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David Ogilvy’s research methods

From “Ogilvy on Advertising” (1983) and his work at Ogilvy & Mather. Ogilvy believed advertising should be grounded in research, not creative ego. These methods describe how to gather the knowledge that makes great marketing possible.

Study the product exhaustively

Before writing a single word, become an expert on the product. Use it. Read every document about it. Understand how it works at a technical level. Ogilvy spent three weeks reading about Rolls-Royce before writing the famous “At 60 miles an hour” headline. The big idea almost always comes from deep product knowledge, not from brainstorming in a vacuum.

Study the competition

Collect and analyze every piece of competitor marketing you can find. Understand their positioning, their claims, their tone, their mechanisms. You need to know what the prospect has already heard before you can say something that stands out. Map the competitive landscape before you position yourself in it.

Study the consumer

Know who buys the product, why they buy it, and the exact language they use to describe their problems and desires. Read their forums, their reviews, their social posts. Listen to how they talk, not how you think they should talk. Use their words in your copy, not yours.

Find the big idea

Research is the raw material; the big idea is what you build from it. A big idea is an insight that immediately communicates the core value of the product in a way that is memorable and differentiated. Ogilvy’s test: “Did it make me gasp when I first saw it? Do I wish I had thought of it myself? Is it unique? Does it fit the strategy? Could it be used for 30 years?”

The headline carries 80% of the weight

Five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. If your headline doesn’t sell, you’ve wasted 80% of your money. Write dozens of headline variations. Test them. The headline should contain the key benefit and speak directly to the prospect. On average, long headlines sell more than short ones.

Use direct response to test everything

Ogilvy built his career on direct response advertising where every claim could be measured. Don’t guess what works — test it. Test headlines, offers, images, and formats. Let the data tell you what the audience actually responds to, not what your team thinks is clever.

Respect the consumer’s intelligence

“The consumer is not a moron, she is your wife.” Never talk down to your audience. Don’t use superlatives without proof. Don’t exaggerate. Don’t be cute at the expense of clarity. Treat the reader as an intelligent person who will reward honesty and punish manipulation.

Facts over adjectives

Ogilvy preferred factual, informative copy over creative fluff. Specific facts are more persuasive than adjectives. “This car gets 42 miles per gallon” beats “this car is incredibly fuel-efficient.” Fill your copy with useful information and let the facts do the selling.

How to use this

Before starting any marketing project for Spooky, complete this research checklist:

  1. Product: Can I explain exactly how Spooky works, what makes it different technically, and what the experience is like?
  2. Competition: Have I reviewed competing AI website/brand tools and mapped their positioning?
  3. Consumer: Have I read real founder discussions about building marketing materials? Do I know their pain points in their own words?
  4. Big idea: Do I have a central insight that ties the product to the consumer’s need in a fresh way?
  5. Headlines: Have I written at least 10 headline variations before picking one?
  6. Testing: Is there a way to measure which version of this copy performs better?