The Rules Of Advertising In Ogilvy On Advertising By David Ogilvy
Ogilvy on Advertising was written by David Ogilvy in 1983. Throughout the book, David Ogilvy discusses numerous “rules” and “pieces of advice” per chapter that he feels are pertinent to advertising. Although it was written almost four decades ago, many of his “rules” and “advice” still currently apply in advertising. Out of all the “rules” and “advice” mentioned, the three most important that are still relevant in advertising today are the importance of brand image, the effect of emotion in ads/commercials and the effect of humor in ads/commercials. Each of these three are key to all ads and commercials being produced. Brand image is the first and arguably the most important rule of advertising today.
David Ogilvy defines image as “personality” and says, “Products, like people, have personalities, and they can make or break them in the marketplace”. Even in 1983, Ogilvy determined that brand image was key. According to a Forbes article, brand image matters more than one may think. Brand image makes an impression, creates recognition, shows how put-together you are, and builds credibility and creativity. “When consumers buy a product or service, they aren't just buying a product or service; they're buying what your brand stands for”. It is what can ultimately decide whether a consumer will buy the product or not and if they will be a recurring customer. Companies will always need a good brand image for their products no matter what time period. The stronger the brand image and brand promise, the easier it will be for the customer to remember and recognize the brand which in turn creates brand loyalty. “Brand image plays a direct and significant role in influencing customers’ loyalty to the brand”.
Consumers and customers will be loyal to the companies that display a strong and trustworthy brand and a want for customer's needs and satisfaction. In both the past and today’s industry, confidence in a specific brand based on the brand image, can make or break the company as a whole. A study done in 2015 by Yi Zhang supports this fact. “Confidence stems from five important considerations: first, the brand performs its functions as designed; second, the social image is associated with purchasing or owning the brand; third, consumers’ recognition and sentimental attachment with brand; fourth, the balance between the brand’s value and its functionalities; fifth, consumers trust in the brand”. Just like other aspects of advertising, brand image and it’s meaning evolves over time but has remained relevant since 1983 and will continue to be relevant in both the present and future. Today, people are very impressionable and knowledgeable and will not be fooled by an inadequate brand if the brand’s image is tainted. Competition has also knowingly increased over the years, therefore, companies’ brand image and identity must be the top priority in order to gain brand loyalty. “In the increasingly competitive world marketplace, companies need to have a deeper insight into consumer behavior and educate consumers about the brand in order to develop effective marketing strategies”.
The one company that continues to be successful throughout the years and remains one of the top companies is Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola is also widely known as one with the best and strongest brand images in the industry. According to Fortune 500, Coca-Cola was ranked 48th in 1983 and has continuously climbed its way in the rankings since. In 2016, Coca-Cola was named 3rd in the Most Valuable Brands Ranking (2016). On February 1, 2018, Coca-Cola launched their “A Coke for Everyone” campaign (2018). On February 4, 2018, they debuted the “The Wonder of Us” commercial, which showcases the campaign, during the Super Bowl. The campaign and ad do a wonderful job of following the rule of the importance of brand image because it shows that Coca-Cola knows their audience and engaged their loyal customers. Ad Week claims that the ad sends a message of inclusion which is very important in society these days. “Coca-Cola has long made a name for itself based on its inclusive messaging in its advertising. Think back to the iconic “Hilltop” ad, or the brand’s 2014 “It’s Beautiful” Big Game spot, set to “America the Beautiful. ” Now, the brand is back with another message of diversity and inclusion…”.
Coca-Cola has consistently put their brand before anything else and has maintained relevance by taking their own spin on certain topics such as diversity in the “The Wonder of Us” commercial (2018). In the beginning of the commercial it shows a bottle of Coca-Cola being spun. The cameras then pan to a series of shots of diverse people of all ages, sizes, races, etc drinking different versions of Coca-Cola while a poem is being read in the background. “More than ever, we recognize people want their Coca-Cola in different ways, but whichever one they want, they want a Coca-Cola brand with great taste and uplifting refreshment, ” (2018). That is why this specific commercial and ad campaign shows that Coca-Cola knows not only their own brand image but how to use their image to make their customers feel included. The second rule that is still relevant today is the effect of emotion in ads/commercials. “Researchers have not yet found a way to quantify the effectiveness of emotion, but I have come to believe that commercials with a large content of nostalgia, charm and even sentimentality can be enormously effective”. Measuring emotion has not yet been entirely mastered today as well but it still remains an effective approach for ads and commercials because human beings will always have emotions and be able to relate to others emotions as well.
The Advertising Research Foundation conducted a study about how “patterns of reactions to commercials can demonstrate advertising effectiveness”. Their study’s findings suggest that emotional experiences are co-created but different commercials and ads can hone in on past emotions to create a new reaction in the moment. In 2015, Forbes created a list of some of that year’s top ads that pulled on emotion. “Many ads this year have effectively been trying to tug on the heartstrings of viewers and make them feel something along with the video they are watching… by incorporating a deeper emotional layer; these ads were able to attract more viewers and go viral. ” Tugging on the heartstrings is not the only way to reel in an audience through emotion; there are many other emotions that ads and commercials can hone in on such as sadness, joy, fear, excitement, etc. The smoking commercials produced by The Truth and the CDC use fear in their commercials to try and scare their audience into breaking the bad habit. The ASPCA notoriously uses sadness in their commercials to convince their audience to either donate or rescue an animal from their many shelters. In general, the majority of ads and commercials today use emotions in order to engage their audience.
The one company that consistently produces emotional holiday commercials every year is Publix. An article on Southern Living’s website states that “There’s no denying the beloved supermarket knows how to pull at our heartstrings–especially around the holidays. They just get us”. In 2015, Publix released arguably their best holiday commercial yet called “The Surprise” (2017). “This year's effort from the Florida-based supermarket chain may have topped them all, ” says an ABC local 10 news journalist, Jeff Tavss, about the new holiday commercial (2015). The commercial starts off with a shot of a group of boys who seem to maybe be getting into some trouble (2017). One goes up to a door and appears to place something unknown on the doorstep. Once this is done, the boys run off and an elderly woman opens up the door. The next shot is of the boy the same day in his house with his family at Christmas time. He constantly checks the door and window waiting for something. The family is cooking and setting the table when their door rings. The mother opens the door addressing the elderly woman when she says she found an invitation for their Christmas dinner from the little boy on her doorstep. The commercial ends with “Merry, Christmas! From Publix”. The commercial not only pulls at the heartstrings, but shows how the holiday spirit can influence anyone. Publix knows what their audience and customers long for and uses it in their commercials. “The Surprise” is a perfect example of an emotional commercial done right. Four decades later, companies are still using emotion in their commercials because they are indeed “enormously effective” just like David Ogilvy said in 1983.
The third and final rule that David Ogilvy discussed in his book that remains relevant today is the effect of humor in ads/commercials. Although it is very similar to the second rule, it is still pertinent in advertising today. “Claude Hopkins, the father of modern advertising thundered, ‘People don't buy from clowns’. . . I have reason to believe that it remained true until recently, but the latest wave of factor-analysis reveals that humor can now sell. This came as a great relief to me; I had always hated myself for rejecting the funny commercials submitted for my approval”. It may had been a newer concept for Ogilvy back then but it remains today that humor does actually sell and is one of the most effective selling tactics. According to Point Park University, humor in advertising does three things: it grabs the audience's attention, creates a memorable, lasting impression and correlates the positive emotion from the commercial to the brand its discussing. Within this article, the author references a separate study done by Journal of Marketing back in 1993. The study stated, “Humor is more likely to enhance recall, evaluation, and purchase intention when the humorous message coincides with ad objectives, is well-integrated with those objectives, and is viewed as appropriate for the product category”.
In order for humor in advertising to be successful, the company has to know when it is and isn't appropriate. Moffitt Cancer Center would not joke or use humor about their cancer research facility. Not only would it discredit the company as a whole but the audience would look down upon possibly the field in general just from one ad from one company. When used correctly, it is the number one effective tool in ads/commercials with over 50% of all ads globally using humor. Doritos is iconic for their odd but funny superbowl commercials. Forbes ranked the top 10 funniest superbowl commercials of 2018, with Doritos’ commercial taking first place. The commercial is actually a duo with Mountain Dew. The commercial is called “Doritos Blaze vs. Mountain Dew Ice”. These two companies saw a great opportunity to piggyback off of one another which is a brilliant marketing strategy that not many use. The commercial starts off with Peter Dinklage walking down a hall filled with pictures lip syncing to the famously fast rap of “Look At Me Now” by Busta Rhymes (2018). As he is walking and lip syncing, things start catching fire. At the end he blows fire out of his mouth and the cameras cut to a shot of the Doritos Blaze with the hashtag #spitfire. The second part of the commercial for Mountain Dew is with Morgan Freeman. The scene starts out similar just a colder hue to the background. As Morgan Freeman starts walking down the opposite end of the hall he starts freezing things as he walks by. He lip syncs to Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On”. At the end, his half of the hall is completely frozen over as he takes a sip of Mountain Dew Ice. Throughout the double part commercial, both Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliot make appearances as talking paintings on the walls of the hall. Not only is the entire commercial jam packed with celebrities, but it does a good job at using polar opposites such as the celebrity choice. Peter Dinklage and Morgan Freeman are the most polar opposite it could probably get in terms of celebrities but it worked brilliantly because the two products are just that: polar opposite. Not only is the structure and production of commercial good, but it is also humourous. Both actors are not stereotypical rappers but the commercial hones in on that which makes the commercial number one on Forbes list of funniest commercials. Humor, just like emotion, is something that every human being experiences whether it was 40 years ago or today which is why it remain relevant in advertising today.
All three rules are very important to advertising today as individual aspects but they also tie into each other. A brand’s image depends on how well they are perceived by their audience and customers. They must know how to produce quality ads/commercials and when to use certain techniques such as humor and emotion. If a company wrongly executes an ad or commercial with one of these techniques, it can destroy their brand image. Not only do these three rules tie into each other but almost every rule in David Ogilvy’s Ogilvy on Advertising ties into each other in order to produce good advertising. The three rules, importance of brand image, the effect of emotion in ads/commercials and the effect of humor in ads/commercials, were important and will remain important in advertising for years to come.
