It seems you can’t go a day without seeing or hearing some reference to artificial intelligence (AI). Even with the rise of AI and the positives it may bring, advertising will always be grounded in the sound principles by which Odney was founded.
Fast Company recently published four lessons from the "Father of Advertising", David Ogilvy, that will give you an idea of how we work:
“If you’re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language, the language they use every day, the language in which they think. We try to write in the vernacular.”
This is why one of the first questions we ask is, 'who is the audience you are trying to reach?' We are not going to send the same message to a 14-year-old that we would target toward their mom. Many factors go into creating messages, and we consider them all.
"When people read your copy, they are alone. Pretend you are writing each of them a letter on behalf of your client. One human being to another, second person singular.”
Do you know it can take hours to write a 30-second commercial? When we concept an ad or campaign it requires thoughtful consideration of how the audience will interpret how the words are delivered.
“Make the product the hero. There are no dull products, only dull writers.”
This does not mean embellishing or trying to make the product something it is not. Just convey how the product, service or experience will make the audience feel. What could happen or how will they benefit if they use the product or go to the place being advertised?
“Advertising people who ignore research are as dangerous as generals who ignore decodes of enemy signals . . . . Big ideas come from the unconscious. This is true in art, in science, and in advertising. But your unconscious has to be well informed, or your idea will be irrelevant. Stuff your conscious mind with information, then unhook your rational thought process.”
Research is king at Odney. It is why we have our own research department. We dive into how people feel about your product or your brand and use that information to develop the messaging and strategies that will reach your target audience and influence the way they think and act.
And you thought this was going to be about AI. Well, it could be. It is about everything we do and will do in the future. Will AI be incorporated into what we do at Odney? Yes, but it will never replace the core principles of effective advertising...or David Ogilvy.
Read the entire Fast Company article here.
From the desk of: Deb Seminary, Senior Account Executive