Ad Anatomy
Ogilvy On Advertising was written about twenty years ago so the material may seem outdated. But nonetheless, the information in this book is priceless. It has plenty of examples of great classical ads from back in the day and it also talks about the business side of advertising (how to get clients, how an ad agency is run, etc.). It also writes about what the ingredients are in a great ad and which layout works over others. It’s important to note the effectiveness of these ads and learn from them because most of these ads have been persuading consumers to buy their products for at least 10 years! I would suggest reading this book first, then following it up with Hey Whipple, Squeeze This and Cutting Edge Advertising II.
I’ve been reading these three books for a while now, trying to soak up as much as I can before I try my first attempt at creating my first spec ad. All three have been extremely helpful! I’ve learned that advertising is a craft - so it will definitely take a lot of time to develop a great book. I knew this process would be hard, but after reading these, I realized that it is really going to be a challenge.
One last thing: if any of you would like to suggest products or services that you’d like to see me create an ad for, let me know.
April 26th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
You got nice blog.. I am into advertising too. You got to see active participation in your blog from me, Now on..
April 28th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
It seems to me that all successfull ad campains had a particular phrase, melody, or image that was impossible to forget. Content was secondary to making a lasting impression. Most will remember the best ads litterally forever.
An advertizing campain that utilized phrase, melody, an image together - that was incredibly entertaining could be the greatest of all time.
Agree??
April 29th, 2007 at 11:32 am
Hey Eric, thanks for the comment
I do agree that the right phrase/melody/image can create a memorable ad.
However, as I continue to learn more about the world of advertising, I’ve learned that even if the ad was entertaining, I wouldn’t consider it a great ad if it wasn’t able to drive business to that product (or service) being advertised. But there have been amazing ad campaigns which were both memorable and successful in driving business. So it can be done - I just think that it’s extremely hard to do.
May 2nd, 2007 at 11:56 am
Don’t forget to read “Pick Me” as well.
May 3rd, 2007 at 12:49 pm
I read the Hey Whipple book a few years ago, when a copywriter recommended it to me when we were working on some ad concepts. I haven’t done a lot of work on ads lately, but that is the area of design I prefer. I love it when you get an orginal (or you hope it is) idea.
May 5th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Hey Tara,
Thanks for the comment. I’m really enjoying the whole creative process of generating ideas and I’m hoping that the ideas I’ve come up with is original. But I guess that’s the tricky part (coming up with something original). It’s hard to keep track of what’s been done throughout all these years and I have seen ads from students where it received feedback that the idea had already been done.
May 24th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
i agree on david ogilvy’s words being as relevant today as they were 20 odd years ago. maybe i am biased as i work there but i am sure he would more than recognise the industry today:
http://interactivemarketingtrends.blogspot.com/2006/09/would-ogilvy-recognise-advertising.html
loving the blog. g