The job of advertising is not to sell

David Ogilvy said “We sell or else.” And it’s a hard position to argue with. We make ads, not art. Clients come to agencies for commercial outcomes. But the language “sell” can be problematic. It can leads us down the wrong path to deliver on that promise. Yes, the job of advertising is to deliver a lift in sales. But it doesn’t have to sell. When you say something must sell, you play to the…