To be honest, I didn’t get as much reading done as I would have liked last month. I had particularly long and packed days, and for the most part, I was too tired to sneak in some time for reading. Moving forward, I hope to do better. But for now, here is the one book I read. (At least it’s a good one.)
“Ogilvy on Advertising” by David Ogilvy
I read Ogilvy’s Confessions of an Advertising Man when I was a Marketing undergrad, and it quickly became one of my all-time favorite books. Even though the title makes it seem like advertising is a con job (though it certainly can be), Ogilvy discusses how honesty was always at the core of his work. He didn’t advertise products he didn’t personally believe in, and he didn’t lie about those products. He just made the truth interesting.
Ogilvy on Advertising is just as insightful of a read, albeit in a different way. Here, he shares very specific advice on running ads, like, how black copy on a white background is easier to read than the opposite, how food looks more appetizing when it is moving, and why you should never skimp out on consumer research.
The only caveat is that this book was published in the 1980s, so it obviously doesn’t take online and social media advertising into consideration. But at least from my observation, much of Ogilvy’s advice still holds up well. We just have to bear in mind our small attention span.
Izzat Zailan 