Dear Subscriber,
David Ogilvy (aka The King of Madison Avenue) was sitting in his lounge room with a glass of Scotch whiskey in hand, chatting with an old crony.
At 80 years old, Ogilvy was deep in reflection. He leaned back, took a slow puff from his pipe, gazed at the glowing embers, and said:
“You know, I’m supposed to be terribly rich. I’m not, because I’ve screwed up my financial affairs all my life.”
His friend rolled his eyes and replied:
“David, you should stop complaining about money. You’re in excellent health, you have this glorious château, a devoted wife, and the respect and admiration of everyone who knows you. Stop grousing.”
Ogilvy went quiet, nodding as he considered his friend’s advice.
And he did stop complaining…
… For All of Ten Minutes!
Then it was back to the old standbys – bitching about his company going public, the lousy weather, and the parade of business associates who’d done him dirty over the years.
You know, the kind of guy who can find a cloud in every silver lining.
***
By the way, what you just read was a paraphrased account taken from a book called The King of Madison Avenue.
The moral of the story?
I don’t really know. Perhaps it’s this:
Just because you get older, doesn’t mean you get wiser.
Now listen, I’ve been going through a lot of Ogilvy’s work lately. And like all great men and women, Ogilvy had his fair share of foibles, quirks, and blind spots. And yes, his financial decisions were about as rock-solid as Yoko Ono’s chances of headlining the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
But I’ll tell you this:
advertising, communication, and understanding human nature were not his weaknesses. No! In those areas, the man was operating on a whole different frequency. The guy was playing chess while everyone else was struggling to open a box of Checkers.
And… inside the January issue, I give you some of his best advertising secrets and insights into leadership, effective communication, and copywriting – all taken from some of his public and private communications – memos, letters, speeches, notes, and interviews.
Plus a few other goodies. Like these:
*Two exceedingly stupid phrases (yet commonly used by intelligent leaders) that come off as passive-aggressive. If you’re in a leadership role, there’s a very good chance you have used one or both of these phrases when giving instructions to employees. (These phrases may get the result you want, but they have a horrible consequence—your employees will quietly resent you. – page 9)
*The “Riddle me this?” communication secret to getting people’s compliance and obedience while having them still think the world of you.
*How to become a copywriting cupid and text your way into her affections. (Plus, a real-world example from my own romantic adventures. It’s a little embarrassing, but what the hell. – page 10)
*The copywriter’s guide to romance: How to turn your words into romantic arrows.
*A simple and elegant copywriting lesson taken straight from a David Ogilvy memo written in 1956. (This is how you make people care about topics even if at first they don’t give a damn about them. Perfect tip for leaders and marketers.)
*How to make simple requests taken seriously. – page 10
*The Paper Clip copywriting lesson. – page 11
*The full scoop on Howard Stern’s secret to relentless audience engagement. Few have built and kept a loyal and rabid audience over such a long period as Howard. (In this section, I reveal Howard’s big secret to achieving such incredible engagement and loyalty. If you create any type of content, this is something you’re going to want to copy.)
*Quite possibly the very best writing tip I can give you. – page 12
*A weird (but 100% accurate) motivational message for those who are going through hell right now. – page 12
*The curious reason why the Japanese like weeds. And… how knowing this can help you in business. – page 13
*The secret psychology behind the word “NO” and how to use it to your own advantage when selling, negotiating, or just trying to get your way in everyday matters.
To see how you can get this issue and others like it, go ye here: https://kelvindorsey.com/mavericks-inner-circle/
Your friend,
Kelvin
Email Marketing Maverick
