From Concept to Icon: Successful Pharma Brand Management (Part 10) – ”The Unpublished David Ogilvy”: A Pharma Brand Manager’s Copywriting Blueprint
Ready to crack the code of advertising greatness?
Let’s step into the mind of David Ogilvy, the man who transformed industries with words.
I’m about to share some of his most guarded secrets, straight from Unpublished Work.
This isn’t just about selling products; it’s about understanding human behavior, crafting irresistible narratives, and building brands that stand the test of time. Prepare to be challenged, inspired, and equipped with the tools to become a marketing maverick.
Don’t just learn advertising – master it.
Let’s dive in!
For the benefit of pharma brand managers, I have also interpreted a few parts of this in our brand managers parlance
- The ad copy should be clear and easy to understand, like talking to a friend. It needs to fit the padocumer’s (Patients as consumers and doctors as our customers) we’re trying to sell to, who don’t care about fancy words or fancy pictures.
- Every word should have a purpose. Instead of making big promises, we should use real numbers and facts. Forget about old-fashioned sayings and empty promises. Let’s offer something people really want.
- Being funny in ads might seem like a good idea, but it’s actually a bad one. People who know about advertising know that you can’t build a strong business by being silly. Customers don’t like buying from clowns.
- Avoid using alliteration, rhyming words, puns or onomatopoeia in advertisement copy
- Using words like “best” or “greatest” is something that everyone else does, not something serious ads should do. People stop believing what you say if you always use super strong words.
- Avoid drawing to discussing competitors. On no account sling mud on competitors – it can carry little weight coming from you. It can make the prospect distrust your and even dislike you.
- The best way to tackle the problem is to find out all you can about the merits, faults and sales arguments – and then keep quiet about them.
- David Ogilvy finds it hard to write ads in the office. There’s too much noise and interruptions. He prefers the peace and quiet of home to get his creative juices flowing.
- He spends a lot of time looking at old ads. David studies what other companies have done for similar products over the past 20 years.
- David needs information to work with. The more he knows about the product, the better his ads will be.
- He starts with a clear goal. He figures out what problem the ad needs to solve and what he wants to achieve with the campaign. David doesn’t move forward until everyone agrees on these points.
- David brainstorms ideas. Then he writes down every possible fact and selling point about the product. Then he organizes them and connects them to the research.
- David then comes up with lots of headlines. He usually writes 20 different headlines for each ad. He asks other people for their opinions before choosing the best one.
- Writer’s block hits. After all the planning, he sits down to write the ad and finds himself staring at a blank page.
- Fear of failure. David is scared of writing a bad ad, so you often throw away your first few tries.
- Desperate measures. When nothing else works, he drinks half a bottle of rum, which strangely helps him to write a lot of stuff.
- Morning after magic. David wakes up the next day and cleans up the messy writing from the night before.
- Back to the office. He takes the train to work to continue editing the ad.
- Editing is his strength. Davis confesses he is not great at writing the first draft of the copy, but he good at editing it. After several rounds of editing, David thinks it’s ready to show to the client. If they change it, he gets upset because he has put a lot of effort into it.
The 11 points which have left a deep mark in my mind
- Are you creating the most remarkable advertising in your country? (Pharma translation – the most remarkable STP)
- Have you stopped overloading commercials? (Pharma translation – have you stopped transactional marketing?)
- Do all your commercials start with a visual grabber? (Pharma translation – Do you have a strong, emotional visual that complements the text?)
- Do you repeat the brand name several times in your commercials? (Pharma translation- Have you trained the medical representatives to repeat the brand name several times in your detailing)
- Have you stopped using celebrity testimonials in commercials (Pharma translation – Have you stopped using assumptions in your medico-marketing copywriting?)
- Do all all your campaigns execute an agreed positioning? (Pharma translation – Is the campaign communication consistent with the brand positioning as sanctified in the brand document?)
- Do they promise a benefit which has been tested? (Pharma translation – Does your promotional material for doctors include features or tested benefits discovered through research and probing the doctors)
- Do you always make the product the hero in your story or the consumer? (Pharma translation – Who is the hero of the story – your brand or the patient / doctor)
- Are you good at injecting news in your campaign? (Pharma translation – “Injecting news” into a campaign essentially means leveraging current events or trending topics to make your campaign more relevant, engaging, and shareable. It’s about finding a connection between your brand and message and what people are talking about.)
- Do all your headlines have the brand promise?
- Have you stopped using 40 characters in the line of a copy? (Pharma translation – Have you stopped using 40 characters in the line of a medico-marketing copy?)
More gems
- Every advertisement is a is a part of the long-term investment in the personality of a brand (Pharma translation – Every print or online brand promotion is a part of the long-term investment in the personality of your brand)
- We hold that every advertisement must be considered as a contribution to the complex symbol which is the brand image.
- I find most manufactures are reluctant to accept any such limitation on the on the image and the personality of their brands. They want all things to all people they want their brand to be a male brand and a female brand. A upper-crust brand a plebeian brand.
- I am astonished to find how many manufacturers on both the sides of the Atlantic still believe that women can be persuaded to buy by logic and argument one brand in preference to another – even when two brands are technically identical. (Pharma translation – The more similar two brands are, the less science, logic, and reason influence the choice between them.)
- The manufacturer who dedicates his advertising to the most favorable image, the most sharply defined personality will get the largest share of the market. (Pharma translation – A brand manager who focuses on creating the best image and a clear personality for their brand will capture the largest market share.)
- Whenever you write a commercial bear in mind that it is likely to be seen by your children, your wife – and your conscience.
- Unless the creative man produces great advertisement, the rest of might as well pack up and go home. (Pharma translation – If the brand manager doesn’t create good promotional material, the sales team might struggle to communicate the message effectively.)
- I have only one complaint to make about our session here in the morning. It is this: All the speakers are on the same side of the fence. We are all against sin [Pharma translation: The last sentence “We are all against sin” is a metaphorical and somewhat humorous way for David Ogilvy to express his concern about a lack of diverse perspectives or debate in the session he’s referring to. To break it down: 1. “We are all against sin” is not meant to be taken literally. It’s not about actual sin in a religious sense. 2. Instead, “sin” here represents something that everyone obviously opposes or disagrees with. No one would argue in favor of “sin.” 3. By saying they’re all “against sin,” Ogilvy is suggesting that everyone in the session holds the same viewpoint or agrees on the topics being discussed. 4. This ties back to his “complaint” about all speakers being “on the same side of the fence.” The fence metaphor represents a division of opinion, but in this case, everyone is on the same side. 5. Ogilvy is implying that this uniformity of opinion is a problem. In many contexts, especially in business or creative fields, having diverse perspectives and healthy debate can lead to better outcomes and more innovative ideas. In essence, Ogilvy is critiquing the lack of diverse opinions or counterarguments in the session, suggesting that everyone agreeing with each other (like everyone agreeing that “sin is bad”) isn’t necessarily productive or interesting.]
- Let’s take our tongues out of our cheeks. Let’s try and write like human beings. (Pharma translation: Ogilvy is essentially asking pharma brand managers and medico-marketing copywriters to drop the clever wordplay and artificial language. He’s encouraging them to write in a more authentic, relatable way that connects with readers as real people.)
- We all have a tendency to use research as a drunkard uses a lamppost – for support and not for illumination
- Knowledge is useless unless you know how to communicate it in writing
- Are we freewheeling (behaving in a relaxed way) entrepreneurs, ready to take risks in new ventures? Or are we too frightened of making mistakes? When the toy-buyer of Sears made a mistake which cost his company 10 million bucks. I asked the head of Sears: Are you going to fire him?” “Hell no,” he plied. “I fire people who don’t make mistakes.”
There you have it – a glimpse into the brilliant mind of David Ogilvy.
Remember, advertising is more than just selling. It’s about connecting with people on a deeper level.
By understanding the principles of human behavior and crafting compelling narratives, you can build brands that truly resonate.
So, take these lessons to heart, experiment, and most importantly, never stop learning. Your next big campaign could be just around the corner.
Now forget everything you thought you knew about advertising. It’s time to step into the shoes of a true marketing legend. The secrets of David Ogilvy, the man who transformed industries with nothing but words have been unveiled.
His Unpublished Work is a goldmine of insights into consumer psychology, brand building, and crafting irresistible messages. Are you ready to learn how to command attention, evoke emotion, and drive action? Get ready to elevate your marketing game to unprecedented heights.
This isn’t just a class; it’s a masterclass.