20 Ogilvy Print Ads

Updated on
david-ogilvy.webp

This is a big list of all the most famous David Ogilvy print ads. These span from the 1950's to the 1980's, and are some of the best performing print ads of all time.

1. How Sears Sold Trust with a 5% Profit Margin

null-23-1768148738257.webp

This vintage Sears ad nails consumer psychology by showing a pile of coins next to a promise: their profit is...

Read more →

2. David Ogilvy’s “Confessions of a Magazine Reader”: A Masterclass in Persuasive Writing

34a3ddeed44d56926a751d2ea43becbe-1768148549250.jpg

This vintage ad by David Ogilvy, titled “Confessions of a Magazine Reader,” is a brilliant example of how to turn...

Read more →

3. American Express Turns a Diamond into a Punchline

screenshot-2026-01-06-092839-1767709738465.png

This classic American Express ad grabs you in an instant. Big, bold type asks, “How to buy a diamond,” but...

Read more →

4. The Credit Card That Sold You Jeans (and Everything Else)

screenshot-2026-01-06-093015-1767726864632.png

This vintage American Express ad nails emotional marketing with a twist. It looks like a jeans ad at first glance—but...

Read more →

5. The Clever Copy Behind “How to Buy Jeans”

screenshot-2026-01-06-141600-1767726987328.png

This vintage American Express ad doesn’t actually teach you how to buy jeans—it sells you on how to *pay* for...

Read more →

6. How American Express Sold More Than Just a Card

screenshot-2026-01-06-093336-1767726880365.png

This vintage American Express ad nails simplicity and persuasion. It hooks you instantly with a relatable promise—‘How to buy a...

Read more →

7. How American Express Used Humor to Make Trust Memorable

screenshot-2025-12-29-000510-1766984726431.png

This vintage American Express ad nails a simple idea with clever humor. Rather than a boring pitch about safety, it...

Read more →

8. How American Express Used Humor to Sell Trust

screenshot-2025-12-29-000352-1766984642080.png

This vintage American Express ad turns a robbery scene into a confidence pitch for their Travelers Cheques. The cartoon-style image...

Read more →

9. How American Express Sold 'Peace of Mind' With Humor

screenshot-2025-12-29-000219-1766984552902.png

This vintage American Express ad nails the art of visual persuasion. A man struggles to carry a huge safe while...

Read more →

10. Vintage Advertising: How American Express Sold 'Safe Spending'

screenshot-2025-12-29-000032-1766984446978.png

This vintage American Express Travelers Cheques ad is a masterclass in combining humor, storytelling, and cultural tropes to sell trust....

Read more →

11. The Honeymoon Advertisement That Sold Peace of Mind

amex-ad-1766984171331.jpg

This vintage American Express ad cleverly uses humor and emotion to sell financial security. A cartoon bride refuses to leave...

Read more →

12. Why an Armored Car Won’t Make You Feel Safer (But This Ad Might)

screenshot-2025-12-28-235159-1766984152556.png

This vintage American Express ad nails humor and persuasion in one shot. It shows a couple standing proudly by their...

Read more →

13. How American Express Made Furniture Shopping Fun

screenshot-2025-12-28-231712-1766983012346.png

This vintage American Express ad grabs attention instantly. A man tilts back gleefully in a fancy rocking chair beneath the...

Read more →

14. How American Express Turned a Hairbrush Into a Status Symbol

screenshot-2025-12-28-231829-1766983000718.png

This vintage American Express ad doesn’t sell a brush at all—but it makes you want to swipe your card with...

Read more →

15. How a Credit Card Sold the Dream of Skating

screenshot-2025-12-28-231930-1766982991734.png

This vintage American Express ad looks like it’s about roller skates—but it’s really selling confidence, lifestyle, and status. The headline,...

Read more →

16. How American Express Sold Status With A Simple Tagline

screenshot-2025-12-28-232041-1766982236658.png

This vintage American Express ad blends prestige, practicality, and humor to sell a lifestyle, not just a credit card. With...

Read more →

17. American Express: Turning Shopping Into Status

screenshot-2025-12-28-231053-1766982216558.png

This vintage American Express ad is classy, confident, and perfectly targeted. The hand-drawn illustrations give it a high-end yet approachable...

Read more →

18. What's in Store with American Express: A Lesson in Prestige Marketing

screenshot-2025-12-28-230934-1766982201951.png

This vintage American Express ad nails the art of associating a product with prestige and access. It doesn’t just sell...

Read more →

19. How Singha Beer Made Thai TV Ads Work

468356656-10163029137007994-962552321809543794-n-1766420601472.jpg

This vintage Ogilvy & Mather ad for Singha Beer is more than just nostalgia—it’s a masterclass in crafting culturally resonant...

Read more →

20. When Ads Look Like Science: The Genius of Data-Driven Marketing

468406373-10163029140637994-5316294740045612464-n-1766420617261.jpg

The image shows a vintage-style print ad packed with dense text, charts, and pseudo-academic formatting. It looks less like a...

Read more →

Sincerely,
Swipe File - Fans of David Ogilvy

Command Palette

Search for a command to run...