David Ogilvy – The Man Behind the Legend
A Peek Into the Heart and Humour of the Advertising Legend
Sep 16, 2009
Before he became an ad man, David Ogilvy was a cook, a salesman and later on, worked with the Intelligence Service at the British Embassy in Washington. He spent several years as a farmer in an Amish community in Pennsylvania.
Although Ogilvy was a college dropout, and knew nothing about writing copy, his sales manual for Aga Cookers was touted by Fortune Magazine as "probably the best sales manual ever written."
Here are some little known facts about him gathered from the employees of Ogilvy & Mather, Bangalore.
David Ogilvy in the Kabini Jungle Lodge
This one is from Mohan Menon who accompanied Ogilvy on a trip to the Kabini Jungle Lodge near Bangalore:
"On the way the driver got a taste of DO's ire: "Stop the car. If you drive this way I'd rather walk."
Minnie (my wife) and I accompanied DO on this trip. On a jeep ride through the forest we had a flat. It was dusk and the place was alive with strange noises. Our spare tyre was also flat! DO looked distinctly uncomfortable.
The game warden emerged with a large axe. We were certain it was to keep predators at bay. The excitement fizzled out when we realized that it was to cut a branch that had fallen across the road. Fortunately a passing jeep helped us out.
We went on a bird watching cruise in a coracle. DO spied a bird and exclaimed "There's a kingfisher!" I turned to him and asked innocently: "But isn't that a beer?" DO gave me a mock murderous look.
My wife was playing mother hen and trying to keep DO out of trouble. DO was not supposed to smoke and Minnie ensured that cigarettes and DO didn't meet.
One evening she caught him red handed cadging cigarettes from a group of Swiss tourists. It turned out that two of them were neighbours down the road from his chalet in Switzerland. Talk about small worlds."
Quotes From Ogilvy - the Advertising Legend
Ogilvy to a waiter on falling off a chair at Fisherman's Cove (Madras):
"Can you get me one of these that works?"
When some other people sat in similar chairs:
"Do you think we should tell them they're in danger of their lives?"
About the cricketer Azharuddin who got out at 99:
"Poor chap! They should have bowled him an easy one."
About the beggar children who kept pestering him:
"I don't give those children any money. I don't believe in it."
(Leaning towards us) "Scotch!"
On etiquette in India:
"In India wherever I go, they garland me, and I don't know what to do with it. I don't want to take it off because it might seem rude."
Plaster of Paris:
"Right now my face is plastered all over Paris. My wife doesn't approve. She's a bit snobbish about things like that. (Then leaning conspiringly towards us) "Actually, she's jealous."
On being presented with his portrait:
"God. I look old!"
On Arthur Wilson, author of several comedies:
"I like Arthur Wilson for three reasons.
- He's very funny.
- He's a good human being.
- He agrees with whatever I say.
Referring to in-house TV:
"I've been watching a lot of TV here. You know, they have one Indian channel and two awful American channels. Where do you suppose they get those from?"
In his room at the Connemara when people took turns at being photographed with him:
"Come to bed and get your picture taken."
On hotel soap:
"I've got an assortment of soaps in my suitcase because wherever I go, I pick up the soap that the hotel provides. I now have enough in my bag to last another year."
In an undertone, "Scotch!"
On sin and the copywriter:
"Copywriters usually plead for releasing the first ad at least in a campaign as a double spread. In other words, let me be allowed to sin once."
About being chaperoned from city to city:
They don't let me travel alone because they know I'm gaga. So my nanny (Creative Director, Bunny Suriaya ) has come to fetch me from Calcutta."
As an employee of Ogilvy & Mather, Bangalore, put it when she met Ogilvy, "What struck me was his humility and his deep attachment to India. He is a very warm and down to earth person. And he practices what he preaches. He believes that an ad agency should use the products and services it advertises."
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