Ogilvy, David M

Ogilvy, David M(ackenzie)

(born , June 23, 1911, West Horsley, Surrey, Eng.—died July 21, 1999, near Bonnes, France) British advertising executive. After an Oxford education, he worked as an apprentice chef and stove salesman before taking a job in an advertising agency. He spent a year in the U.S. learning American advertising techniques. In 1948, with Anderson Hewitt, he formed Hewitt, Ogilvy, Benson & Mather, which became one of the world's largest advertising firms. He is noted for reminding his colleagues that “the consumer is not a moron,” and his ads for brands such as Schweppes and Rolls-Royce were admired for their creativity.