Fei suggested I watch a documentary on SBS on ‘mad men’, a label used to describe advertising pioneers in the early 90s (edit: came from men who worked on Madison Ave in New York, where all the world’s biggest ad agencies are – Fei) . The documentary was to be followed by a drama series based on the same era/ context next week. The particular focus was on a gentleman by the name of David Ogilvy. Very interesting insight; had I’ve seen this earlier, I might’ve pursued that marketing major!
- Research: Coming, as he did, from a background in research, he never underestimated its importance in advertising. In fact, in 1952, when he opened his own agency, he billed himself as Research Director.
- Professional discipline: “I prefer the discipline of knowledge to the chaos of ignorance.” He codified knowledge into slide and film presentations he called Magic Lanterns. He also instituted several training programs for young advertising professionals.
- Creative brilliance: A strong emphasis on the “BIG IDEA.”
- Results for clients: “In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.”
Extract taken from David Ogilvy’s wikipedia entry.
Entrepreneurship, from all levels, whether it’s advertising, selling, logistics, resources: is a craft.
Plasmo and the Infinite Sadness 