David Ogilvy’s Brilliant Rolls Royce Ad

David Ogilvy, founder of Ogilvy & Mather, is regarded as being one of the greatest copywriters of all time. Whether that’s true or not is open to debate. But most people would agree that he has written some of the world’s most influential direct response advertising copy, including some gems from his work with Rolls Royce.

Today, I’m sharing just a single paragraph from Ogilvy’s “What’s Under The Bonnet” ad that was featured as a full-page spread in the Chicago Daily Tribune in 1959 and as a three-page spread in The New Yorker.

Here are some interesting facts about this ad:

• Ogilvy reportedly spent 3-weeks reading and researching the car and customer reviews to gain a deep understanding of the product. This is evident based on the immense amount of detail throughout the full copy.

• Ogilvy was very particular with where he chose to place the ads. He understood that The New Yorker and Chicago Daily Tribune had a more affluent readership that could afford the vehicle.

• Ogilvy drafted 26 headline variations for the Rolls Royce team to consider.

Alright, so what’s so great about this ad?

Well, let’s take a look at a modern copywriting example from another luxury car maker:

This copy uses vague statements such as “luxury performance, “award-winning design,” and “intuitive technologies.” These buzzwords are not specific and do not illustrate a clear customer experience while driving the car.

This copy paints a vivid picture in the audience’s mind and uses descriptive language to explain specific features.

Ogilvy could have said “An engine that’s been quality tested before installation,” but that would have been boring and forgettable. Instead, “Run at full throttle for 7 hours” is attention-grabbing and specific enough that it adds authenticity to the message.

He also uses strong language such as engineering refinements instead of features, precision instrument instead of luxury vehicle, and acoustical mufflers instead of just mufflers.

The line “shock-absorbers that you can adjust from the driver’s seat” communicates more than just the fact that the car contains shock-absorbers. It describes how the feature is used from the customer’s perspective.

Ogilvy’s copy is multifaceted. It generates Attention, Interest and Desire - three of the four components of the AIDA framework. I might argue that the Jaguar copy achieves none of them.

​Check out the full ad copy here.