As the third in our series of posts featuring awesome clients, this week we’d like to highlightOgivly. In 1948, David Ogilvy hired two employees and founded an advertising agency that he wanted to be different. Today, that agency is one of the world’s largest advertising networks. Throughout the years, Ogilvy has created some inspiring, out-of-the-box ads that have significantly influenced the way people think about advertising.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Dove:
In this print ad from 1955, Ogilvy’s positioning helped Dove become profitable within its first year. The secret to the ad’s success was careful research. After struggling to find what made Dove soap unique, David Ogilvy asked the company about the soap’s formula. In the answer, “he found a single intriguing fact: one-fourth of Dove’s composition was not technically soap at all, but a compound called ‘cleansing cream.’” This led Ogilvy to develop the tagline “One-quarter cleansing cream – Dove creams your skin while you wash.” We also love the line in the ad, “I’m head over heels in DOVE!” Ogilvy’s work has proven extremely sustainable, as the company still uses this positioning today.

Allsecur:
In this clever moving advertisement for Dutch car insurance company AllSecur, Ogilvy thought to have an upside-down car wind its way through Amsterdam. The upside-down car pulled a sign with the line, “Accident? Allsecur offers you € 0.00 as a standard deductible.” The ingenious idea created a buzz of free publicity, as passers-by snapped pictures of the upside-down car spectacle on their phones and sent it to friends. Allsecur’s marketing manager explains that the company “pays for 100% of any incurred damage whenever necessary – and that’s without the client having to pay any extra money. Oglilvy has succeeded in transferring this into a creative and especially effective campaign.” The ad won a Cannes Lions award for Creativity in addition to several 2011 International Advertising Awards.

Faber Castell:
Ever seen a memorable advertisement for a pen? Probably not, unless you’ve seen this one. Instead of touting the pen’s features, this ad beautifully shows its potential. Ogilvy’s Singapore office hired artist Chan Hwee Chong to reinvent famous paintings with the pen. The best part? He created each drawing with a single stroke. See a video of Chong at work here.

Hopenhagen:
In 2010, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon enlisted the help of advertising agencies to promote the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, and to raise awareness about the threat of climate change. Ogilvy’s integrated campaigned, titled Hopenhagen, was chosen as the winner. Ogilvy offices from around the world collaborated to create this empowering movement. The campaign used all social media channels to educate the world about climate change.In the words of David Ogilvy, “Never stop testing, and your advertising will never stop improving.” Consumer tastes, preferences, and even demographics are constantly changing, and it’s important to continuously reevaluate your brand positioning. Market research is an essential part of the advertising process, and we have loved the opportunity to help Ogilvy further understand its consumer markets.