I met David Ogilvy twice.
The primary time was in 1962. I had simply stepped off the Queen Mary at pier 11 in New York Metropolis. I had been fortunate sufficient to win a Royal Society of Arts bursary while at artwork college in Britain. You the place speculated to go overseas for six months and gaze on the Mona Lisa, or the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I selected to go to America and attempt to break into the advert biz. For some bizarre motive, the jury of geriatric painters and sculptors let me go.
I had had the balls to write down to David and specific a want to meet with him and talk about my future, for yet one more bizarre motive, he agreed to fulfill me. I used to be ushered into his workplace which was furnished within the model of Downton Abbey (a few years earlier than its TV debut.) David wore a tweed go well with with a waistcoat sporting lapels. Within the nook was a go well with of armor. Within the hearth was a roaring hearth. Thankfully, the air-con was at full blast, because it was July and 90 levels exterior.
He was very good and put up with my inane questions while blowing clouds of smoke at me from his big briar pipe. On the finish of the allotted thirty minutes interview, I requested him one ultimate query… “If I do get supplied a job, what sort of wage ought to I ask for?” He checked out me, took one other puff on his gnarly briar, and stated… “Expensive boy, I by no means talk about cash, I make use of individuals who take care of cash issues. You’ll have to discuss to them.” As I used to be leaving, he stated to me… “Always remember. The enterprise of promoting is promoting.”
The second time I met him was thirty years later, after I was perma-lancing at Ogilvy, New York, as a part of a useless try to save lots of the Compaq pc account. The try failed. (Made a shitload of cash although!) The gory particulars are in Confessions of a Mad Man. Price it for lower than the value of a pint. So, late one evening the “Inventive Crew” was in a convention room consuming chilly pizza and ingesting heat beer. To not point out snorting copious helpings of blow, when the door burst open and David strode in.
Truly, he was helped in by a few minders, as he was in his eighties by then. He was additionally deaf, so he shouted, “what are you individuals doing?” Leaping to my toes and dismissing the snow from the desk, I defined what we have been engaged on. Then reminded him we had met thirty years beforehand. He checked out me as if I used to be mad, which, clearly, I used to be for bringing it up. He then turned to go away the room while shouting… “The enterprise of promoting is promoting.” Constant previous fucker.
A number of years later, I gained the David Ogilvy Award for the very best international marketing campaign from the complete community. As I’ve posted earlier than, it got here with a ten-thousand-dollar prize, which I used to be denied, ‘cos I used to be freelance. Triple billed the fuckers although. I’m positive David, spinning beneath the turf of Chateau Touffou, would approve.
