The King of Madison Avenue Quotes

“Be happy while you’re living, for you’re a long time dead,”
― Kenneth Roman, The King of Madison Avenue: David Ogilvy and the Making of Modern Advertising

“If you can’t advertise yourself, what hope do you have of being able to advertise anything else?”
― Kenneth Roman, The King of Madison Avenue: David Ogilvy and the Making of Modern Advertising

“Down with advertising that forgets to promise the consumer any benefit. Down with creative show-offs. Too clever by half.    If you spend your advertising budget entertaining the consumer, you are a bloody fool. Housewives don’t buy a new detergent because the manufacturer told a joke on television last night. They buy it because it promised a benefit. If I could persuade the lunatics to give up their pursuit of awards, I would die happy.”
― Kenneth Roman, The King of Madison Avenue: David Ogilvy and the Making of Modern Advertising

“Ogilvy never wrote an advertisement in the office: “Too many interruptions.” He started by looking at every advertisement for competing products for the past 20 years: “Study the precedents.” Then he’d go to work on a headline. Finally, when he could no longer postpone the actual copy, he would start writing, usually throwing away the first 20 attempts. “If all else fails, I drink a half a bottle of rum and play a Handel oratorio on the gramophone. This generally produces a gush of copy.” The next morning, he would get up early and edit the gush. “I am a lousy copywriter,” he would say, “but a good editor.”
― Kenneth Roman, The King of Madison Avenue: David Ogilvy and the Making of Modern Advertising

“Bill Phillips, one of his successors as chairman, captured the spirit in his mantra: “Work hard. Play hard. Sleep fast.”
― Kenneth Roman, The King of Madison Avenue: David Ogilvy and the Making of Modern Advertising

“On minimizing office politics: “Sack incurable politicians. Crusade against paper warfare.” On morale: “When people aren’t having any fun, they seldom produce good advertising. Get rid of sad dogs who spread gloom.” On professional standards: “Top men must not tolerate sloppy plans or mediocre creative work.” On partnership: “Top Management in each country should function like a round table, presided over by a Chairman who is big enough to be effective in the role of primus inter pares.”
― Kenneth Roman, The King of Madison Avenue: David Ogilvy and the Making of Modern Advertising

“No sale, no commission. No commission, no eat. That left a mark on me.”
― Kenneth Roman, The King of Madison Avenue: David Ogilvy and the Making of Modern Advertising