Ogilvy and Mather: The Philosophy of building brands

Abstract

In the constantly changing, cutthroat world of advertising, one company that has managed to retain its global status as one of the leading advertising agencies has been Ogilvy & Mather. The advent of globalization and change in the medium of advertising from radio to cinema, television to the Internet, has not impacted this firm’s determination to produce some of the finest and most memorable ad campaigns throughout the world. As students we were curious to find out whether there is an underlying principle by which Ogilvy & Mather continues its success in this field. Founded in 1948 by David Ogilvy, the firm has grown to become the leading advertising agency in the world, and Ogilvy to become something of an advertising icon. Known as the ‘Father of advertising’, he is now an inspiration- most CEOs of advertising firms have claimed that he was one of their key influences for entering into the field. The philosophy that David Ogilvy instilled in this company is “to make advertising that sells… the advertising that sells best is advertising that builds brand”1. Ogilvy’s belief in the ‘Big Idea’ as a means of brand building has led to campaigns such as the Vodafone India’s Zuzu campaign, Dove’s global ‘real woman’ campaign and American Express’ ‘Don’t Leave Home Without It’ campaign. The underlying sentiment in the firm is that the consumer will automatically buy a product provided the brand is projected well and has a good image and reputation.