David Ogilvy: The 8 Ogilvy Habits

“If Ogilvy is to be gorgeous, wonderful, brilliant, fabulous, magical, beautiful, big and sexy, we must first be brave, idealistic, curious, playful, candid, intuitive, free-spirited, and persistent.” David Ogilvy

1. COURAGE
   Fear is a demon that devours the soul of an agency: it diminishes the quality of our imagination, it dulls our appetite for adventure, it sucks away our youth.
2. IDEALISM
   How great we become depends on the size of our dreams. Let’s  dream humongous dreams, put on our overalls, go out there and build them.
3. CURIOSITY
   An endless trail of ideas floats in the ether. You will only see them if you are curious. For a start, we have to ask stupid questions like a pesky 6-year-old.
4. PLAYFULNESS
   The man loved a good joke, especially one with some ‘wind’ in it. All our art, all our science and all our philosophy have been invented by playful people, not serious people.
5. CANDOUR
   We are a company of problem-solvers. Our job requires us to be brutally honest and totally dedicated to the truth.
6. INTUITION
   The creative director thought it was funny.
   The managing director thought it was funny.
   The chairman thought it was funny.
   The tea lady thought it was funny.
   The client thought it was funny.
   The client’s wife thought it was funny.
   The client’s butcher thought it was funny.
   Okay now, let’s research it to see if it’s funny.
   All our finest thoughts and best ideas are not the work of the logical mind, but gifts from the unconscious.
7. FREE-SPIRITEDNESS
   Rule 1. There are no rules.
   Rule 2. Never forget rule one.
8. PERSISTENCE
   Never give in. Never give in. Never give in. Never. Never. Never. Never.
   If the client kills your ad, do him a better one.
   If he kills that better one, do him an even better one.
   If he kills that even better one, do him your damn best one.

David Ogilvy