Customer Rating:
Summary: The Master plys his trade
Comment: Ogilvy is a master and this book is an insightful look into the world of advertising.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: the story of a remarkable career in display advertising
Comment: This is, I believe, the first book about advertising
I read... many years ago. Ogilvy is a smooth writer
and this is an easy read.

Lost of examples of successful display advertisements
and crowing about his successes. He's not that humble.

Drayton Bird ran Ogilvy Direct - the division of O&M
that handled the ghetto of direct response marketing
- which is what all us internet guys do. Bird's
stuff is even better, IMO, more specialized.
Drayton Bird, Ogilvy's employee, is more of a working
stump... the kind of guy who has been kicked around
a lot in direct response and lived to tell the tale

Ogilvy successfully created slogans and brands. He
wrote some grand headlines. He's an icon and was for
many, many years of his own lifetime. His book is
sort of written from an Ivory tower I think. I'm
noy saying he was out of touch, just that he was
so successful in general at the time he wrote the
book that one would think he farted perfume.

Don't take me too seriously. Ogilvy on Advertising
is great, especially for full-page display ad copy.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A quick, interesting read with solid advertising fundamentals
Comment: A solid book that focuses on the basic fundamentals of advertising by one of the most respected "admen" around. It's spattered with interesting stories and some history of advertising, however it is a bit dated since it was published before the Internet age.

Although it may not be the most contemporary book, it still provides great insight and retrospect into how Ogilvy became the advertising master of his time. Anyone in the ad/creative/pr industry should find this interesting. Just keep in mind that things have evolved since this was first written.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Chapter 2 is Worth it Alone
Comment: In my first year in marketing, chapter two of this book "how to produce advertising that sells" helped me immensely. I cannot say enough about this chapter. Ogilvy details his copy success, and a few of his failures, and provides invaluable insight into the mind of one of the greatest ad men of all time.

Overall the book goes on to some more specific topics, like how to run an ad agency, which is also a good primer into what it is like in the boiler room environment that an agency career can be.

This book is truly a classic, but chapter two has been invaluable to my thinking and learning about advertising.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Better than a 4 Year Degree in Advertising
Comment: Despite some of the reviewers comments that Ogilvy's "On Adversting" is irrelevant because his work predates the Internet, this book is a 'must read' for anyone venturing into the world of advertising.

I prefer that you not read it, as I do not need any more knowledgeable competition. I would disregard is basic advice only grudgingly, and probably to my, my agency's and my client's detriment.

I would be surprised if 2% of his comments are truly outdated. He knows more about how to sell via ads than almost anyone in the business. He clearly and simply makes point after point about how to get and keep the attention of the audience... not to entertain...but to sell. Although many would like you to think that human nature suddenly changed with the web, it hasn't. His comments and the vast majority of his techniques remain today, highly valuable. His general business advice is invaluable.

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