Posted by: Drayton Bird
June 5, 2008
Issue #433

What I learned from “the most able man”
at Ogilvy and Mather

(Plus a prediction about the future
of online marketing)

Almost exactly 21 years ago, I was invited to go to India to help train O & M’s newly hatched direct marketing agency.

The idea was suggested by David Ogilvy, who loved India, and who told me before I went to get to know Mani Ayer, the head of the agency.

“He is the most able man in our network,” said David.

And so I did meet Mani, and we’ve been friends ever since.

At that time, O & M in India had a different structure and name than the rest of the group around the world. A substantial percentage was owned by the employees, and the firm was called Ogilvy, Benson and Mather – OBM – which Mani told me stood for “Other Buggers’ Money.”

(Mani is, like most of the people I like, very funny.)

A couple of years later, I went to conduct a direct marketing seminar in Goa, where Mani was also speaking, so I watched him in action.

He opened his talk by saying, “Gentlemen” - it was an all-male gathering – “Kindly remember that the obvious is always overlooked.”

I have never forgotten that, and it occurred to me when preparing some talks in Australia recently. I hope you find some of what I said interesting  –  but then again, you may not, so you can stop reading at any time.

It seems to me that some obvious things traditional direct marketers and even marketers generally have known about for well over a century are largely, if not entirely, ignored by people selling online.

This is a shame, because online selling is just accelerated direct marketing – a phrase I coined, by coincidence, during a TV interview in New Delhi.

For instance, let me ask you a question, starting with an assumption. The assumption is that as a keen student you subscribe to a number of helpful services, like Clayton’s, which teach you all about making tons of money in marketing.

The question is this: how many of the services you subscribe to have ever asked you personally about yourself? About what you are interested in - your ambitions, your problems? I have only seen it done once recently.

While you are thinking about that, here is an old slide I have used for years in my seminars.

As you can see, a firm is trying to learn about their customers, because, as Harvey McKay remarked in Swim with the Sharks without Getting Eaten Alive, “Something you know about your customer may be more important than anything you know about your product.”

This is undoubtedly true. O & M ran some extensive research into what kind of advertising sells best. The answer was not, as most ad agencies often imagine, clever or funny advertising. It was relevant advertising. But how relevant can your messages be if you know very little about your customers?

The example I just showed you ran in 1867. 141 years ago. In fact, as the next slide, which shows the rest of the piece, reveals the product was probably pretty dubious, but that doesn’t make the idea bad.

All those years ago, those folk knew more about the importance of enriching their database than most do now.  Most online marketers have yet to really try to understand their customers. They just make assumptions about them as a whole, not as individuals, and on that basis they do just fine.

You may ask why, so I will tell you.

It is because they have been making so much damn money without having to try hard.

They have been doing what I call “fishmonger marketing” – slap the product on a slab and say “Here it is, everyone, do you like it?” General marketers call this “push marketing,” and you see it at its most irritating and unimaginative in car commercials.

This works just fine when the product or service, the medium or idea are new or unique, or you are a brilliant copywriter or marketer. The first TV commercials got amazing responses. The first personalized direct mail doubled response rates. The first sweepstakes did the same.

My late friend Bill Jayme, at that time America’s top copywriter, got astonishing results without using personalization, because he had an uncanny ability to understand people.  Someone like Clayton will always get high responses, no matter what. And there are quite a few brilliant online marketers in the US who manage to do very well. But I bet you they’re not finding it as easy as they did.

And if like me, you are not a genius and you have no new medium or stunning new product, you have to rely on greater knowledge.

And I predict that as e-mail response rates continue to fall, only those who try much harder to learn more about their customers as individuals will succeed in the long run.

So here is a suggestion I made to my creative people around the world at O & M in a newsletter I used to send out called Commonsense Creative: “Don’t just go for a response. Gain knowledge”.

I cannot stress highly enough how important this is. The art of persuasion begins with saying something that the prospect cannot disagree with  –  getting a “yes”  –  and often the easiest way to do that is by stating a fact about the reader.

For example, if you are writing to doctors, simply beginning with the highly unimaginative words, “As a doctor” will significantly boost response. Followed by another relevant sentence, I once saw it quadruple response for American Express.

The little piece you have just read covers part of the talk I gave on this subject in Australia. That talk was put on video, and is now being edited. If you would like to see it, let me know.

Oh, and if you’d like to tell me something about yourself, by all means do. Clayton and I are planning something soon which may interest you.

Contributed by Drayton Bird, Hon. F IDM
Guest Contributor
THE TOTAL PACKAGE™

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11 Comments »

1. Comment by Michael Martine — June 5, 2008 @ 9:26 am

   That’s a head-slapper and make no mistake. Thanks for stating the obvious–it was necessary.

   I feel good knowing I’m already doing this on my own internet venture, Gateway Blogging.

   This site was just recommended to me by a friend via social media. I’m going to have a deeper look around. Looks promising.

2. Comment by Roy Everitt — June 5, 2008 @ 9:50 am

   It’s not the not knowing, but thinking we do,
   for which Drayton takes us to task.But one thing’s for certain: don’t know about you -
   from now on, I’m going to ask! 

3. Comment by Swans G Paul — June 5, 2008 @ 9:58 am

   Dear Drayton Bird:

   Here’s something very personal you’d like to know about one of your "admirers" /students.

   I literally lose my sleep thinking about what makes advertising work consistently.

   I’ve read most of the books, as you know.

   Is there a way that you and Clayton can take some time to really analyze some of the greatest controls you’ve ever seen.

   For example, why a certain headline works so well at a certain time. How many different ways the copywriter proved his claims.

   You know: if you had a son, who is 26, and he told you that he wanted to become an excellent A-level copywriter. And you had only one day to train him, to lay a foundation to which he can return any time  he needs to write copy, what would you do for him?

   What kind of approach you’d recommend to marketing problems?

   What one control you’d take apart, piece by piece, sentence by sentence…inside out…so that he could see not only the techniques, but also the structure…not only the structure but also the kind of research that needs to be done before a word of copy is written?

   Would you recommend that he tries to sell the product face to face before he starts selling it via different media?

   Sincerely,
   Swans Paul

4. Comment by Jennifer Gibbs — June 5, 2008 @ 11:50 am

   Dear Drayton,

   I’m DEFINITELY interested in taking a look at that video footage as soon as the editing is complete.

   Is there a list I’ll need to subscribe to or a number I’ll need to call?

   Warmest Wishes,

   Jennifer

5. Comment by Lara — June 5, 2008 @ 1:07 pm

   Hi Drayton,

   Thank you for another riveting article - you always provide incredibly valuable information. Thank you thank you thank you!

   Please let me know when the video is available.

   Cheers,

   Lara

6. Comment by Jon Rozek — June 6, 2008 @ 12:23 am

   I always look forward to your insights, Drayton, and you’ve just reinforced that with your latest piece.
   I’d very much like to see your video, too.
   Thanks.
   Jon Rozek

7. Comment by Markus Trauernicht — June 6, 2008 @ 11:33 am

   Yes, I would like to see that video.
   Regards Markus Trauernicht

8. Comment by Clayton Makepeace — June 6, 2008 @ 3:41 pm

   You guys know you’re touching history here, don’t you …

   This man literally invented the use of direct response to promote high-ticket products.

   How high-ticket?  Oh … well, how about ROLLS ROYCE, for instance?

   There’s not an "A" list copywriter or billion-dollar marketer in America who wouldn’t pay a king’s ransom for Mr. Bird to take a few seconds reviewing their positioning … their strategy … let alone their headlines.

   I’m so proud to count him as a friend, I could burst.

   – Clayton

9. Comment by Dean Kennedy — June 6, 2008 @ 11:04 pm

   I almost wet myself with excitement (and crikey, I’m in my mid-30s) when Clayton put Drayton back on my radar.

   Before seeing him via Clayton’s material, I hadn’t seen or read of Drayton and his wisdom and humour for many years – so again thanks Clayton for what you do and who you connect us with!

   I love Drayton Bird’s material and now his Bird Droppings blog too, and would loooooove to see that Australian seminar video (I missed knowing he was even down under this past summer … obviously I’m not on the right lists!).

   I’m also very proud to say that, like Drayton, I left university early without a degree (silly me, it took me twice to be convinced) and have found real world marketing much more fun and rewarding. Especially with help from the wisdom of people like Clayton and Drayton. What you both share is always worth absorbing.

   – Dean Kennedy, Melbourne Australia

10. Comment by Ron — June 7, 2008 @ 2:17 pm

    Dear Drayton and Clayton,

    We would really like to see you pull rabbits out of your hats in the video but I’ll bet the ranch that you two wise old birds have lined up something ever better than that.

    I don’t know who is was that said, and forgive me because I probably haven’t gotten the quote right but here goes - "you can’t put and old head on young shoulders."

    Suffice it to say, there’s nothing like experience (I’m 58) and knowing all about your customer and what their needs and problems are is paramount to the real art of selling. 

    All you gotta do is ASK.

    And I’m one of the first to admit after some 37 years of selling that I’ve broken every rule and commandment that I know about relastionship building, trust, empathy, problem-solving and every other by not asking. Duh!

    Thanks for reminding us Drayton, that the very first thing that a customer wants to do is be heard or be asked. 

    I’m just wondering how much business I lost because I either didn’t know enough about my customer or just didn’t take the time to ask. Yikes!
     

11. Comment by Lawton Chiles — July 6, 2008 @ 7:28 pm

    Thank you Drayton for your kind insights into the heart of our customers. Getting to know their personal hot buttons is the essence of selling.

    It really is all about human nature, huh?

    It is funny how often I forget that. Count me in for the video too!