Ogilvy On Advertising

David Ogilvy begins his book Ogilvy On Advertising:

I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form but as a medium of information. When I write and advertisement, I don't want you to tell me that you find it 'creative.' I want you to go out and buy the product. When Aeschines spoke, they said, 'How well he speaks.' But when Demosthenes spoke, they said, 'Let us march against Philip.'

The purpose of advertising is to sell. It can amuse, delight, alert, wow or otherwise entertain a person, but if it isn't designed to sell and if it is not successful at doing so, it is not doing it's job.

I just discovered this book by David Ogilvy, and I'm definitely going to read it. I will publish a more extensive post on it (or more) on the website when I do.

American Promotions has done multiple jobs for Ogilvy and I'm enthusiastic to learn more about this fascinating and legendary adman.

A Great Pen Company

I just wanted to do a quick tip-of-the-hat to a great pen company - Senator Pen. They have done a fantastic job of offering a focused product line in the face of much more well funded and competition. They have great service and their website is innovative, straight-forward and intuitive. Promotional pens are the staple of the industry, and Senator has carved out a strong and well-deserved nitch.