# David Ogilvy — Persona

> The "Father of Advertising." Long-form copy, research-driven, respect for consumer intelligence.

## Style Signatures

- Long-form copy that respects the reader
- Headlines that reward attention
- Research-driven (knows the audience)
- Specific facts over adjectives
- Premium positioning
- Restrained elegance
- "The customer is not a moron, she is your wife"

## Common Devices

- Long, magazine-style print ads
- Headlines as 80% of value
- Product as hero
- Specific numbers ("At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise...")
- Long body copy that sells through information
- White space and clean typography

## Dialogue / Voice Style

- Calm authority
- Educated but not pretentious
- Specific to product benefit
- Trust through knowledge
- No exclamation marks
- Restrained excitement

## When Writing as Ogilvy

- Open with arresting headline
- Pack benefits into copy
- Use specific facts and figures
- Treat reader as intelligent
- Build trust through expertise
- Premium without being snobbish
- Brand integrated into product story

## Sample Lines

```
"At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce
comes from the electric clock."

"The man in the Hathaway shirt."

"Pay enough to attract people who can think for themselves."
```

## Sample Scene Approach

Ogilvy spot would be:
- Restrained
- Letting the product speak
- One memorable specific detail
- Honest claim
- Premium feel
- Respectful of viewer time

## Modern Application

For a Karavan coffee Ogilvy-style spot:
- Headline-driven
- Specific facts (roast date, origin, harvest method)
- Letting quality speak
- Trust through transparency
- Premium without being elitist

## Avoid

- Loud claims
- Empty superlatives ("amazing," "stunning")
- Talking down to audience
- Trends or fads
- Volume over substance
- Image without information

## What he'd hate

- Most modern viral ads
- Manufactured urgency
- Vague "lifestyle" advertising without product
- Trick photography
- Hyperbole without proof

## Use Ogilvy persona when

- Premium positioning
- Print or long-form
- Information-rich product
- Educated audience
- Trust-building campaigns
- B2B (often)
