Confessions of an Advertising Man

Often called the “Father of Advertising,” David Ogilvy pulls back the curtain on his career and the advertising industry in the mid to late 1900s.

Strategic and creative approaches to marketing that he and his colleagues took decades ago are still timely, relevant, and applicable in today’s social and digital media world.  

Ogilvy was a true force of nature and perhaps the original “mad men” prototype. This book is part autobiography and part guide to his philosophy of advertising. Reading it, you’ll laugh, you learn a lot, and you’ll wonder how on earth he got away with half the things he did.

I’ve included this book in the list as a kind of “light interlude” to the other, denser books. But nonetheless it contains great insights that are as true today as when Ogilvy penned this 50 years ago.

Confessions is an unparalleled, iconic book on advertising, marketing, business ethics, integrity. Unlike the fictional Adams (in Obvious Adams) David Ogilvy was a living genius, an imagination giant, and the creator of timeless headlines and taglines.

Quoting Olgivy: “We admire people who work hard, who are objective and thorough. We detest office politicians, toadies, bullies, and pompous asses. We abhor ruthlessness. In promoting people, we are influenced as much by their character as anything else.”