big by being a narrow society looking after only the interests of its organization and stockholders.

Only a fool never changes his mind.

The highest use of capital is not to make more money, but to make money do more for the betterment of life.

If you can run one business well, you can run any business well.

I never aspired to be a public figure. I have always been interested primarily in real business and the development of business strategies.

The art of effective listening is essential to clear communication, and clear communication is necessary to management success.

As a rule, we find what we look for; we achieve what we get ready for.