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04/20/2006: "Copywriters --- Don't Turn Down Dopey Ideas --- You and Your Clients May Regret it."

Copywriters always need to come up with ideas for their clients and for the positioning and branding that many of us do. But in fact, few of us come up with many BIG IDEAS in our entire careers. David Ogilvy, one of the greatest copywriters to put words to paper, admitted that he had perhaps come up with just twenty big ideas in his career.

Ogilvy also said that he often failed to see a good idea for what it was. Many clients, like Ogilvy, turn down our good ideas because they sound "dopey." Often we turn down our own ideas. We're scared to present them to clients because they sound different. They've never been tried. They're wild. Often, however, they're GREAT! Before you or your clients turn down your next idea, read this.

"One of my partners came up with the idea of parading a herd of bulls through Merrill Lynch commercials under the slogan -'Merrill Lynch is bullish on America.' I thought it was dopey, but fortunately it was approved before I saw it. Those bulls are still parading, long after the account moved to another agency."

Those are the words of David Ogilvy. Copywriting is about ideas. Don't throw them away because they don't sound great to you or your clients. Not all of your ideas are great. Many are not even good. But many great ideas are dumped because of fear or because they sound crazy. Next time, remember Ogilvy's experience. You may throw out a winner if you act too fast.