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In this week’s Newsletter we look at 7 Principles from David Ogilvy – the Father of modern advertising – and we adapt them to doll clothes selling!

Here is the full text as a blog post:

The father of modern advertising is a guy named David Ogilvy. He wrote the book on the topic. He was the ad man for Rolls Royce, Dove soap, and many other iconic brands. He created Ogilvy & Mather an enormously successful advertising agency. He was brilliant at getting products launched, sold widely, and installed as the #1 brand in their category.

Could He Do It For You?

If Ogilvy were hired to be the ad man for your small business (we’ll assume you sell doll clothes) what would he say to you?

Here are a few quotes and actionable principles that we think you might hear him say. We’ve modified his original comments slightly to fit our topic, but other than that – these are his original sentiments.

In the modern world of doll clothes selling, it is useless to be creative unless you can also sell what you create.”

Principle #1 – Focus On Sales
David was laser-beam focused on the sales process and believed strongly in the power of advertising to make sales happen.

If it doesn’t sell – it isn’t creative.”

Principle #2 – Sales Equals Success
Lots of people can make creative products and advertisements, but if the sales results aren’t there, then the product is a dud.

There isn’t any significant difference between the various brands of …cake mixes, whiskey, detergents, or doll clothes… The doll clothes maker who dedicates her advertising to building the most sharply defined personality for her brand will get the largest share of the market at the highest profit.”

Principle #3 – Stand Out
The strongest brand wins. Spend your time and energy creating a powerful brand concept and constantly do things to reinforce it.

David Ogilvy - Confessions Of An Advertising Man

David Ogilvy – The Father of Advertising

Advertising is only evil when it advertises evil things.”

Principle #4 – Don’t Despise Advertising
Ogilvy didn’t consider advertising as an art or entertainment. He considered it a method of sharing information. If your product is good – people will appreciate hearing about it. You should never be shy or ashamed of boldly proclaiming the truth about your work.

The more informative your doll clothing listing,

the more persuasive it will be.”

Principle #5 – Include Details
You’d be surprised how many doll clothes sellers fail to list even the most basic facts about their items, let alone the nuances. Do you include all the relevant facts about your doll clothes in your listing – a money back guarantee, a biography about yourself, an FAQ, details about how to find and follow you on social media, etc?

If you ever have the good fortune to design a great doll outfit, you will soon see another person steal it. This is irritating, but don’t let it worry you; nobody has ever built a brand by imitating somebody else’s work.”

Principle #6 – You’ll Be Copied
Don’t focus on your copiers; focus on the unfinished projects that you know will blow your customer’s minds. If you’re good people will copy – it’s unavoidable.

You have to decide what ‘image’ you want for your doll clothes brand. Image means personality. Products, like people, have personalities, and they can make or break them in the market place.”

Principle #7 – Build Your Brand
Work to ensure that every sales event you create, every ad, every website, or blog post adds distinct and memorable element to your overall brand.

Doing It Yourself

David Ogilvy joined the ranks of the dearly departed in 1999, so you’re on your own when it comes to creating powerful advertising. But if you stick to these seven principles – you’ll be well on your way to nailing it. You can do it!

Do You Have A Question?
This newsletter is written for you! So feel free to submit a question today. Submit it here. We are honored to partner with you!

Jason & Cinnamon

2 Comments on If David Ogilvy Was Your Ad Man!

  1. Is there a specific type of camera that is the best for photography related to sales pictures?

    • Hi Karen,

      Great question. Our best recommendation is that you get an entry level DSLR, (like a Canon Rebel T51 or Nikon D3200). You can get older versions of these cameras on eBay at fairly good prices. So that’s the camera.

      But there is another part that is just as important – and that’s the lens. The type of lens you want to use for product photography is called a “Portrait Lens”. We recommend a 50 Milimeter fixed length lens with a 1.8 (or smaller) aperture. It is the lens that will give you the beautiful depth of field and really allow your pictures to pop.

      Getting these items will cost you $300-$500 if you go for used items on eBay. Maybe $600 if you go new. It’s a “real” investment in your business, but it will pay off almost immediately and you won’t be sorry you did it. There are tons of videos on Youtube about how to use this type of gear – so while there is a learning curve, it’s not too hard to learn. We also have a lot of photography blog posts on MSG, here’s a link: https://makesellgrow.com/category/photography/

      Hope that helps!

      Jason

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