Advertising & Copywriting
David Ogilvy
“Research first. The headline does 80% of the work. The consumer is not a moron.”
The Philosophy
Ogilvy fused the discipline of research with the craft of writing. He insisted you study the product and the customer exhaustively before writing a word, then pour that knowledge into a headline — because five times as many people read the headline as the body. His other commandment: respect your reader. 'The consumer is not a moron, she is your wife.' Specific, factual, benefit-led copy beats clever-clever every time.
Core Principles
Research before you write
Know the product and the customer cold. The big idea hides in the facts, not in the brainstorm.
The headline is 80%
Most of your spend is read in the headline alone. If it doesn't promise a benefit or news, the body is wasted.
The consumer is not a moron
Write to an intelligent reader. Specifics, evidence and respect outperform hype and cleverness.
Long copy sells
When the offer is considered, give the reader everything they need to decide — facts persuade.
How AIONIQS Applies It
AIONIQS copy earns the Ogilvy half of our voice: research-led and specific. Every headline leads with a concrete benefit or a piece of news, backed by real numbers from the scorecard and audits. We don't write 'transform your business with AI' — we write the specific outcome, for the specific operator, with the specific proof.
Templates — Copy & Use
10 headline angles
Write 10 headlines for [offer], one per angle: 1. Direct benefit: 'Get [result]' 2. News: 'New: [thing]' 3. How-to: 'How to [result] without [pain]' 4. Specific number: '[N]% / £[N] / [N] days' 5. Question: 'Are you [problem]?' 6. Testimonial: '"[quote]" — [name]' 7. Promise + proof: '[benefit], backed by [proof]' 8. Fear of loss: 'Stop [costly mistake]' 9. Curiosity gap: 'The [thing] most [audience] miss' 10. The 'who else': 'Who else wants [result]?' Pick the most specific, true one.
Research brief (do before writing)
Product: what does it actually do? Best feature? Proof: hard numbers, results, guarantees we can cite. Customer: who exactly? What do they want / fear / believe? Competitors: what claims are they making? The one big promise this copy must make: ______ The single most persuasive fact: ______
How To Use This In Your Business
Never write copy until the research brief is complete — facts first.
Draft 10 headlines and choose the most specific true one; the rest become subheads.
Lead the headline with a benefit or news, and put a real number in it.
Write to an intelligent reader: prove every claim, cut every empty adjective.