7 Business Principles From David Ogilvy (Legendary Ad Tycoon)

David Ogilvy revolutionized marketing in the 20th century.

Here are his 7 top business principles.

(Which will make you more $$$ and better at life).

Table of Contents

1. Command Respect

“Our offices must always be headed by the kind of people who command respect. Not phonies, zeros or bastards.“

Everyone you associate with is a representation of you.

If they act stupid, you look stupid for making the decision to associate with them.

What kind of people are worth associating with?

Here’s what Ogilvy has to say:

We admire people who work hard. We dislike passengers who don’t pull their weight in the boat.
We admire people with first-class brains, because you cannot run a great advertising agency without brainy people.
We admire people who avoid office politics.
We despise toadies who suck up to their bosses; they are generally the same people who bully their subordinates.
We admire the great professionals, the craftsmen who do their jobs with superlative excellence. We notice that these people always respect the professional expertise of their colleagues in other departments.
We admire people who hire subordinates who are good enough to succeed them. We pity people who are so insecure that they feel compelled to hire inferior specimens as their subordinates.
We admire people who build up and develop their subordinates, because this is the only way we can promote from within the ranks. We detest having to go outside to fill important jobs, and I look forward to the day when that will never be necessary.
We admire people who practice delegation. The more you delegate, the more responsibility will be loaded upon you.
We admire kindly people with gentle manners who treat other people as human beings. Especially the people who sell things to us. We abhor quarrelsome people. We abhor people who wage paper warfare. We abhor buck passers, and people who don’t tell the truth.
We admire well-organized people who keep their offices shipshape, and deliver their work on time.
We admire people who are good citizens in their communities. People who work for their local hospitals, their church, the PTA, the Community Chest and so on.

2. Always Be Honest

“Always be honest in your dealings with clients. Tell them what you would do if you were in their shoes.”

Your client has hired you because you are the expert.

If they have a problem with honesty, they aren’t a good fit.

3. Reputation

“If we do a good job for our clients, that will become known. We will smell of success, and that will bring us success.”

Success has a vibe. And like attracts like.

The momentum of getting good results spills over and snowballs.

4. Word Of Mouth Matters

“If we treat our employees well, they will speak well of Ogilvy & Mather to their friends. Assuming that each employee has 100 friends, 250,000 people now have friends who work for Ogilvy & Mather. Among them are present and prospective clients.”

Like the previous point, most business ultimately comes from referrals.

5. Don’t Be Submissive

“In meeting with clients, do not assume the posture of servants. They need you as much as you need them.”

The only leverage the client has over you is the choice of who to give their money to.

But if you don’t need their money then they cease having leverage over you.

Remember, you have the solution to their problems.

(Which is worth more than money).

6. Create In Good Taste

“Not only are you responsible for sales results, you are also responsible for the kind of ads you bring into consumer homes. Your aim should be to create ads in good taste. I abhor ads that are blatant, dull, or dishonest. Agencies which ignore this principle are not respected.“

Always keep reputation in mind.

If you get short-term results at expense of the big picture, you will ultimately lose respect.

(Which is how you win long-term).