From the genteel poverty of his Scottish youth to the polished boardrooms of Madison Avenue, Ogilvy built an empire on an ethical paradox: that the human mind could be influenced without being betrayed.
This episode traces his journey from the kitchens of the Hôtel Majestic to the founding of Ogilvy & Mather, through his disciplined philosophy of advertising and his resistance to manipulation. Along the way, we revisit the shadow of Edward Bernays, the “engineering of consent,” and the uneasy marriage between freedom and influence that defines our digital age.
A portrait of intellect, restraint, and moral precision—set against a world that still can’t decide whether persuasion is art, science, or control.
