David Ogilvy: Be Concise & Precise When You Write

“Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs” – David Ogilvy

In 1962, Time Magazine declared advertising guru, David Ogilvy, as “the most sought after wizard in today’s advertising industry”.

During his years as an advertising executive and copywriter at the company he founded in 1948, Ogilvy was considered to be one of the most original and creative “ad men” of his time, having been responsible for developing iconic ad campaigns (remember these: “One-quarter cleansing cream – Dove creams your skin while you wash” and “I’m head over heels in DOVE!”)

Today, Ogilvy’s successful advertising campaigns are still stuff of legend. But while the “father of advertising” had plenty to teach us about productivity, branding, research, and ambition— his ideas on writing are just as priceless.

On September 7, 1982, Ogilvy sent the following memo to all agency employees, titled “How to Write”:

Most of Ogilvy’s 10 hints for writing concern being concise and precise.

As the founder of The Expert Editor, I have come across just about every type of document from all sorts of authors. They all had different aims and were targeting different audiences.

However, two common flaws permeated all this writing – wordiness and vagueness, which was exactly what David Ogilvy was railing against in his memo.

Wordiness and vagueness are often interrelated problems in that using too many words to express yourself obscures your ideas. As Strunk and White tell us in The Elements of Style, “A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences”.

The good news is that writers can break the habit of being wordy and vague. To write concisely and precisely, always:

• Choose your words deliberately
• Construct your sentences efficiently
• Use grammar properly.

When re-writing and editing your work, keep being concise and precise in mind. Evaluate what you write, and how you write it. Identify the bad habits that inevitably creep into your writing, and resolve not to make the same mistakes next time.

Language is important; it creates our reality, and can also distort it. By being concise and precise, not only will your writing be accessible and unambiguous, but it will also be more compelling.