David Oglivy was an accomplished advertising executive who has often been called “The Father of Advertising.In 1962, Time called him “the most sought-after wizard in today’s advertising industry.” He was known for a career of expanding the bounds of both creativity and morality.

In 1982, David Ogilvy sent these tips within an internal memo to all agency employees, titled “How to Write”:

The better you write, the higher you go in Ogilvy & Mather. People who think well, write well. Woolly minded people write woolly memos, woolly letters and woolly speeches. Good writing is not a natural gift. You have to learn to write well. Here are 10 hints:

1. Read the Roman-Raphaelson book on writing. Read it three times.
2. Write the way you talk. Naturally.
3. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs.
4. Never use jargon words like reconceptualize, demassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass.
5. Never write more than two pages on any subject.
6. Check your quotations.
7. Never send a letter or a memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning—and then edit it.
8. If it is something important, get a colleague to improve it.
9. Before you send your letter or your memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want the recipient to do.
10. If you want ACTION, don’t write. Go and tell the guy what you want.

David

Okay – some of the items he refers to are a bit outdated — memo/letter, ‘the guy’ — but there are some true gems here. Take them to heart and abide by them.

P.S. If you would like to tap into someone who writes well – you need to contact Mimi Griffith at Griffith Target Marketing. She’s the best.

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Tagged as: Mimi Griffith, Oglivy, Writing Well