As the year draws to a close, it’s a great time to revisit some great advertising wisdom. For this post and those throughout the month, I draw on Ogilvy on Advertising, a terrific book that remains relevant despite the passage of 30 years.
Create a Hero
“Make the product the hero,” says Mr. Ogivily. If you think the product you’re writing about is way too dull, then be aware that “there are no dull products, only dull writers.” At Ogilvy and Mather, Mr. Ogilvy assigned products to writers only if he knew they were interested in them. Mr. Oglivy, in fact, tended to be interested in his client’s products to the point of actually using them. (That included Dove soap, Maxwell House coffee, Rolls Royce, and even Sears’ menswear.)
Differentiation
But I digress. Mr. Ogilvy acknowledges that many products are no different from their competitors and that marketers use the same research to determine consumer preferences. So what makes the difference? Good copywriting.
Value Add
Yep. Good, persuasive writing (and advertising style) helps a product stand out. If you don’t find routers and switches or app containerization at least somewhat interesting, then your clients are out of luck. If, on the other hand, you can create a story in your own head about how networking hardware or a containerized productivity app saved the day for a police department or a hardworking road warrior, there’s a good chance your enthusiasm will make it to paper. I’ve seen it happen and have experienced it in my own work. Mr. Ogily saw it too and noted, “This is the ‘added value’ which advertising contributes, and I am not sufficiently puritanical to hate myself for it.”
Check out this great bonus David Ogilvy video. Only 4 minutes of time well spent.
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