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This is copywritting notes of tybmm
It will help my bmm frndz in semester 5
The Secret Behind David Ogilvy’s Brilliant Headline Copywriting
“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.”~ David Ogilvy
David Ogilvy is one of the greatest ad men ever. His contributions to the marketing industry are incalculable. And anyone in advertising couldn’t imagine a world without his iconic ads.
In his day, marketing budgets were spread amongst the traditional marketing outlets; magazines, newspapers and commercials, for example. But as we have transitioned into the digital age, what could we possibly learn from this classical ad man? Turns out, a lot.
Appealing to Your Audience
The above ad contains what is arguably considered the most famous headline of all time. But why is this? To answer that, we must think critically about the underlying message here and what Ogilvy is attempting to convey to readers.
“I don’t know the rules of grammar. If you’re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language.”~ David Ogilvy
imagine this scenario: It’s 1958, Americans have been living in a prosperous post-war era for years, and the automobile is the ultimate rolling status symbol. The folks at Rolls-Royce approach Ogilvy for promotion.
What could David possibly do to persuade buyers towards a Rolls-Royce versus the slew of other luxury options? In essence, a luxury car is just a luxury car, right? They all claim to be quick, comfortable and classy.
Ogilvy recognized the similarities between all the luxury automobile offerings and searched for a remarkable trait. A benefit that spoke to the audience. But what benefit would the upper-elite crave the most? The ad man knew an escape from the impoverished world is something the upper-class notoriously desire. Or in other words, they longed for peace and quiet. So by simply pulling a quote from the Technical Editor’s write-up in The Motor, he had his headline:
“At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.”
Eureka! He had struck advertising gold. And the rich and famous finally had an option to escape the average, everyday lower-class world while driving from mansion to beach-home
Lesson: His headline spoke the language of the intended audience.
Thus, the challenge for modern day copywriting comes in when attempting to capture an audience’s attention while speaking to them in engaging yet understandable language.
It will help my bmm frndz in semester 5
The Secret Behind David Ogilvy’s Brilliant Headline Copywriting
“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.”~ David Ogilvy
David Ogilvy is one of the greatest ad men ever. His contributions to the marketing industry are incalculable. And anyone in advertising couldn’t imagine a world without his iconic ads.
In his day, marketing budgets were spread amongst the traditional marketing outlets; magazines, newspapers and commercials, for example. But as we have transitioned into the digital age, what could we possibly learn from this classical ad man? Turns out, a lot.
Appealing to Your Audience
The above ad contains what is arguably considered the most famous headline of all time. But why is this? To answer that, we must think critically about the underlying message here and what Ogilvy is attempting to convey to readers.
“I don’t know the rules of grammar. If you’re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language.”~ David Ogilvy
imagine this scenario: It’s 1958, Americans have been living in a prosperous post-war era for years, and the automobile is the ultimate rolling status symbol. The folks at Rolls-Royce approach Ogilvy for promotion.
What could David possibly do to persuade buyers towards a Rolls-Royce versus the slew of other luxury options? In essence, a luxury car is just a luxury car, right? They all claim to be quick, comfortable and classy.
Ogilvy recognized the similarities between all the luxury automobile offerings and searched for a remarkable trait. A benefit that spoke to the audience. But what benefit would the upper-elite crave the most? The ad man knew an escape from the impoverished world is something the upper-class notoriously desire. Or in other words, they longed for peace and quiet. So by simply pulling a quote from the Technical Editor’s write-up in The Motor, he had his headline:
“At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.”
Eureka! He had struck advertising gold. And the rich and famous finally had an option to escape the average, everyday lower-class world while driving from mansion to beach-home
Lesson: His headline spoke the language of the intended audience.
Thus, the challenge for modern day copywriting comes in when attempting to capture an audience’s attention while speaking to them in engaging yet understandable language.