Little Known Facts About David Ogilvy

The Oh Dee aar! newsletter in 1986, featured the following notes about David Ogilvy.

Ogilvy and the Rolls Royce

Dear Anita,

On reading your note, I remembered that when I received Mr. David Ogilvy at VT Station on his previous visit, we had especially taken him in the same model of the Rolls Royce which had inspired his famous ad.

Mr. Bhogilal who is a connoisseur of antique cars in India was good enough to lend his car.

David Ogilvy was quite awed when he sat in it, and remarked that this must be perhaps the only Rolls Royce in India.

The immaculately dressed chauffeur, without blinking an eyelid, stated, "My boss has eighteen of them."

It was not surprising that Mr. Bogilal, even though he is not concerned with advertising in any way, was aware of that great advertisement, and took out `Confessions of an Advertising Man' from his library and requested me to get David Ogilvy's autograph. Mr. DAvid Ogilvy endorsed it with the quote: "From one
proud owner of a Rolls Royce to another!"

Yours sincerely, P. Balsara

From David Ogilvy to Suresh Malik, National Creative Director

Dear Suresh,

`ONE TUNE'. What tune? A tune that will make everyone feel patriotic? Does your national anthem do that?

What tunes do Indian Army bands play on patriotic occasions?

How about the great Hymn to Joy at the end of the Beethoven 9th Symphony.

I don't think a new tune, composed for your film would make people feel patriotic.

As you say, this film is going to be hideously difficult to execute. Good luck!

Yours David

Dear Suresh,

The long article in `The Indian Post' about freedom increased my admiration for you, Suresh. But the writer spelled my name
`Oglivy'.

Yours David

David Ogilvy, the Humanitarian

When DO was here last he was very upset that in India, office boys are referred to as `peons'. He told off our Delhi office manager for using the term, which he said was demeaning, anachronistic, and in very bad taste.

I heard about this and when I met DO I tried to explain that in India the word has a totally different meaning from the way he understood it. In Mexico, of course, a `peon' means a `bonded labourer' but in India a peon was originally a foot soldier in the East India Company's army. Hence it was a military rank (like Sepoy) and therefore not demeaning at all.

If I recall correctly, he merely "hmmmphed" at this information, and did not seem especially convinced.

Anvar Ali Khan

Magic Lanterns

R. Sridhar, President of O&M Direct has some interesting things to say about our Legend.

David Ogilvy was very proud of the fact that we in Bangalore read his books and Magic Lanterns. But it's not the same in some of our offices abroad. He made an extremely witty statement: "I suppose if you're in the Vatican, you don't have to read the Bible."

David Ogilvy's Charm

At a cocktail party, David Ogilvy was very impressed by a young man. On the way to a presentation he asked Sridhar who the young man was. Sridhar said, "You're about to meet his father".

Before the presentation could begin, David Ogilvy leaned forward eagerly at the table and told the client how impressed he was by a certain young man he'd met at a party. Then he looked at Sridhar and said "And this man didn't even tell me he was your son."

The rest of the presentation was hunky dory.

When introduced at a party to a client who made potato chips:

"Are these your chips?"
(The answer was `yes')
"Because they damned well better be."

Ogilvy on Direct Response vs General Advertising

"Our generalists are entertaining and playing the fool. The DR boys are doing the selling."

David Ogilvy On Billboards

After seeing the `Welcome David' banner on top of the office building in Madras "I take back what I said against billboards. There's one I do like."