David Ogilvy

If it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative.

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

Some manufacturers illustrate their advertisements with abstract paintings. I would only do this if I wished to conceal from the reader what I was advertising.

On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.

The advertisers who believe in the selling power of jingles have never had to sell anything.

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

When two men in business always agree, one of them is unnecessary.

Acquiring the habit of note-taking is therefore a wonderfully complementary skill to that of listening.

Advertising reflects the mores of society, but it does not influence them.

In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield.

It is only by being bold that you get anywhere. If you are a risk-taker, then the art is to protect the downside.

Too many would-be executives are slaves of routine.

Competition is the lifeblood of industry.

Employers only handle the money – it is the customer who pays the wages.

Nobody’s ever called me Sir Richard. Occasionally in America, I hear people saying Sir Richard and think there’s some Shakespearean play taking place. But nowhere else anyway.

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

Not everybody is some kind of media model.

Many people – and I think I am one of them – are more productive when they’ve had a little to drink. I find if I drink two or three brandies, I’m far better able to write.

One client didn’t want to go out so had us build him a nightclub in his house.

Theory is splendid but until put into practice, it is valueless.

I never went to business school. I was just bumbling through a lot of my life. I was like the guy behind the curtain in The Wizard of Oz.