I met David Ogilvy twice when I was 19 years old. Both times, the great man looked at the work I was doing at that moment and gave advice (which actually wasn’t advice, but criticism). Nonetheless, it felt like an honour to have my work panned by such a legendary adman.
There is an image of an advertising campaign poster making the rounds on social media that has been marked with comments that question the motives and manipulative methods behind the design. (See Below) It is a good example of social and cultural commentary being added onto a commercial poster, but it is far from a new idea.
John Wanamaker, a successful retailer and merchant, is reputed to have said that “half of my advertising is wasted, I just don’t know which half.” Such sentiments have oft been repeated in the years since Wanamaker’s death. There is no doubt that advertising, with its strong focus on creativity and the use of ever evolving media technology, remains a bit of a mystery. Yet the things that make advertising effective are well known. They have...
The modern digital age exposes consumers to unprecedented levels of information, with much of it coming from brands and businesses. In 1980, 25 years before the advent of the smartphone, Americans were exposed to the equivalent of 10 gigabytes of data per day. 28 years later, in 2008, the human hard drive processed 34 gigs of daily data. Today, Americans absorb roughly 74 gigabytes of information every single day, the equivalent of nine DVDs worth...
Jon Bond and Richard Kirshenbaum are trying hard not to be seen, hiding in plain sight at the Pen & Pencil restaurant, an upscale eatery in Midtown Manhattan. It’s the lunchtime rush and the waiter, dressed in a crisp white shirt and black trousers has come over once, twice, to take their order but again they push him away. The two ad hustlers work at different advertising agencies but have a side gig that lets...
