Posts Tagged ‘David Ogilvy’

August 19th, 2009

Lookalikes - Ogilvy and The Prisoner

ogilvy-prisoner1

Has anyone noticed the remarkable similarities between 60’s cult TV actor Patrick McGoohan aka The Prisoner (left) and advertising pioneer David Ogilvy (right)?   The similarities are not only visual; both shared eclectic early careers before making their mark.  Whilst Ogilvy spent his formative years engaged as a chicken farmer, bank clerk and lorry driver in Sheffield, McGoohan famously spent time as an Aga salesman, peanut farmer and chef in Paris. Later Ogilvy wrote most of his classic ads from a secret location in Wales whilst McGoohan was often rumoured to be building his cult status in studio sets on Madison Avenue.

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April 12th, 2007

Ogilvy’s garden


Whilst David Ogilvy might be proud of how Martin Sorrell is developing as a direct marketer (see last post), he would surely be bursting with delight at how his wife Herta has embraced the Internet to market the gardens at the Chateau Touffou, his home until his death in 1999.

This screen grab from the Tourism Poitou web site carries copy beginning “Labelled as a “Remarkable Garden”, here you can stroll through three gardens set around this lovely château overlooking the Vienne River….” There’s a nice inviting pic and a phone, fax and email response mechanic. A strong “ticket on the meat” headline may improve things.

I really am forced to wonder just how an advertising giant like Ogilvy would have viewed the Internet landscape - and especially Web 2.0 - in 2007.

Would he be admonishing it as the place where brands are mercilessly commoditised by over-rational consumers or a platform for the ultimate 1-1 brand-consumer dialogue? I suspect that the man who predicted that “One day, all advertising will be response advertising” would be embracing its potential for customised brand communication with open arms.

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