Marketing Meditations

David Ogilvy wrote that once you have written your headline, you have spent 80 cents of your dollar. In this episode, I read passages from Confessions of an Advertising Man on the work before and after the headline: the homework, the headline itself, body copy and plain communication. I translate each into something you can use in your work today.

Chapters

• 00:00 - Headlines: 80 cents of your dollar
• 00:42 - Why this show exists, and what this episode covers
• 01:44 - Ogilvy on writing well, and why boring is a sin
• 03:40 - His last will and testament: study the product, promise a benefit
• 04:22 - Do the homework: become the best-informed person on the account
• 06:38 - Give the facts
• 08:31 - Details matter, and the 35-pound figure
• 09:55 - How to write potent copy
• 10:15 - The ten headline guides
• 14:04 - Clear versus clever
• 15:11 - Body copy: write to one person, be specific
• 15:55 - Long copy: Schlitz and the Rolls-Royce ads
• 16:45 - Every ad is a complete sales pitch
• 17:03 - Testimonials
• 17:54 - Helpful advice
• 18:23 - Why the multi-step ad funnel falls short
• 19:34 - Good content, and why giving value builds reciprocity
• 20:43 - Captions
• 21:38 - Formatting long copy
• 22:57 - "Broetry" and timeless principles
• 23:44 - Plain writing: jargon and acronyms
• 24:44 - Presentations, rehearsal and AI slides
• 26:15 - Be brief, be brilliant, be gone
• 28:00 - The unconscious, and a closing example of clear writing
• 29:41 - Close, guide and book

What's inside the playbook

• A ten-check headline scorecard, with space to write sixteen headlines
• A copy and clarity checklist for body copy, long copy and everyday communication

Get the free playbook:
https://www.derevaco.com/marketing-meditations/how-to-write-headlines-and-copy-playbook/

Read along:
Confessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy: https://link.amazon/B00Gp1lUC

Link to podcast episode page:
https://www.derevaco.com/marketing-meditations/how-to-write-headlines-and-copy/

Episodes you might like:
001: Why Marketers Ignore What Works and Repeat What Doesn't

David Ogilvy counted 49 ads in a single magazine issue that ignored a rule research had already settled. In this first episode, I read passages from Confessions of an Advertising Man on why marketers skip evidence that exists, and translate each into something you can use in your work today.

Chapters

• 00:00 - The pig and the truffles: knowledge over ignorance
• 00:27 - Why this show exists, and why Ogilvy is the hub
• 02:19 - "Allergic to rules": rules, frameworks, playbooks and skills
• 03:41 - 49 ads in reverse type, years after the research
• 05:23 - Why marketing teaches no underlying principles
• 05:46 - Ogilvy's lessons: the 19-to-1 gap and promising a benefit
• 07:11 - The Magic Lantern: do rules make work dull?
• 09:09 - Price-off deals and the short-term trap
• 11:06 - The 15% and the 85%
• 12:47 - The trap of more
• 15:10 - Approval layers, flat fees and incentives
• 18:09 - A moving parade, not a standing army
• 19:47 - Test everything
• 21:17 - Sell the outcome, then choose the promise
• 24:06 - Give the facts
• 26:56 - Brand image, and research as a lamppost
• 28:43 - The brand as a coefficient
• 29:45 - The ice-box policy
• 31:27 - Testimonials and the question "Are you for me?"
• 33:02 - Why award-winning ads prove little
• 34:32 - Curiosity, photographs and faces
• 39:08 - Match the medium
• 41:35 - Problem, remedy, proof
• 42:46 - Why specialists win
• 44:58 - Close, playbook and book

What's inside the playbook

• Nine principles from the episode, each with Ogilvy's evidence and a question to ask of your own work
• The Audit: a worksheet for grading your last five assets
• A decision rule for what to treat as settled and what to test

Get the playbook:
https://www.derevaco.com/marketing-meditations/ignore-what-works-playbook/

Read along:
Confessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy: https://link.amazon/B00Gp1lUC

Link to podcast episode page:
https://www.derevaco.com/marketing-meditations/ignore-what-works/