For about a century, major national advertisers of brand-named goods and services have employed advertising agencies to plan out their campaigns, write and design the ads, and follow a media strategy to reach targeted buyers with their sales messages. Viewing consumers as irrational, ill-informed, and uncultured, advertising agencies often created ads that reflected their own surroundings rather than those of the buyers they wanted to attract. The subculture of the advertising industry is an intense one. How to judge good advertising from bad?
Some 90% of advertisements are underachievers, according to the United States Institute of Marketing. In fact, "less than 10% of all the advertisements appearing in the media are producing close to 40% of the accountable responses" according to Robert C. Steckel, President of the Institute.The reason according to Whit Hobbes, is that "Too often, there isn't a point. There isn't a direction. Too often advertising … is a habit. Too often the advertisements are there merely to take up space" … or time. No advertisement should run, unless it has something to say … which means that half the … advertising that runs, shouldn't run".

The name David Ogilvy is a legend in advertising. He is the one of the most revered marketing minds in the world. He helped to establish modern advertising with his big ideas and he produced many of the world's most famous and sophisticated ad campaigns. His style, wit and convictions helped mold an industry. But most importantly, he knew how to sell. His copy followed the basic rules of advertising: research and position the product, develop a brand image, build culture, and have a big idea. Here are some of his great tips.

4 Ps of Advertising
The 4-Ps of marketing are the core of textbook literature. Ogilvy also has his 4-Ps of advertising. Positioning is the first key factor. Consider how you want to "position" your product. This means what the product does or who it is for. The second "P" is personality in the brand image. Personality does not necessarily mean a person but the ability to evoke an image.There are two points to ponder: First, customers buy the "image." Second, customers, as people, identify with other people-from the ads.
The third "P" - persistence of memory of the ad. Ogilvy did not believe that a new ad was necessary every season to maintain customer interest in the product. He preferred innovative extensions of the core ad and believed that customers would not become bored by repetition, and cease to identify with it. Ogilvy's last "P" is pursuit of the positive.